[ladysmantle]

Hello mamas,

We'd really appreciate any help/insight/personal experiences you can share. We're looking to relocate to the area of Forest City/Rutherfordton in a little over a year. We homeschool and we don't want any agencies telling us whether we should vaccinate our children. Coming from Maryland, which is invasive and controlling regarding homeschooling and homebirth (and, in some areas, vaccinations), we want to put out some feelers and hear from like-minded families in NC. We don't want to make this long-awaited move and find we jumped out of the frying pan into the fire!

Questions:
--How much does the Board of Ed check up on homeschooling families? Are there home visits? Are you required to teach an entire list of subjects the state gives? If you've met with any of the county homeschool inspectors, were they flexible and understanding, or rigid and assuming you're supposed to recreate a public school atmosphere in your home (gag)? We prefer to "unschool" to a certain extent but are prevented from doing so as much as we'd like by Maryland's stringent requirements, so I'm hoping Rutherford Co is more relaxed.

--I understand that the Board of Ed requires homeschoolers to file vaccine records with them--insanity! Do I have that right? If so, what does that entail if you don't vaccinate? Have any families who choose not to vaccinate been hassled?

--Are there any good, reputable homebirth midwives in the area? What is the general feeling toward homebirth (meaning, are the midwives hounded and going in fear of jail-time)?

Thank you so much!

 

[mila1986]

Hi, im not sure about the homeschooling thing but know that several of my neighbours home-school. As for vaccinations, my daughter is not up to date with her vaccines. I told them that for religious purposes we do not vaccinate and the school was ok with it. Good Luck on your move! :grin:

 

[Shannon Poe]

Hello mamas,

We'd really appreciate any help/insight/personal experiences you can share. We're looking to relocate to the area of Forest City/Rutherfordton in a little over a year. We homeschool and we don't want any agencies telling us whether we should vaccinate our children. Coming from Maryland, which is invasive and controlling regarding homeschooling and homebirth (and, in some areas, vaccinations), we want to put out some feelers and hear from like-minded families in NC. We don't want to make this long-awaited move and find we jumped out of the frying pan into the fire!

Questions:
--How much does the Board of Ed check up on homeschooling families? Are there home visits? Are you required to teach an entire list of subjects the state gives? If you've met with any of the county homeschool inspectors, were they flexible and understanding, or rigid and assuming you're supposed to recreate a public school atmosphere in your home (gag)? We prefer to "unschool" to a certain extent but are prevented from doing so as much as we'd like by Maryland's stringent requirements, so I'm hoping Rutherford Co is more relaxed.

--I understand that the Board of Ed requires homeschoolers to file vaccine records with them--insanity! Do I have that right? If so, what does that entail if you don't vaccinate? Have any families who choose not to vaccinate been hassled?

--Are there any good, reputable homebirth midwives in the area? What is the general feeling toward homebirth (meaning, are the midwives hounded and going in fear of jail-time)?

Thank you so much!

Check out the Unschoolers site. It's run by a lovely local (to me in TN) Mom who also runs an Unschoolers camp every summer. My son is going this year. http://www.etusc.com/

http://arghgatherings.blogspot.com/

 

[lilbsmama]

Hello mamas,

We'd really appreciate any help/insight/personal experiences you can share. We're looking to relocate to the area of Forest City/Rutherfordton in a little over a year. We homeschool and we don't want any agencies telling us whether we should vaccinate our children. Coming from Maryland, which is invasive and controlling regarding homeschooling and homebirth (and, in some areas, vaccinations), we want to put out some feelers and hear from like-minded families in NC. We don't want to make this long-awaited move and find we jumped out of the frying pan into the fire!

Questions:
--How much does the Board of Ed check up on homeschooling families? Are there home visits? Are you required to teach an entire list of subjects the state gives? If you've met with any of the county homeschool inspectors, were they flexible and understanding, or rigid and assuming you're supposed to recreate a public school atmosphere in your home (gag)? We prefer to "unschool" to a certain extent but are prevented from doing so as much as we'd like by Maryland's stringent requirements, so I'm hoping Rutherford Co is more relaxed.

--I understand that the Board of Ed requires homeschoolers to file vaccine records with them--insanity! Do I have that right? If so, what does that entail if you don't vaccinate? Have any families who choose not to vaccinate been hassled?

--Are there any good, reputable homebirth midwives in the area? What is the general feeling toward homebirth (meaning, are the midwives hounded and going in fear of jail-time)?

Thank you so much!

Hi! Are you still here? I don't frequent MDC as much as I used to but here I am. I live in Rutherfordton! We homeschooled here for 4 years. My boys decuded they wanted to go to public school last year though, and with #4 coming, I didn't argue. The homeschooling climate here is very relaxed. There is testing, but they aren't required to actually pass the tests. Come to think of it, I don't think the testing is actually required either. There are no home visits, and not much monitoring. You have to keep a file with your exemption-----religious or medical because there is no personal belief exemption, and you must keep a record of attendance, but that's about it. There is no such thing as a homeschool inspector here. They don't care what you do as long as you legally register your "school" when your oldest child turns 7. IMO, the homeschool community here is wonderful, but we are just public schoolers and happy about it. There is a local co-op as well as a few homeschooling groups, many that are religiously affiliated and a few secular ones.

Homebirth: I have had 2 homebirths OUTSIDE of Rutherford County, but in surrounding counties. I used an OB for the first and a lay midwife for the second. Both equally wonderful providers, for different reasons. I feel like NC is moderately homebirth friendly, but there is a good bit of animosity toward pay midwives who are working outside their scope of practice or are renegades and take on clients that damn well should be in a hospital. I had my 4th in the local hospital after having homebirths. SO glad I chose that route. The hospital was amazing, in case you do need to use it. Very natural birth friendly, breastfeeding is highly encouraged. Let me know if you have anymore questions! I can keep an eye out for rentals as well!