What is the “Third Tier” of Home Education?
(An excerpt from the CSTHEA Handbook)
1999 was an excellent year for home education in Tennessee. The Legislature had other issues on its plate that session, such as taxes and gambling, so we survived the standard attempts to restrict the rights of home educators. Furthermore, blatant disregard of the rights of home educators in the juvenile court system led to court cases with results that, simply stated, stopped overzealous attendance teachers (truancy officers) and judges in their tracks.
Most important, however, was the action taken by Governor Sundquist and his Commissioner of Education, Jane Walters. For years we had been meeting with the Governor, Dr. Walters, and her legal staff to undo some of the harm caused by the 1996 revisions to the homeschool law. We finally succeeded, as evidenced by the Memorandum from Commissioner Walters, included hereafter in this handbook.
Home education in Tennessee now “officially” has Three Tiers:
1. Home Education in Association with a Church-Related School (CRS)
This is the “standard” method of homeschooling. For grades K – 8 you merely register your child with a church-related school and meet its requirements. For grades 9 – 12 you are required to register with both the church-related school and the local education agency. This dual registration, plus certain other penalty provisions, led the church-related schools to object strongly to this “tier” for the high school students.
2. Home Education in Association with the Local Education Agency (LEA)
This method, used by approximately 5% of homeschoolers, requires registration with the local education agency and compliance with certain specific statutory requirements related to testing, attendance, educational requirements, etc.
3. Church-related School Extension Programs
Notice the lack of the word “home education.” Yes, you teach your child at home. However, you are a staff member of the church-related school, and your home is a designated extension campus of the school. There is no dual registration requirement, such as that provided in the first tier. You must, however, meet the requirements of your church-related school.
The third tier of home education is discussed in detail in the Memorandum reproduced on the following three pages. There are no legal specifics which differentiate a First Tier and a Third Tier program (other than the fact that there is no dual registration requirement with the Third Tier high school students). However, the Memorandum implies that there is a difference. The extent of freedom for home educators under the Third Tier is not fully known, and we expect some resistance when local education agencies and certain teachers unions realize the potential effect of the Commissioner’s Memorandum. Heaven forbid, home educating parents may only be accountable to God, themselves, and their church-related school, and not to an added level of educrats. Therefore, if you have a high school age child and intend on registering solely with a church-related school (as you are now legally permitted to do), please join HSLDA. As stated elsewhere in this Handbook, their annual fee is less than an attorney’s hourly fee.