laws in md,pa,va,wva

[stayinhomewith4]

Hello all!
I am a mom of 4 who is new to HS.
my oldest is 6, and here in PA we don't have to reg 4 sch until age 8.
Our house is for sale and we are planning to move to one of the folling 4 states: Md, wva,va, or just elsewhere in pa. we want more land

can anyone give me a quick overview on the laws reg. homeschool, homebirth, vacc, in any or all of these states, Also interested in cost of living. we were considering md, but I've been hearing some neg. things. NewsTarget recently had an article about MD families being jailed for not vacc their kids. You should all check out this site

[mommaduck]

Where in PA are you?

[Ginene]

MD is strict. You have to have your child in school by the age of 6 here unless they changed it recently. I am interesting in homeschooling so I dont know how the laws are here in MD.

[Ravin]

For a quick overview of the HS'ing laws, there's http://www.hslda.org/laws/default.asp

For vaxing: http://www.nvic.org/state-site/state-exemptions.htm

For homebirth: http://www.cfmidwifery.org/states/

[Lillian J]

Here are three good sources for reading about the laws:

Homeschooling Legalities

- Lillian

[Ruthiegirl]

I am in Maryland and have had no trouble with homeschooling here.

Homebirthing laws are very strict though. It is illegal for a midwife to attend a home birth (though there are a few who do). I know several women who have birthed at home with an illegal midwife and others who have by-passed the midwife laws all together and birthed unassisted.

It is extremely difficult to find a doctor or hospital who will do a VBAC.

Vaccinations are becoming more of a touchy subject as more parents are skipping them and it can be a challenge to find a pediatritian who will agree to have a non-vaxed child for a patient.

Actually, homeschooling is the easy part. It is birthing and raising vax free kids that is the challenge.

BUT! Maryland is awesome and beautiful and we have found a tremendously supportive community here. Because the laws are tight, people rely on each other more to keep abreast of the laws and regulations. Maryland doesn't make it easy for us, but we have found it possible to live well here and not compromise our beliefs.

[stayinhomewith4]

thanks for the replys. We are in york county pa

[Pinky Tuscadero]

I think homeschooling in MD is easy. All they ask of you is a "portfolio review" twice a year. So far, it's been a breeze. They don't ask (and are not legally allowed to ask) for progress. All they want to see is regular instruction in the main subjects. A couple of pieces of paper and a few pictures are all we have shown and they seem thrilled with us. The law is very clear here and it has very few requirements.
Vaxes are not an issue if you are homeschooling. My ped is pretty pro vax but even she doesn't bug me much. We don't see her much so it hasn't been an issue for us. The parents going to jail thing was blown out of proportion, I think. The problem wasn't that they weren't vaxing, but that their kids were in schools without either vaxes or waivers. That's pretty cut and dry to me. If you send your kid to school, you either vax or sign a waiver. You can't just buck the system and expect to keep your kids in it. You have to follow the rules if you want to play. Some of the parents said they had gotten the shots but the schools lost the paperwork. Seems pretty easy to me to get a copy of your medical record showing the vax was given.
Homebirthing with a midwife is not illegal but CPMs are illegal. You can have a home birth with a CNM and there are a few around who do them. There are also some CPMs who do home births under the radar.
I haven't really any problems with my alternate choices. The gov't seems to keep their nose out of it mostly. If only my in laws would do the same...

[mamadecuatro]

I've heard WVA has no waivers for vaxes, I'd look into that!

[mamadecuatro]

Originally Posted by stayinhomewith4

thanks for the replys. We are in york county pa

We're in York County, too!