North Central Washington Homeschool Network

Valley Home Educators - Archived Information

VHE MEETING

Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2005 6:30 - 8:00 pm
Wenatchee Public Library
Small meeting room,  lower level inside near the computer lab

Information about filing you Declaration of Intent to Homeschool, connect with other homeschoolers this fall and

changes in the rules for Alternative Education Programs such as Parent Partner Programs, 

now required to allow part time attendance by Home-based Instruction students.

                          RCW 28A.200.010
                          Home-based instruction -- Duties of parents.

                          Each parent whose child is receiving home-based instruction under RCW 28A.225.010(4)shall have the duty to:

                          (1) File annually a signed declaration of intent that he or she is planning to cause his or her child to receive

                          home-based instruction. The statement shall include the name and age of the child, shall specify whether a

                          certificated person will be supervising the instruction, and shall be written in a format prescribed by the

                          superintendent of public instruction. Each parent shall file the statement by September 15 of the school year or

                          within two weeks of the beginning of any public school quarter, trimester, or semester with the superintendent

                          of the public school district within which the parent resides or the district that accepts the transfer, and the student

                                   shall be deemed a transfer student of the nonresident district. Parents may apply for transfer under RCW 28A.225.220;

This form is for children age 8 - 18.  You get it from your local school district office.  It is always a good idea to ask for a date stamped photo copy when you turn yours in.

The Washington Homeschool Organization web site has an informative page about filing your Intent to Homeschool.
www.WashHomeschool.org.  Look on the left of the page for where to click for the Declaration of Intent. 

Alternative Learning Experience Programs Have New Revised Rules -  WAC 392-121-182

ALE programs, sometimes called Parent Partner Programs,  have been around in many forms for some time. Many school districts in NC Washington have such programs, sometimes also called homeschool programs. These programs are governed by public school regulations not the Home-based Instruction Law.  Over the past year or so the rules - Washington Administrative Code - WAC - regulating these programs have been amended with some important changes that relate to home-based instruction students.  These new rules were effective August 5, 2005.  During the month of August the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) held workshops for local school officials and other interested persons outlining the changes.  Emilie Fogle and I attended one in late August. There are many important changes in the rules for these programs. Most of the changes will have little or no effect on home-based instruction students, but there are two important ones that will. 

1. ALE students may enroll part time.  Previous to this rewrite of the rules, home-based instruction students and private school students were excluded from participating in the ALE program unless they enrolled full time, which meant giving up your home-based instruction status.  Classes taken by part time students are under the direction and control of the certificated staff at the school's program but the rest of the student's education, under the Home-based instruction law is not.  Students enrolled part time in the ALE and are receiving Home-based Instruction the rest of the time do not have to take district mandated testing, such as the WASL.

The new WACs require local school boards to adopt policies and procedures for ALE programs. There may be policies and procedures passed that deal with part time participation.  School boards cannot arbitrarily determine that an ALE program is not open to part time enrollment but they can pass policies relating how many may participate.  Stay informed. Any one can contact their school district and get information about upcoming board meetings and what will be discussed.  If you do this ask for information about ALE programs using the WAC 392-121-182.

2. Prior to enrollment, even for part time, parents/guardians are to be given and must sign a paper outlining the differences between ALE programs and Home-based Instruction.  This paper is to be kept on file by the school district. 

Much more than this was covered at the meeting as to the changes in how these programs are to operate.  As always, the best advice is to be informed.  Read the new rules yourself.  Some or all of the information given at the meetings is or will be soon on the OSPI web site.   www.k12.wa.us   At the top of the page you will see a blue bar with many choices.  Put your curser on Student support/Operations.  Alternative Education will be the top of the list.  Click on it.

Another helpful web site is  -  www.walakids.com.  This is the site for Washington Association of Learning Alternatives.  This is not a government agency but it deals with many education alternatives.  The forms from the workshops we attended are on this web site as well.  You will see WAC 392-121-182 on the left in red.  Also on the bar in the left click on WALA forms.  If you have any trouble getting to these web sites give us a call and we can help.  Emilie Fogle - 630-9225 or Sandy Briggs 663-0364

Always the best way to be informed is to inform yourself.  If this issue is of interest to you take the time to read the information on these web sites.  Don't rely on what you are told by a friend, who heard if from a friend.  Read it for yourself.

Educational Service District Sign-ups

What is ESD ?

North Central ESD stands for North Central Educational Service District.

Boundaries stretch from the Okanogan highlands, which border Canada on the north, to the sagebrush and rich agricultural areas of Big Bend country near Quincy and Moses Lake in the south. ESD serves 29 school districts in Chelan, Douglas, Grant, and Okanogan Counties.

Valley Home Educators sign up as a group just like other schools, with the following benefits:

Over 10,400 curriculum-based instructional titles are available for circulation. These include videotapes, videodiscs, CD-ROMs, DVDs, and multimedia equipment. Other services include: video duplicating, and laminating materials. Catalog now includes Special Education, Gifted Education and Assessment and Literacy titles.

The Multimedia staff also provides inservice on searching/booking instructional materials and equipment over the Web, copyright and using multimedia in the classroom. Materials can be requested several ways: on the Web, voice mail - 662-7926, FAX - 662-9027, or by sending a booking request form via regular mail.

Check out their website at:   http://www.ncesd.org/media/default.htm

We have access to -

There is a once a year sign up period. That means you can not sign up in November, or March, only this one time. If you are interested, call or email me to sign-up and plan to have money to me by the October 3, 2005. It is $20 per student per this year (it will be good through next summer).

Emilie Fogle 630-9225 or gardenfev.em@flymail.net

Page last updated: 20 May 2007