The Hamilton County School Board revisited their July decision to not allow home educated students to participate on area school teams and voted this time to allow home educated students to participate beginning with winter sports.

The rule applies to homeschooled students registered with their local education district.

Those covered under a church-affiliated program or other umbrella group are excluded.

The following ruling will only apply to students already registered for this school year with the LEA. The ruling is as follows:

A homeschooled student wishing to participate in extracurricular athletics at a member school shall be eligible if the following qualifications are met:

The fine print

1. The student shall be enrolled in a homeschool study program in compliance with Section 49- 6-3050(b)(1) and be registered with the local director of schools (or head of school, if a private school) by August 15 of the current school year.

2. The participating student must have a legal residence within the school district where he/she is registered, if registering with a public school. If registering with a private school, the student must have a legal residence within 20 miles of the private school and meet all tuition and financial aid requirements.

3. By Aug. 15 of the school year, the parent or guardian must make application to the principal of the member school in which the homeschool athlete wishes to participate.

4. The homeschool athlete shall meet the same academic standards required of a member school student athlete to participate in the athletic program; however, the Director of Schools for public schools (or the head of school for private schools) in which a homeschool athlete wishes to participate shall work with the parent or guardian to ensure that the homeschool athlete is academically eligible. If a homeschool student’s course of study does not include five (5) academic subjects, then the Director of Schools (or head of school, if a private school) and the parent shall develop an alternative measure of academic progress and submit the same to the TSSAA for approval. The member school shall provide proof of academic eligibility to the TSSAA each semester.

5. The homeschool student must provide proof of basic medical insurance coverage and both independently secured catastrophic insurance coverage and liability insurance coverage which names the TSSAA as an insured party in the event the school’s insurance provider does not extend coverage to students enrolled in homeschool programs. The insurance must be in place before the homeschool student practices or participates.

6. The LEA may impose a participation fee for each athletic sport in which a homeschool athlete wishes to participate. Such participation fee shall not exceed three hundred dollars annually for each sport and shall be paid in full prior to the first regular season contest. A homeschool student participating at a private school shall be subject to full tuition and financial aid rules.

7. The homeschool student must meet all other TSSAA eligibility requirements.

8. All eligibility issues may be appealed in accordance with the Bylaws of the TSSAA.

9. The homeschool athlete must adhere to the same standards of behavior, responsibility, performance, and code of conduct as other participants of the team.

10. This rule gives a homeschool athlete the opportunity to try out for a member school’s athletic team. Ultimate decisions on the roster are left to the member schools and are not governed by the TSSAA. No student is guaranteed participation, but only the opportunity to try out for a position on the team, subject to the other provisions of this rule.

CSTHEA will continue to offer sports and other extra-curricular activities for area home educated students. Mock trial and drama as well as many sports teams are some of the activities available.

Please see www.csthea.org for more information on CSTHEA sponsored activities. If you are interested in starting an activity not offered to our students please contact Janell Bontekoe at janell@bontekoes.com for activity start up information.

By Claiborne Thornton

Vulnerable.

Perhaps as many as 95 percent of high school homeschoolers had been vulnerable for 15 years. It all started in the late 1990s in Lauderdale County in West Tennessee when an aggressive attendance officer took the “dual enrollment” list and went house to house threatening homeschooling families.Gateway Christian School in Memphis stepped in to provide the umbrella covering for those students, opening a school office in Ripley.

About a week later, a pro-family coalition met with Gov. Don Sundquist and I was asked to present a possible resolution to this troubling situation. The governor called Department of Education Commissioner Jane Walters to that meeting. Two weeks later, about 15 homeschooling stakeholders met with officials for further negotiations. The result of that gathering was the so-called Jeter memo, written by Dr. Kay Jeter of the department and Dee Black, a Home School Legal Defense Association attorney.

From then until June, enrollment under the Jeter memo grew exponentially. An estimated 95 percent of high school homeschoolers have acted under cover of this administrative document.

That’s where being vulnerable comes in.

Any new commissioner or any new attorney for the DOE could have rewritten or rescinded the Jeter memo. Yanking away that cover would have thrown thousands of homeschoolers into conflict with state government and local school officials.

We were vulnerable.

What did the Jeter memo let homeschoolers do?

Under the Jeter memo, a student could be enrolled in an umbrella program and a parent could become a teacher for that umbrella school. Teachers in church-related schools are not subject to certification or state standards of control. Parents had to meet the standards of the church-related school, not the state.

In the case of homeschoolers the student and teacher were assigned to a classroom, typically their home.

Do you see why the THEA board felt that homeschooling families were vulnerable?

As soon as we could see an opening, we felt compelled to act. We must attempt to codify the memo.

Tennessee Code Annotated 49 6-3050(a) (3) is our attempt to do just that. The new language reads, as follows:

A parent-teacher may enroll his or her home school student(s) in a churchrelated school, as defined in §49-50-801, and participate as a teacher in that churchrelated school. Such parent-teacher shall be subject to the requirements established by the church-related school for home school teachers and exempt from the rest of the provisions of this section.

What made this change to Tennessee law possible?

In a word, you did.

All the people who homeschool and used this freedom in a responsible manner, demonstrated over and over and over again that homeschoolers would do the hard work of teaching their children. That’s what made the 2011 updating of the homeschooling law possible.

And our position didn’t just squeak by. In both chambers of Tennessee legislators, our proposal won by an overwhelming 75 percent.

Great job!

Two factors had driven families to use the Jeter memo. Parents without a college degree had no other choice. Equally compelling was the onerous, annual, intrusive end-of-course testing the DOE demanded for the dual-enrolled students. Students were required to take tests based on the textbooks used in the public schools. Say what?

Reading the new law, you will see that both those objections have been removed. Testing for students in church-related schools and the parent’s college degree requirements are gone.

Now that’s what I call a sweeping change.

Again, from where does this new freedom come?

It is a simple responsibility principle. Any time self-restrained responsible people use their freedom wisely, they put themselves in a position to be given more of it.

When I consider the homeschool parents, the church-related school leaders and the homeschool students, I know these people are the occasion of the expansion of our freedoms.

• Parents became motivated to do something they perhaps feared — homeschooling. However much they feared the task of homeschooling, they valued the opportunity to care for and train their children more. Prayerfully seeking wisdom from the One who freely gives, they worked through all the necessary issues. Parents, thank you.

• Church-related school administrators and leaders pursue every innovative measure to teach all the students in their sphere of influence, including homeschoolers. These innovators have continually been willing to trust the design for education laid out in Deuteronomy 6 and trust fathers and their families to do what God commands them to do — namely, “train your children.” May God greatly honor them for putting obedience to God’s design above any other vested interest. You developed reasonable measures of effectiveness, without being too intrusive.

• Students, you have done what no one predicted possible. You have achieved excellence. In character, you know the bounds of personal freedom and of reasonable restraint. In wisdom, you begin with what is right and honorable to our King and His standards and show yourselves wise stewards of what He says is good and right. In strength, you show yourselves willing to exercise regularly the small power you have to be entrusted with more from the One who gives blessings without limit. In relationships, you build friendships with those around you, increasing the circle of love that reflects the values of our King. Thank you.

In short, the proper use of the Jeter memo led to an increased body of freedoms for homeschooling families all across the state. Parents and students, you have made this possible.

Over the next 20 years, we will see how we handle this new increased liberty. With this freedom comes a heavy responsibility. Let yourselves feel the weight. Evaluate it with great care.

Dear Lord God Almighty, please touch each of our hearts, each of our spirits and show us how to trust You in this hour to be faithful and true to what You call us to do. Thank you for our freedom. Please give us wisdom to use it wisely and most of all faithfully, serving You. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.

As signed by Gov. Bill Haslam on June 16, HB 1631 significantly changes the homeschool law of Tennessee in the following ways:

• Whereas the old law defined a “home school” as a school conducted by parents or guardians for their own children, the new law expands the definition to a school “conducted or directed” by parents or guardians. This indicates the legislative intent that parents or guardians do not have to personally provide the instruction but may oversee instruction provided to their children by someone else.
• Parents who elect to homeschool in association with a church-related school are no longer required to register their children in grades 9-12 with the local education agency. Further, these children are no longer required to take state tests at these grade levels.
• An additional option for homeschooling is created by the new law for parents who enroll their children in a church-related school and “participate as a teacher in that church-related school.” These parent-teachers are subject to the requirements established by the churchrelated school for homeschool teachers. No other requirements for homeschooling apply.
• Parents who elect to homeschool without any association with a churchrelated school must now provide notice to the local director of schools of their intent to do so “prior to each school year.” Prior law established a deadline for giving the notice as Aug. 1, but parents were permitted to give the notice as late as Sept. 1 upon payment of a penalty of $20 per week. Further, under the old law, the local superintendent had the authority to waive the September 1 deadline. The new law makes no mention of any extension or waiver of the deadline.
• Parents homeschooling through the local education agency (not through a church-related school) are required to have a high school diploma or GED to teach all grade levels, not just K-8. The old law required parents teaching grades 9-12 to have a bachelor’s degree or obtain an exemption of this requirement from the commissioner of education.
• Parents homeschooling through the local education agency are no longer required to notify the superintendent of whether a college preparatory or general course of education will be taught for students in grades 9-12. Further, parents are no longer required to submit to the superintendent a description of the courses to be taught in each year to meet this former requirement. (Parents homeschooling through the local education agency are still required to describe the proposed curriculum to be offered in the annual notice of intent to homeschool.)
• Regardless of the homeschooling option chosen by parents, they may employ a tutor with the qualifications required of parents for particular grade levels to teach in their place. Prior law limited use of such tutors to parents homeschooling through the local education agency.

The sponsors were Rep. Bill Dunn and Sen. Mike Bell. —HSLDA

Tennessee Home Education Association
17 Feveruary 2011

Nashville, TN – Legislation has been introduced today by Senator Mike Bell and Representative Bill Dunn to change the home school law in Tennessee.  The Tennessee Home Education Association has observed that much that takes place in the home schooling community could be more accurately defined if certain changes were made in the state law.  In particular many home schoolers rely on the Jeter memo as the legal process by which they home school.  This actually is a letter written in 1999 as Dr. Kay Jeter, Esq, then attorney for the Department of Education, and Dee Black, Esq, HSLDA’s attorney familiar with TN homeschool law, worked together to make one of the most common practices for home schoolers more legitimate by this letter.  As more and more home schoolers have relied on this letter it became evident that a change to Tennessee’s law that incorporates those concepts from the letter needed to be written into the law.  This should secure a more certain future for home schooling in Tennessee. 

In addition practices by the Department of Education and by home schoolers and home school groups concerning testing are not clearly in line with what is written in the law.  With these and many other smaller changes we have worked to make the law more comprehensible and better suited for home schooling families and their children. 

• SB 1468 by Bell
• HB 1631 by Dunn

Schools, Home – As introduced, makes various changes to home school requirements, including testing requirements for home school students. – Amends TCA Section 49-6-3050.

Home education promotes the idea that concerned, loving parents can successfully teach their children and in a free country they should have the freedom to do that.  In home education the values of the parents are passed to their children.  This long term stability in the learning environment for the child coupled with an all day training approach to learning has proven to be very effective for those families who really do work hard to teach their children.  Those children excel in their learning skills and knowledge, their attitudes toward and ability to relate to others of varying ages and backgrounds, and their performance in the community as they exit their homes and begin impacting society at large.

The THEA Board wrote and approved this language and has consulted with attorneys in Tennessee and with the Home School Legal Defense Association to develop the initial language.  This was submitted to the two sponsors.  Senator Bell and Representative Dunn requested that Legal Services review the language to make sure it was in appropriate form.  A few further changes were made and this is what now stands as the bill. 

Responsible use of freedom encourages more freedom.  Compulsion and responsible use of freedom are antithetical concepts.  May we enjoy and use our freedom well. 

Respectfully,

Claiborne Thornton President THEA

State-licensed day care centers and police departments had turned up their noses at the qualifications of several homeschool grads, claiming they hadn’t really graduated from high school because they had their credentials from an umbrella school.

Gov. Phil Bredesen signed the bill to end this unfavorable trend.

The bill was sponsored by Rep. Mike Bell, a homeschool dad who got his start in the affairs of the state legislature by being engaged as a lobbyist for THEA.

We should praise God that the law has been altered to give this largely Christian group of families the credit that the marketplace is already given to their graduating children.

Here is the bulk of the language of the less-than-one-page piece of legislation passed by both houses of the General Assembly:

Section 1-3-1__. Notwithstanding any rule, regulation, or other provision of law to the contrary, a high school diploma awarded by a school as defined by Section 49-50- 801 or Section 49-6-3050 in recognition of completion of secondary educational requirements shall be considered by all departments, agencies, commissions or other such entities of state and local government as having all the rights and privileges of a high school diploma awarded by a public school system. This section shall not apply to state lottery proceeds as provided in title 49, chapter 4, part 9.
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.

The bill that passed the Senate and House Schools requires that diplomas issued by homeschools be recognized by all state and local governmental entities as having the same rights and privileges of diplomas issued by public school systems.

Background: Despite the fact that home schooled students are being accepted in colleges and universities all across the nation as well as being recruited by Ivy League schools, it was learned a couple of years ago that some entities here in Tennessee that require a high school diploma to work decided that home schooled students from a “Category IV” schools did not meet that criteria. This decision affected day care workers and potential law enforcement recruits among others. Since the state recognizes and authorizes this kind of education, it is only just that diplomas from these schools be recognized. An effort to fix this problem failed last year. SB 433 was on the Senate floor May 4 where is passed 30-0. Sen. Sen. Andy Berke and House Speaker Ron Ramsey were among them.

HB 431 sponsored by homeschool dad repl Mike Bell (R-Riceville) was on the House floor Thursday morning. You would have been so proud of prime sponsor Mike Bill as he stood at the lectern at the front of the House floor for an hour and 40 minutes defending this ground-breaking piece of legislation. Mike did an outstanding job as he was peppered with questions, some that didn’t have anything to do with the bill. This was such a picture of “grace under fire,” that when the bill finally passed, he received a well-deserved round of applause.

In the end this bill passed Ayes 61, Nays 27. There was a minor change requiring it to go back to the Senate for a concurring vote Monday (May 11), but no problem is expected. Here’s the coverage in the Tennessean.

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20090508/NEWS0201/905080380/Bill+orders+equality+for+home-school+diplomas

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is a major threat to parents’ freedom to raise their children as they believe best — to teach them their religious faith, to discipline them in a Biblical manner, to manage their health care, and much more. Support for a Parental Rights Amendment to the federal constitution is an important way to stop this threat.

Many leaders in the new Administration and Congress support the UNCRC, including Hillary Clinton (nominated for Secretary of State) and Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif. Godly parents need to unite to protect our rights from this attack, and <www.ParentalRights.org> offers an important way we can help prevent adoption of the UNCRC by the federal government.

10 things you need to know about the structure of the CRC

• It is a treaty which creates binding rules of law. It is no mere statement of altruism.
• Its effect would be binding on American families, courts, and policy-makers.
• Children of other nations would not be impacted in any direct way by our ratification.
• The CRC would automatically override almost all American laws on children and families because of our supremacy clause.
• The CRC has some elements that are self-executing, while others would require implementing legislation. Federal courts would have the power to determine which provisions were self-executing.
• The courts would have the power to directly enforce the provisions that are self-executing.
• Congress would have the power to directly legislate on all subjects necessary to comply with the treaty. This would constitute the most massive shift of power from the states to the federal government in American history.
• A committee of 18 experts from other nations, sitting in Geneva, has the authority to issue official interpretations of the treaty which are entitled to binding weight in American courts and legislatures. This effectively transfers ultimate authority for all policies in this area to this foreign committee.
• Under international law, a treaty overrides even our Constitution.
• Reservations, declarations, or understandings intended to modify our duty to comply with this treaty will be void if they are determined to be inconsistent with the object and purpose of the treaty.

10 things you need to know about the substance of the CRC

• Parents would no longer be able to administer reasonable spankings to their children.
• A murderer aged 17 years, 11 months and 29 days at the time of his crime could no longer be sentenced to life in prison.
• Children would have the ability to choose their own religion while parents would only have the authority to give their children advice about religion.
• The best interest of the child principle would give the government the ability to override every decision made by every parent if a government worker disagreed with the parent’s decision.
• A child’s “right to be heard” would allow him (or her) to seek governmental review of every parental decision with which the child disagreed.
• According to existing interpretation, it would be illegal for a nation to spend more on national defense than it does on children’s welfare.
• Children would acquire a legally enforceable right to leisure.
• Teaching children about Christianity in schools has been held to be out of compliance with the CRC.
• Allowing parents to opt their children out of sex education has been held to be out of compliance with the CRC.
• Children would have the right to reproductive health information and services, including abortions, without parental knowledge or consent.

An important step toward preventing adoption of the UNCRC is to pass the Parental Rights Amendment to the federal constitution being prepared for introduction in Congress.

Amendment’s Proposed Text

Section 1

The liberty of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children is a fundamental right.

Section 2

Neither the United States nor any state shall infringe upon this right without demonstrating that its governmental interest as applied to the person is of the highest order and not otherwise served.

Section 3

No treaty nor any source of international law may be employed to supersede, modify, interpret, or apply to the rights guaranteed by this article.

Action Step

Please go to https://www.parentalrights.org/petition and sign the petition for the adoption of the Parental Rights Amendment to the Constitution.

Pass this information on to friends and encourage them to do the same.

The board would like for as many home educators who are able to come to Oakwood Baptist for a short speech and a Q&A concerning issues dear to home schooling families. The event will be held at Oakwood Baptist Church in the Fellowship Hall at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 13, a Monday. We are thankful that Sen. Berke is taking the time and showing interest in the homeschooling community and would like to have a good showing of families. Feel free to bring your well behaved younger children and encourage your older children to come with you for a little impromptu civics lesson.

This is a great opportunity to meet, question and chat with a legislator who represents senate district 10 which is all Marion County and large areas of Hamilton County.

To check if you are in his district go to http://www.lib.chattanooga.gov/govDocs/images/HamCosenatedistricts.jpg.