The Relationship Between the Degree of State Regulation of Homeschooling and the Abuse of Homeschool Children
The Relationship Between the Degree of State Regulation of Homeschooling and the Abuse of Homeschool Children
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National articles on why government “home visits” are unconstitutional and problematic
Evidence-Based Home Visiting Programs – Rodger Williams, Researcher – Homeschooling Backgrounder 4/8/19
Here Comes Big Brother: Home Visiting Laws Threaten Parental Rights Nationwide – Karen Ephram, MD, The National Pulse 4/8/19
Home Visit Legislation: A Sales Pitch For Family Surveillance? – Wrench in the gears: A Skeptical Parent’s Thoughts on Digital Curriculum 2/17/2019
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The bill has been changed to a “study” on home visit programs during the 2020 Interim Session. However, we remain concerned that the word “voluntary” is not used in reference to home visits.
The amended bill received a “Do Pass” from the Assembly Health and Human Services committee. The bill goes back to the Assembly Floor but may be redirected to Assembly Ways & Means since studies cost money. The study will be more limited in scope than the original bill BUT it still all about setting up home visits by government officials for “at risk” families. NHN remains opposed to AB 430, see letter submitted 4/11/19.
NHN submitted the following letter in opposition to both the original bill and the amendment.
Assembly Speaker Jason Frierson sponsor of AB 430, the “home visits” for certain “at risk” families has agreed to a proposed amendment by Assemblywoman Shea Backus to change the bill to a “study” during the 2020 Legislative interim on home visits/services for at risk families with any new proposal to be heard in 2021.
https://www.leg.state.nv.us/…/ExhibitD…/OpenExhibitDocument…
The key for us in the future will be that any “home visit” program offered by the state be VOLUNTARY with no penalty or record kept of parents choosing not to participate.
Also, check out the fiscal note Washoe County slapped on this bill for a 2 year period… can you imagine what a fiscal note from Clark County would have looked like? As always… “follow the money.”
https://www.leg.state.nv.us/S…/80th2019/FiscalNotes/9649.pdf
Video of the hearing can be found here:
http://nvleg.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=28&clip_id=11681
Wednesday, 4/10/2019 – Assembly Committee on Health and Human Services Agenda
Room 3138 of the Legislative Building, 401 S. Carson St., Carson City, NV.
Videoconferenced to Room 4406 of the Grant Sawyer State Office Building, 555 E. Washington Ave., Las Vegas, NV.
AB430 – Establishes a family home visiting system to provide “support” to new parents.
https://www.leg.state.nv.us/…/R…/80th2019/Bill/6816/Overview
1) It violates the 4th amendment for the government to come into your home SO MAKE THIS VOLUNTARY AT A MINIMUM
2) Being Low Income or Young does not equal being AT RISK
3) There are already community support services in place
4) Fiscal Impact on state and local governments.
If you can, PLEASE SHOW UP TO TESTIFY AGAINST THIS! But please stick to the point. It is not about homeschooling, or anti-vaxxing right now! It’s about not allowing the government into our homes.
You may also submit written testimony for the hearing by emailing AsmHHS@asm.state.nv.us 48 hours before the meeting day.
March 28, 2019
(printable version: AB430.2019.Legislative Alert.Call to Action)
By way of introduction, Nevada Homeschool Network (NHN) advocates for Nevada families who have chosen to direct the education of their children via homeschooling. We also advocate for the fundamental parental rights of all parents. In this capacity, we are writing today about AB 430.
AB 430 is vaguely written and as such threatens the constitutional rights of Nevada citizens. Further, there is no credible research showing that what works in a “voluntary” environment will work in a “coercive” environment as required by this bill. This bill is an overreach and without merit as introduced. NHN is OPPOSSED to AB 430.
First, this bill DOES NOT impact homeschool freedom in Nevada. There is no need for you to even mention that you are a homeschooler. Instead, we are concerned about the constitutional rights of all NV parents.
The bill has been referred to Assembly Committee on Health and Human Services. It has not been given a hearing date at this time. For now, please share in your OWN words your opinion on this bill on the Legislation Opinion page (don’t just copy & paste our concerns and conclusion, that is not effective and actually makes you comment TOO long – thanks); https://www.leg.state.nv.us/App/Opinions/80th2019/.
We also encourage you to contact your NV State Assembly-person and let them know what you think about AB 430. You can find your legislator by clicking this link; http://mapserve1.leg.state.nv.us/whoRU/ .
Elissa Wahl, NHN Chairwoman – Las Vegas, NV
Matt Alder, NHN Vice-Chairman/Treasurer – Reno, NV
NHN Officers: Kelley Millard Radow, Secretary – D. Raymond Poole, Officer – Aaron Sutherland, Officer – Kristi Casaus, Officer – Maureen Ford, Provisional Officer
Barbara Dragon, Officer Emerita
[1] The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
[2] NRS 126.036 – https://www.leg.state.nv.us/NRS/NRS-126.html#NRS126Sec036
Minnesota: https://cplaction.com/cpl-article/minnesota-home-visits-an-opportunity-to-herd-our-children/
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February 22, 2019 – NHN is watching for bills threatening homeschool freedom in Nevada… nothing so far but check back regularly for updates.
https://www.facebook.com/nevadahomeschoolnetwork/videos/303697333547859/
Some national and state “think tanks” to this day claim the NV-ESA “a success” but truthfully that is a false statement since the program has never been operational. Originally passed in 2015 but never funded due to lawsuits against the program, the NV-ESA created deep concerns for homeschool and private school freedom.
FACTS:
The NV Choice/Opportunity Scholarship championed by Governor Brian Sandoval is a business tax-credit scholarship program for low-income students to attend private schools. In our opinion the program has been regulated by the NV-State Board of Education (SBOE), NV-Department of Education (DOE), and Legislative Counsel Bureau (LCB) beyond the intent of the original bill. After the bill passed in June of 2015, the SBOE moved in October 2015 to over-regulate the program by requiring all Choice Scholars to be tested annually with a state approved test by the private school who must in turn submit the student’s test scores to the DOE.
For freedom loving parents the PROOF is in the pudding – government funded school choice advocates claim there will be “minimal” accountability for private schools or parents accepting tax-payer funding but in the end non-elected bureaucrats always find a way to add burdensome regulations NOT authorized in the law.
But obviously the NV Department of Education and the NV State Board of Education, via their accomplices at the Legislative Counsel Bureau, have decided they are authorized to not only mandate that private schools use an annual norm-referenced assessment test to determine academic progress of a Choice Scholar recipient, the state must also “approve” the test used, and the private school must forward test results on all individual Choice Scholars (vs. “aggregated”) to the DOE.
Sounds like another “regulation” approved by a state board without the legal authority to do so… at least to us. NHN has brought this to the attention of a NV State Senator who contacted the LCB and got a circular reasoning justification for the regulation. We’ve also discussed this with the current Superintendent of Public Instruction but again received an even worse justification for the regulation.
Since this program thankfully does not affect homeschooled children, NHN will let private schools figure this out for themselves. However, it just goes to show that IF public funding is involved – the state WILL control (and regulate to death) any “school choice” program accepting taxpayer funding.
02/16/2019 – Follow-up report on how annual testing is being used to determine worthiness of the Choice/Opportunity scholarship program during the 2019 NV legislative session: Mixed results in study of Nevada’s Opportunity Scholarships – Amelia Pak-Harvey, Las Vegas Review Journal
10/09/2018 – New Report Reveals the Twin Dangers of Common Core and SchoolChoice – By Dr. Karen R. Effrem, MD. Dr. Karen Effrem is trained as a pediatrician and serves as president of Education Liberty Watch and the executive director of the Florida Stop Common Core Coalition.
03/11/2018 – Vouchers: A Thorn By Any Other Name written by Dr. Marlene McMillan, June 14, 2016 accurately expresses the problems we’ve found be true with “government funded school choice.” Her concluding paragraph sums it up pretty well,
To have Liberty, you have to have liberty of conscience, which is greater than freedom of thought. To have freedom of thought, you have to have the opportunity and ability to learn from sources of your own choosing. To have educational liberty, you have to pay for that education yourself. The goal of statist education is to raise loyalists to the State. The goal of private education is to teach what the parent wants their child to be taught. As soon as all education is funded by the civil government, liberty of conscience is gone. When you pay for your own education, you fund your own liberty.
When you accept government funding in any form, you agree to restriction of opportunity, limited thought, Political Correctness, and inevitably tyranny.
02/18/2018 – Nevada Policy Research Institute (NPRI) continues to push for funding of the Nevada Education Savings Account . Note that NPRI still does not address the reality of burdensome regulations being added to the program over time that would restrict the Liberty of both parents and schools choosing to accept government funding. Proponents argue that just won’t happen… see our 11/20/2017 post regarding the NV Choice Scholarship Program to see their “ignorance” is disingenuous.
12/18/2017 – There’s a Due Process Problem with Homeschool Regulations (Foundation for Economic Education)
6/29/2017 – Homeschoolers Don’t Need Federal Help (American Spectator)
6/13/2017 – 2017 Legislative Session Wrap-up (NHN)
6/9/17 – EdChoice vows to continue fighting for direct taxpayer funding of ESAs in Nevada
Robert Enlow, President of EdChoice (formerly Friedman Foundation, headquartered in Indiana), who wrote the NV-ESA bill in 2015 (SB 302, Hammond) is determined to push the cause to fund ESAs in Nevada in 2019 (SB 506, the 2017 funding bill for the ESA program, failed to pass) – The Education Examination: What did lawmakers do for students, teachers this session? (The Nevada Independent).
“Some Nevada Republicans vowed to continue the fight for school choice. So did the leader of EdChoice, a national organization dedicated to advancing school choice.
“I don’t think the legislators listened to parents,” said Robert Enlow, the president and CEO of EdChoice. “I think this is a bipartisan failure — not simply a Republican or Democrat failure.”
Enlow said he expects the thousands of Nevada families who were on ESA waiting lists to continue pressuring lawmakers to fund the program in 2019. He also lobbed some of the blame on Sandoval, saying he wished the Republican governor would have “stayed true to his word” and flexed his leadership muscle to ensure the school-choice program moved forward.
“Nevada may have had a hiccup, but it certainly didn’t stop the momentum,” Enlow said.”
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6/9/2017 – Buyer Beware: School Choice and Voucher Programs Require Alignment With Common Core (www.glenbeck.com)
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6/8/2017 – Irony of ESA defeat: Democrats vote to expand school choice (click for video)
What Victor Joecks of the Las Vegas Review Journal fails to understand is that the Opportunity Scholarship program is limited to private school (Licensed or Exempt) enrollment ONLY and that these children will not be FORCED to be “accountable to the state” through annual standardized testing. Instead, they will enjoy the same FREEDOM that their private school classmates enjoy… the chance to academically progress as determined by their teachers rather than prove what they’ve learned on a test. That is why the Governor’s Opportunity Scholarship is superior to the ESA program… but no one seems to notice or be concerned with the “Liberty” issue for both the ESA students and the private schools accepting these students.
There is already a certain amount of freedom (though not enough in our opinion) for exempt private schools in Nevada under current law and regulations. But the Democrats proved that the ESA program will be regulated to death with their Conceptual Amendment to Sb506 offered in the 11th hour.
Let’s work to increase the donation limits to Opportunity Scholarships and broaden the income eligibility of the OS program to allow middle class students the chance for “choice” rather than restricting the ability of private schools to educate children as they and parents determine to be best, free from government controls that come with direct taxpayer funding.
As Jane Robbins of American Principals Project points out, “While efforts to shatter the government monopoly on education are laudable, extreme caution must be exercised to ensure – if this is even possible – that when government money follows the child, government regulations don’t follow as well.” http://thepulse2016.com/…/19/first-look-at-gop-platform/
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Instead, a one-time “donation” was made by the Legislature to Governor Sandoval’s Opportunity Scholarship program (created in 2015) for low-income students to attend private schools. The upside of this program is that children attending private schools using scholarship funds enjoy the same ability to achieve academic progress as their private-funded classmates as determined by the private school and NOT “accountability” through a “state-approved” norm-referenced achievement examinations in mathematics and English language arts each school year . Further, private schools are FREE to operate under existing state law without the over-burdensome regulations being debated for the unfunded NV-ESA program.
More information on Opportunity Scholarships:
Wrap up articles on the 2017 NV Legislative Session:
The Nevada Independent, Reno Gazette-Journal, Las Vegas Review-Journal, Nevada Appeal
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As the saying goes… “It’s not over ’til the fat lady sings!” Republican legislators gain unexpected leverage in push for ESAs
We wish that proponents of government funds following the child for their education in Nevada had used a better vehicle than the state funded ESA proposal. As homeschoolers in this state know all to well from our own history, government bureaucrats love to “control” the actions of citizens via statute and regulation.
As the Democrats’ Conceptual Amendment to Sb506 to the 2017 ESA funding bill, SB 506, demonstrated, taxpayer funds = government controls. The risk to Liberty of private schools to operate separate from governmental controls is just too great when attempting to access “public” funds.
Personal tuition tax-credits such as the federal Coverdell ESA (parents save their own money to pay tuition expenses “tax free” like Health Savings Accounts) are much more effective and less problematic. Granted Nevadan’s don’t pay state income tax but other ways to help parents choose a different education option for their children could have been found without burdening private schools with “accountability” to state government.
Texas has also been squabbling over “universal” government funded ESAs during their legislative session this year which prompted HSLDA to explain the differences; https://www.hslda.org/docs/news/2017/201703010.asp
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At 3:00 pm on Memorial Day the Democratic controlled NV Legislature scheduled a 6:00 pm surprise “joint” (Sen. Finance & Assembly Ways & Means) hearing on “the Governor’s” ESA bill, SB 506! Barbara Dragon read the email from the Assembly W&M at 4:30 and jetted up to Carson City.
It was NOT pretty… the upshot, Democrats: “We’ll consider a new ‘business tax-credit scholarship’ bill (instead of funding the ESA from the state’s general fund) with tighter controls including non-discrimination laws and anti-bullying laws applied to private schools who take the funding.” Yup, there is NO SUCH THING AS A FREE LUNCH!
Barb testified on behave of NHN as “neutral” in order to clarify that in the bill “homeschoolers” were specifically denied access to the funding (Section 25, Subsection 2) at our request in 2015 and again this year. The need to testify was due to a Conceptual Amendment to Sb506 introduced by the Democrats Monday evening. In the conceptual amendment, they used the word “homeschooling” when referring to an “ESA Opt-in Child receiving education from the parent who applies to be a Participating Entity.”
NHN’s position –
Reno-Gazette Journal – No deal yet on ed savings accounts; GOP members not pleased
Nevada Appeal – Nevada Legislature: No vouchers deal, yet; Lawmakers facing deadline to shut down June 5th
Las Vegas Review Journal – Education savings accounts get hearing but no action in Carson City
Las Vegas Sun – Future uncertain for Nevada tuition, school supplies voucher
The Nevada Independent – Fragile compromise on ESA seems further off after Democrats call surprise hearing
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If the NV-ESA is funded via SB 506 during the 2017 Legislative session, parents who use the funding to provide an education to their child will NOT be legally “homeschooling.” It may seem like splitting hairs but we want LEGISLATORS and all government officials to understand to that there is a difference.
Two different sections of law, two different sets of “rules.”
Please read on in this blog for a DETAILED explanation of issues with the NV-ESA.
We also discuss the idea of the federal government funding education outside the public school system here.
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by Lisa Hudson, The National Pulse
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1/23/2017 – Question: Why shouldn’t NV Legislator’s regulate self-funded homeschooling if they vote for funding the ESA program that does come under government control?
Answer: Parents have the fundamental right to direct the health, education, and welfare of the child which is upheld in Nevada statute, case law and by the US Supreme Court. Homeschool parents in Nevada who do not accept taxpayer funding have the ultimate right and responsibility to ensure that their children are educated within the framework of the child’s age and abilities, as determined by the parent. However, the court may intercede in the event of “education neglect” as allowed in NV statute. So, in Nevada the “best interest” of a child who is homeschooled is determined by their parents or guardians, not the government, which is in line with the views of delegates to the 1884 writing of the Nevada Constitution and upheld by the Nevada Supreme Court.
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In late 2015, two lawsuits were filed to stop implementation of the NV ESA program established by SB 302. While the the court found the ESA constitutional it found that the way in which the 2015 Legislature funded the program unconstitutional and thus the ESA program in non-operational until such time as the law is funded correctly (not from the Distributive School Account for Public Schools).
However, the decision handed down by the NV Supreme Court on September 29, 2016 in Schwartz v. Lopez revealed some noteworthy comments with regards to the rights of parents in making decisions regarding their children’s education. The court found that delegates to Nevada State Constitutional Convention of 1864 discussed the education of Nevada children in depth, “And although the debates surrounding the enactment of Article 11 reveal that the delegates discussed the establishment of a system of public education and its funding, they also noted the importance of parental freedom over the education of their children, rejected the notion of making public school attendance compulsory, and acknowledged the need to vest the Legislature with discretion over education into the future.” (Page 19) [Emphasis added]
In addition to referencing original documents from the 1864 Constitutional Convention, the court also references a Nevada Supreme Court Summary, Nevada’s Education Savings Accounts- A Constitutional Analysis by Thomas W. Stewart and Brittany Walker. Comments relative to parental choice and control of their children’s education are highlighted on pages 12-15. This discussion, sometime in the future, may be of great importance to parents choosing to homeschool their children (free from government funding/control) should the Nevada Legislature attempt to infringe on the right of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children.
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April 2016 –
Background: During the 2015 Nevada Legislative Session, State Senator Scott Hammond requested a Bill Draft Resolution (BDR) for a government funded alternative education option for Nevada K-12 students. The Friedman Foundation (renamed Ed Choice in 2016) assisted Senator Hammond in the writing of SB 302, the Nevada Education Savings Account bill. What makes Nevada’s ESA unique from existing smaller programs in four other states (Arizona, Florida, Mississippi, and Tennessee) is that it is “universal”, meaning it is not “means” or “needs” tested and is available to all NV public school students enrolled for a minimum of 100 days regardless of family income level or school failure rates.
Authors of SB 302 proclaimed, “It allows parents to remove their children from their assigned public schools and access a portion or all of their children’s public education funding to pay for services like private school tuition, curriculum, learning therapies, tutoring and more.” [i] This new program passed the 2015 NV Legislature along strict party lines (all Republicans in support, all Democrats opposed).[ii] [1] Currently, state legislatures in Texas, Indiana, Idaho, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Missouri, and even President-elect Trumps’ new administration are mulling government funded ESAs to expand “school choice” in 2017 and the Nevada ESA program is the model for many of the proposals.
An Education Savings Account (ESA) program is different from a “voucher” they say, since money from the state’s Distributive School Account (DSA) is not being paid directly from the state to a religious private school (Blaine Amendments in many state constitutions prohibit the use of public funding for sectarian purposes). Rather, the money (between $5,100 to $5,700 in NV) is to go from the state’s Distributive School Account into the Education Savings Account in the name of the child, whose parents then choose from government “approved” resources where to spend the money so that the child receives an education as compelled by state compulsory attendance laws.[iii] This, proponents say, means the parent, not the state, is choosing the education modality for the child and the parent is then “empowered” to choose a private religious school or use religious materials for the education of their child. The NV Supreme Court upheld this in Schwartz v. Lopez.[iv] However, this new “empowerment” called “school choice” is still controlled by government when compared to self-funded, private homeschooling that is rooted in the parent’s right to direct the education of their child, free from government control, in other words, Education Liberty.
Many parents eager to receive state funding for the education of their children are saying that the new NV-ESA program is “just a different way of homeschooling”, it is not! Further, some elected officials are now quick to venture into this new area of “public/private ventures” in order to give parents a “choice”, at tax-payer’s expense, in the education the child receives putting other’s freedom at risk. Let me explain.
First and foremost, Nevada parents, who choose to use the ESA program, will NOT be “homeschooling” under NV statute. Two statutes, NRS 392.070(2) and 388D.020 allow parents, who receive NO MONEY from the state, to educate their children free from government control, although educational abuse and neglect statutes do apply as safeguards.[v] Second, “homeschooling” is legally defined in Nevada Revised Statutes, NRS 385.007(3) differentiating it from “home based education” through the NV-ESA.[vi] And while imitation is the best form of flattery, Nevada Homeschool Network (NHN) became alarmed when Senator Hammond introduced an amended version of his original ESA bill in April of 2015 that no one had been able to read prior to the hearing in the NV Senate Education Committee (this seems to be a pattern repeating itself in other states in 2016 and 2017 as ESA bills are being mulled over… but not available for public review). The proposed ESA language threatened the autonomy of self-funded homeschoolers in Nevada.
NHN initially opposed the bill, SB 302, as introduced due to the Senator’s references to homeschooling in his verbal introduction of the bill.[vii] Both public school and homeschool students (but not existing private school students) were to be able to access ESA funding.[viii] Further, the Senator’s initial version attempted to use the NV homeschool law as the vehicle for this new program, blurring the distinction between a self-funded homeschool child and a child receiving a “home based” education through the government approved ESA program. However, Senator Hammond agreed to work with NHN to address our concerns. As a result, NHN offered an amendment to SB 302 that protected NV homeschooling but established an ESA “Opt-in Child.”[ix]
The amendment proposed by NHN created a fourth option for parents to meet the compulsory attendance law, NRS 392.040 (requires a child between the age of 7 and 18 to be enrolled in a Nevada public school or receive an exemption).[x] In addition to a public school, a private school, or a homeschool; parents of children enrolled in a public school will be able to apply for a NV-ESA grant and the child approved for the ESA program will legally be classified as an “Opt-in Child”. These children will receive their education from an “approved” Participating Entity (PE) under the oversight of the NV State Treasurer (NST) and to a lesser extent, the NV Department of Education (NV-DOE).[xi]
Proof of this “muddying of the waters” affect has since filled pages of articles, editorials, and blogs across the country on how the government funded ESAs will provide parents more “school choice”, including “homeschooling.” But the “unintended consequence” is that government funded ESAs have also created the opportunity for critics of a parent’s right to self-fund and direct the education of their child FREE from government control to call for more regulation of “homeschooling” whether it is funded by the government or not. For instance, merely by substituting the word “home-school” for an “ESA Opt-in Child”, a NV teacher’s union lobbyist is now proving our point by seemingly calling for tighter rules “on homeschooling” if the NV-ESA is to be funded as stated by John Vellardita, Executive Director of Clark County Education Association, “…means testing or tightening the rules for home-school parents could potentially be among the union’s proposals regarding ESAs.”[xii] Granted, Mr. Vellardita probably doesn’t even know the legal distinction but that was the very point we were trying to make to the Nevada Legislature two years ago!
Just as people often confuse “virtual charter schools” attended by public school children “at home” with “parent funded/directed homeschooling”, government funded ESAs will added another layer of confusion in the minds of everyone! This “muddying of the waters” will bring into question just who IS ultimately responsible to provide education to children, the parent(s) or the state? Thankfully, US Supreme Court decisions through the years have agreed that parents have the fundamental right to direct the education of their child and are therefore ultimately responsible for the education of the child.[xiii] Despite these decisions; elected officials, “think tanks”, journalists, and others have a tendency to infringe on these rights with support for “well-meaning” but none-the-less invasive government programs without regard for Education Liberty.
To qualify for the NV-ESA program, a child must first be enrolled full-time in a public school or public charter school for not less than 100 consecutive days just prior to applying for the ESA grant.[xiv] Current private school and/or homeschool children are not eligible. However, these children may enroll in a public school for 100 days to become eligible relinquishing their private school or homeschool status.
Once approved for the ESA, parents may then choose an approved Participating Entity (PE) to provide education to the child. A Nevada private school (licensed or exempt), a regionally or nationally accredited private online school, an “eligible institution” defined as a NV college or university, a state or regionally certified tutor or tutoring agency, or a parent may all apply to become a Participating Entity.[2] It is the “Participating Entity” (or a combination of PE’s) that will provide an education to a NV Opt-in Child. The Nevada State Treasurer is responsible for annually approving all ESA Opt-in students as well as Participating Entities and curriculum purchased through the ESA program.[xv]
The approved PE provides the education to the child, meets applicable state requirements (including annual testing of the child with any norm-referenced national standardized test in mathematics and English language arts), and is paid from the ESA by the parent for their services. A parent who has been approved as a PE may purchase approved curriculum and materials (the current State Treasurer is saying, as long as the curriculum is “educational” it will be approved), the annual standardized test for the child, and/or pay fees associated with services provided by other approved Participating Entities (including transportation costs) using the funds in an ESA. Parents may not pay themselves for teaching the child, or anyone else directly teaching the child, who is not an approved Participating Entity, nor pay for additional “non-educational” expenses such as private athletics participation.[xvi]
Whenever state funding is involved in the education of a child there must be accountability to the tax-payer for the use of that money. New state imposed “accountability measures” on both the public school system and public charter schools, over the last several years, is what (at least in part) has spurred the government funded school choice movement due to the failure of public schools to meet these accountability standards. Self-funded homeschooling in Nevada assures the parent who takes full responsibility for the education of the child (including the financial burden) of their fundamental parental rights free from government control.
When NHN first became aware of the push to utilize public funding for the education of children in a non-public school in Nevada we issued a position statement opposing the use of such funds for homeschooling in Nevada which in part reads,
Our chief concern was and remains with the “controls”, including future controls, the government will put on the private school, education provider, and/or parent who accept ESA funding under the guise of “accountability” for the use of tax-payer money, essentially creating a system that ultimately requires children to be educated to the satisfaction of the government, not the parent. Two points need to be made:
a) Could private schools, education providers, and parents who accept government funding through an ESA, now in actuality, be considered a “public school” under federal or state law? There a differing opinions on this. However, the Nevada Supreme Court said in the recent decision on Swartz v. Lopez, “Sb 302 does not alter the existence or structure of the public school system. Nor does SB 302 transform private schools or its other participating entities into public schools.”[xviii]
b) But the court also acknowledged the Legislature’s responsibility in establishing requirements for the operation of the ESA program, “We recognize the ESA program imposes conditions on the parents’ use of the funds in their account and also provides State oversight of the education savings accounts to ensure those conditions are met.”[xix] It is the “conditions” of State oversight, which may be changed by the State Legislature, that pose the greatest concern and establish the fact that the government, not just the parent, serves to monitor the child’s education within the ESA.
If the NV-ESA program is ever funded by the NV State Legislature, Participating Entities receiving ESA funds will be held accountable to the tax-payer for the education of the child. Under existing NV statute “Exempt” Private Schools and Homeschools are not “accountable” to the state beyond modest “notification” requirements precisely because they receive no tax-payer funding from the state.[xx] While “accountability” in the 2015 NV-ESA law is currently quite low (assuming you don’t mind your child being enrolled in a public school for 100 days, all the paperwork, submitting your child an annual nationally standardized test in all grades, and submitting results to the state for inclusion in the State Longitudinal Data System), these accountability measures will remain as is only depending on who controls the Legislature and the Governor’s office at any given time. This is the “slippery slope” for self-funded homeschoolers and raises more questions:
c) While NV homeschoolers currently enjoy the hard-won freedom to direct the education of their children free from government control with the passage of the Homeschool Freedom Bill in 2007[xxi], will parents providing a “home based” education utilizing an ESA be as dedicated to the academic success of their children as traditional, self-funded homeschoolers have proven to be over the past 35+ years?
d) If private schools, education providers, and parents receiving tax-payer funds are increasingly “regulated” by the state either due to fraud or abuse of the program, or an ESA Opt-in child simply doesn’t perform well on an annual test; what will stop the state from trying to regulate self-funded homeschoolers and private schools not accepting government funded vouchers or ESAs as well?
Matthew Gerwitz, a homeschool parent in Florida addressed the concerns of freedom loving homeschool parents across the nation in 2015, “Even if school vouchers (or now ESAs) were offered with the best intentions, they could never remain that way because government, by default, seeks to control,” he said. “School vouchers are a bad idea that should be avoided at every level — especially among homeschoolers.” “There is no need to eat the ‘king’s meat,’” Gerwitz continued. “Homeschoolers do not need the good graces of government to do what’s right by their kids; non-homeschoolers need to learn to stop depending on the government as surrogate parents. Vouchers are completely unnecessary if parents do their jobs.” [xxiii]
History shows us that as control of state legislatures change from election to election so do the laws and regulations citizens and businesses must operate under dependent on “who” is in control of state government. As Kathy Thomsen said in 2010, “Drafters of school choice legislation attempt to convince patrons that laws can be crafted with appropriate language to assure complete autonomy that protect private schools. Abundant evidence proves such assurances cannot be trusted.”[xxiv] Education Liberty is at risk each time state legislatures are in session.
No legislation can be written that can’t or won’t be reversed or added to in successive legislative sessions. Now that the NV Legislature shifted from Republican back to Democratic control in the 2016 election, this has raised considerable doubt for the future of the NV-ESA program due to the funding problems created by the NV Supreme Court decision in Schwarz v Lopez plus the fact that Democrats unanimously opposed the 2015 ESA bill .[xxv] Further, as the public-at-large questions how ESA dollars are spent, additional “controls” are more likely than not to be put in place restricting the freedom of private schools, providers and/or parents accepting the funding.
If Nevada’s Republican Governor and the Democrat-controlled 2017 NV Legislature do decide to find funding elsewhere in the state budget for the ESA, the program will be adapted with new tighter controls according to Nevada Assemblywoman Irene Bustamante Adams.[xxvi] This will raise even more questions.
a) Will tax-payers then have a new “subsidy” or entitlement program to worry about?
b) Will taxes be continually raised to fund public/charter schools AND now government funded school choice as well?
c) Will the general public be supportive of tax dollars being spent on private schools, education providers, or in their neighbor’s home or will they consider ESAs and vouchers to be redistribution of wealth?
d) Are vouchers and ESAs and their “accountability strings” just another form of public education due to the requirement of an annual nationally norm-referenced assessment for the child?
e) Would tax-credit scholarship organizations or tax-credits for parents who choose to educate their children outside of the public school system be less government dependent and less intrusive?
These questions remain to be answered as the saga of “government funded school choice” unfolds in the years ahead. But studies are now indicating, despite all the claims of “excellence”; former public school students currently attending private schools in states with voucher programs ARE NOT testing any better than their public school age-mates.[xxvii] This should be of great concern; the autonomy from public education that private and home schools currently have in most states is at great risk. Homeschoolers should fully understand that accepting funding from the government will bring limits to the moral decisions parents make about education provided to their child.
And now the federal government is looking to fund “school choice?” As Jane Robbins of American Principals Project points out, “While efforts to shatter the government monopoly on education are laudable, extreme caution must be exercised to ensure – if this is even possible – that when government money follows the child, government regulations don’t follow as well.”[xxviii] A “Trojan Horse” may indeed be in our presence.
In NHN’s discussions with Ed Choice during the 2015 NV Legislative session it became abundantly clear they do not understand the “liberty issue” that self-funded homeschool parents have advanced nationwide for the last thirty-five years. Ed Choice, Excel in Ed[xxix], The Heritage Foundation[xxx], (check the donor lists for these groups) and many other “think tanks” are apparently willing to see homeschools and private schools become collateral damage in their quest to acquire the holy grail of school choice. Ed Choice has expressed that “some accountability to the government” is “reasonable” if schools, education service providers and/or parents accept tax-payer funding, all in the name of “breaking the public school monopoly.”
Truth be told, advocates of government funded school choice seem to have no problem with ALL parents being held accountable to the government for the education of the parent’s child, just ask them. Further, government funded assistance programs undermine the liberty of private schools and homeschools to make the educational decisions for the children they teach. School choice advocates say, “It’s only a test, and it’s reasonable to require a test to ensure the child is being educated.” Our response is no, it is not if the test doesn’t reflect the material the child has been taught. A “national” test promotes the existing public education model, making all citizens conform to this model is not “choice”, nor is it FREEDOM. If homeschool parents or private schools want to use “nationally norm-referenced tests” to see where their child stands in relationship to public school students that’s fine, but we don’t support the concept of state mandated testing for all children to “prove” the “correct” education is being provided, that is where this is all leading whether parents or schools accept public funding or not.
But Nevada homeschool parents can find a silver lining in the court battle over the ESA program with this nugget of information from the Schwarz v. Lopez decision,
“And although the debates surrounding the enactment of Article 11 reveal that the delegates discussed the establishment of a system of public education and its funding, they also noted the importance of parental freedom over the education of their children, rejected the notion of making public school attendance compulsory, and acknowledged the need to vest the Legislature with discretion over education into the future. See Debates &Proceedings of the Nevada State Constitutional Convention of 1864, at 565-77 (Andrew J. Marsh off. rep., 1866); see also Thomas W. Stewart & Brittany Walker, Nevada’s Education Savings Accounts: A Constitutional Analysis (2016) (Nevada Supreme Court Summaries), http://scholars.law.unlv.eduffivscs/950, at 12-15 (discussing the history of Nevada Constitution Article 11, Section 2).”[xxxi]
The fact that delegates to the Nevada State Constitutional Convention of 1864 recognized and declared “parental freedom over the education of their children” and “rejected the notion of making public school attendance compulsory” should give Nevada HOMESCHOOL parents security in fighting any attempts to regulate or control homeschooling beyond that which is currently provided in law in future Nevada Legislative Sessions.
Although School Choice advocates like to say, “government funded school choice empowers parents”, they seem to have little understanding or regard for the fundamental rights of parents to direct the health, education, and welfare of the child FREE from government control. “School Choice” is about government control of the education provided to a child. It is not about education provided through private schools or homeschooling free from those controls. NHN has developed an excellent chart, Education Choice Options in Nevada, showing who controls the education of the child dependent on what “choice” of education modality the parent makes. [xxxii]
Homeschool parents in states considering education reform bills need to fully understand that state-funded ESA grants have accountability strings attached. Parents who choose to NOT accept state funding must be vigilant in protecting their state homeschool and/or private school law! The success of homeschooling is without question but now imitators seek to capitalize on the hard work of parents who have dedicated their lives to their children via self-funded, private homeschooling. We must continue to educate parents in the biblical and moral “choice” to educate their children either through homeschooling or private schools without accepting funding from the state or federal government… or we risk losing that right entirely.
In the 2001 article, Charter Schools: The Battle for Homeschool Freedom, homeschool champion Christopher J. Klicka said, “Freedom is the answer. Freedom, I believe, is more important than “freebies.”[xxxvi] How succinct! And lest we think that today, after 3 decades of success, no one could possibly object to parent funded and controlled education Dr. Brian Ray reminds us otherwise in his recently published article, Despising Homeschooling: Contorting Rights on the mindset of the “education elites.”[xxxvii] We must continue the battle for Education Liberty for the sake of future generations.
To that end, NHN and NV homeschoolers will remain adamant in defending the homeschool law and protecting themselves from being lumped in with “Public School at Home” students (virtual charter schools) and now “ESA Opt-in” children. As stated earlier, NV homeschoolers are not accountable to the public school system or state government because we receive no money from the state. Further, NV homeschool parents take “full responsibility”, including the financial burden, for the education of their child. NV homeschoolers will not abdicate the right and responsibility to educate our own children, as we see fit, to the government.
We encourage homeschool leaders and parents across the country to do the same; understand that your children do not belong to the state, but are in fact, your prodigy, and as such your responsibility. We must stand up to the powerful financial influences that intend for government to retake control of ALL education provided to children in the United States. School choice vouchers and ESAs are just the first steps towards this ultimate but often unstated goal of education reformers.
On a personal note, I began homeschooling my children in 1990 at which time I joined other parents fighting for homeschool freedom in Nevada, one of most restrictive states to homeschool in at that time. As a result, I know all too well how easy it is for elected, appointed, and/or employed government bureaucrats to say that ALL education of children in the state must be regulated by government. We must not go back to Egypt!
Please, please take the time to educate yourselves on the differences between homeschooling and government-funded education programs. Continued homeschool FREEDOM/LIBERTY is dependent on staying informed and engaged.
_____________________________________
[i] Ed Choice, Robert Enlow President. From their website; https://www.edchoice.org/school-choice/types-of-school-choice/
[ii] Nevada State Legislature, 2015, Final Votes on SB 302; https://www.leg.state.nv.us/Session/78th2015/Reports/history.cfm?ID=705
[iii] Ed Choice, from their website page on the Nevada program; https://www.edchoice.org/school-choice/programs/nevada-education-savings-accounts/
[iv] Nevada Supreme Court, ”The parent decides where to spend that money for the child’s education and may choose from a variety of participating entities, including religious and non-religious schools.”, page 24, Swartz v. Lopez, Case No. 69611, 09.29.2016, http://nevadahomeschoolnetwork.com/WP/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/16-30306-NV-SC.Schwartz-v.-Lopez-09.29.16.pdf
[v] Nevada Homeschool Network, Nevada Homeschool Laws; http://nevadahomeschoolnetwork.com/legal/nevada-homeschooling-laws/
[vi] Nevada Revised Statute, 385.007 (3), https://www.leg.state.nv.us/NRS/NRS-385.html#NRS385Sec007
[vii] Hammond, Senator Scott, Nevada Senate Education Committee Hearing on SB 302, 04.14.2015; http://nvleg.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=14&clip_id=4302
[viii] 2015 NV Legislative session, Senate Bill 302 As Introduced 04.14.2015; https://www.leg.state.nv.us/Session/78th2015/Bills/SB/SB302.pdf
[ix] Nevada State Legislature, 2015, SB 302, Amendment No. 639; https://www.leg.state.nv.us/Session/78th2015/Bills/Amendments/A_SB302_639.pdf
[x] Nevada Revised Statutes, NRS 392.040; https://www.leg.state.nv.us/NRS/NRS-392.html#NRS392Sec040
[xi] Nevada State Legislature, 2015, SB 302, As Enrolled; https://www.leg.state.nv.us/Session/78th2015/Bills/SB/SB302_EN.pdf
[xii] Editorial, Las Vegas Review-Journal, 12.17.2016; http://www.reviewjournal.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-advancing-parental-choice
[xiii] Klicka, Christopher J., Decisions of the United States Supreme Court Upholding Parental Rights as “Fundamental”, HSLDA, 10.27.03; https://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/000000/00000075.asp
[xiv] Nevada Revised Statutes – NRS 353B.850, http://www.leg.state.nv.us/NRS/NRS-353B.html#NRS353BSec850
[xv] Schwatz, Dan, Nevada State Treasurer, ESA website; http://www.nevadatreasurer.gov/SchoolChoice/Home/
[xvi] Nevada Revised Statutes – NRS 353B.870; http://www.leg.state.nv.us/NRS/NRS-353B.html#NRS353BSec870
[xvii] Nevada Homeschool Network, position statement, 01.18.2015; http://nevadahomeschoolnetwork.com/WP/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Alternative-Education-Funding-Programs-NHN-Position-Statement.pdf
[xviii] Nevada Supreme Court, page 18, Schwartz v. Lopez, Case No. 69611, 09.29.16, http://nevadahomeschoolnetwork.com/WP/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/16-30306-NV-SC.Schwartz-v.-Lopez-09.29.16.pdf
[xix] Nevada Supreme Court, page 25, Schwartz v. Lopez, Case No. 69611, 09.29.2016, http://nevadahomeschoolnetwork.com/WP/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/16-30306-NV-SC.Schwartz-v.-Lopez-09.29.16.pdf
[xx] Nevada Revised Statutes, NRS 394.211; https://www.leg.state.nv.us/NRS/NRS-394.html#NRS394Sec211 and NRS 388D.020; https://www.leg.state.nv.us/NRS/NRS-388D.html#NRS388DSec020
[xxi] Nevada State Legislature, 2007, SB 404; https://www.leg.state.nv.us/Session/74th2007/Reports/history.cfm?ID=977
[xxii] Ray, Brian D., PhD, Research Facts on Homeschooling, NHERI, 03.23.2016; http://nheri.org/research/research-facts-on-homeschooling.html
[xxiii] Barry, Dr. Susan, Why Homeschoolers Don’t Want School Vouchers, Breitbart, 05.28.2015; http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/05/28/why-homeschoolers-dont-want-school-vouchers/
[xxiv] Thomsen, Kathy, The Trojan Horse of “Choice”, Idaho Observer, 2010; http://www.proliberty.com/observer/20100417.htm
[xxv] Whitaker, Ian, Is the ESA program dead in Nevada?, Las Vegas Sun, 11.21.2016; http://lasvegassun.com/news/2016/nov/21/is-the-esa-program-dead-in-nevada/
[xxvi] Rindels, Michelle and Mello, Felicia, Associated Press/Las Vegas Sun,11.09.2016; https://lasvegassun.com/news/2016/nov/09/blue-wave-sweeps-democrats-back-to-control-in-neva/
[xxvii] Dynarski, Mark, Report on Negative Effects of Vouchers, Brookings, 05.26.2016; https://www.brookings.edu/research/on-negative-effects-of-vouchers/
[xxviii] Robbins, Jane, New GOP Platform: The Good, the Bad, and the Very Concerning, The Pulse, 07.19.2016; http://thepulse2016.com/jane-robbins/2016/07/19/first-look-at-gop-platform/
[xxix] Excel in Ed, Jeb Bush, http://www.excelined.org/
[xxx] The Heritage Foundation, website on Education; http://www.heritage.org/issues/education
[xxxi] Nevada Supreme Court, bottom of page 19, Schwartz v. Lopez, Case No. 69611, 09.29.2016, http://nevadahomeschoolnetwork.com/WP/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/16-30306-NV-SC.Schwartz-v.-Lopez-09.29.16.pdf
[xxxii] Schnorbus, Frank and Dragon, Barbara, Educational Choice Options in Nevada, Nevada Homeschool Network, June 2016; http://nevadahomeschoolnetwork.com/WP/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Nevada-Parental-Choice-Options.2016.June_.pdf
[xxxiii]IAHE Action Blog, Indiana; http://iaheaction.net/blog/
[xxxiv] Peters, Barry, Coming Soon: FREE MONEY!, Christian Homeschoolers of Idaho State Connection, Fall 2016; http://chois.org/chois-connection/current-issue/
[xxxv] Nicolai, Cindy, The Truth About ESAs, HSLDA Leadership Conference, September 2016, https://media.wix.com/ugd/70a8b6_01fde200e2da4403acf1991494cbbecb.pdf
[xxxvi] Klicka, Christopher J., Charter Schools: The Battle for the Soul of Homeschooling, Homeschool World, 2001; http://www.home-school.com/Articles/charter-schools-the-battle-for-the-soul-of-homeschooling.php
[xxxvii] Ray, Brian D., PhD, Despising Homeschooling: Contorting Rights, National Home Education Research Institute, 09.2016; http://archive.aweber.com/nheri2010-1/Gv6r8/h/Despising_Homeschooling_.htm
Federal legislation has been introduced by Senator Ted Cruz (Texas) – again – encouraging states to implement a “tax-credit scholarship organization” program where donors receive a tax credit on their federal income tax. The scholarship money will be distributed to K-12 aged children who meet eligibility requirements established by the state to receive education from various entities. The Education Freedom Scholarship Act, if passed by Congress, may be a good thing for families who need financial assistance to find alternative education options for their children. Our concern is whether it could lead to more government control of private schools and homeschools.
Only time will tell.
This article in The Daily Caller published on Senator Cruz’ Facebook page denotes a red flag for us here at NHN.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos takes it further in her Prepared Remarks by Secretary DeVos at the unveiling of the Education Freedom Scholarships proposal!***see 5/29/2019 addendum below.
This statement is of concern because it hints that all education provided to children should be “public education” or could be interpreted in such a manner by dianabol compatibilita future administrations. NHN holds that parents, not the government, are ultimately responsible for the education of their children, including the financing of said education. States may “provide for public schools and other options” as put forth in state constitutions but that doesn’t mean government should be the only providers of education. Nor should government dictate what education for the individual child is to look like.
Based on Nevada’s homeschool history of government over-regulation and what has happened more recently with the non-operational NV-ESA and NV-Choice/Opportunity Scholarship (a business tax-credit program introduced by Governor Sandoval in 2015 and over-regulated by the NV-DOE the same year) – we are concerned NV state government would seek to control the education of a student utilizing such scholarship funds.
“Innovation, voluntary collaboration, and an entrepreneurial spirit fuel the engine of the homeschooling movement.” (JimMason, HSLDA). Private schools and homeschoolers need to always be cognizant of possible drawbacks to government education programs. Often government sponsored education programs only offer “choice” with “accountability” and not the freedom to educate children according to the independent standards of the private school and/or parents.
Having said all this however, our friends at HSLDA have come out in support of the bill. NHN has worked with HSLDA since our founding in 2002 as did other Nevada homeschool organizations dating back to 1983. We value and trust their opinion! Key to their statement is the following:
HSLDA gives the example of a program for low-income families in New Hampshire that is working well for families to choose homeschooling without increased government regulation (though homeschooling in NH is considered “moderately” regulated as compared to Nevada’s “low” regulation). NHN reviewed the New Hampshire program back in 2014 and found it to be a beneficial program for some families. Giving families a choice in the education provided to their children is a good thing.
In reviewing the current federal bill ourselves, we are encouraged by strong protective language barring states choosing to implement the program from controlling the private school or homeschool beyond existing state statutes. Section 102, Subsection (d)(3-5) on pages 9-11 of the proposed legislation – as written – seems to adequately protect both private schools and homeschools within this state to operate without further intrusion by federal or state government. Modification of this section by amendment if the bill moves forward would of course need be watched carefully.
In our experience here in Nevada private, self-funded homeschool freedom is put at risk every legislative session as these programs are added, changed or updated according to the whims of politicians and government bureaucrats. We want to believe the best but will always view government “help” with a skeptical eye.
To clarify, Nevada Homeschool Network (NHN) advocates for the right of parents to direct the education of their child. We strive to guard the freedom of each family to educate their own children as they see fit and pay for it themselves! To that end, keeping the NV homeschool law separate from any government approved/funded program has always been, and will continue to be, a goal for NHN. We support parents’ right to choose the best education option for their children – even a government sponsored program – as long as parents who prefer private, self-funded homeschooling free from government controls always have the LIBERTY to do so.
Several organizations that we also respect have voiced their objections to The Education Freedom Scholarship Act. We find many of their arguments compelling and encourage everyone to read these as well. Liberty assures that we are free to make up our own minds after reading both sides of an issue.
Other articles in support:
Addendum – 5/29/2019: The link to the DeVos quote above is broken or gone – of course. However, she restated her ridiculous logic in May 2019 and was quoted in this article, Ed Secretary DeVos: All Education is “Public” Education by Alex Newman, Freedom Project Media 5/28/2019. To avoid “losing” a direct link again, we’re posting the full article:
The speech in question, given at the Reagan Ranch while speaking at the neoconservative-leaning Young America’s Foundation on May 17, sparked alarm among educators and education researchers. And it is easy to see why.
“Let’s stop and rethink the definition of public education,” she said. “Today it is often defined as one type of school funded by taxpayers, controlled by government. But, if every student is part of the public, then every way and every place a student learns is ultimately of benefit to the public,” DeVos continued. “That should be the new definition of public education.”
Of course, if every form of education is “public” education because it benefits “the public,” it follows that “the public” is entitled to some say over that allegedly “public” education. And that is exactly where DeVos and others pushing this agenda are going.
And DeVos has been a leading advocate of phony “school choice,” which would see federal tax dollars going to fund private schools and potentially even homeschoolers. The dangers of this unconstitutional idea are hard to overstate.
Consider: With federal funding comes federal control. And just as state funding such as “vouchers” has resulted in formerly independent schools having to ban the Bible and teach Common Core, so too will this DeVos-backed “choice” result in government hijacking all education. The Supreme Court has agreed that what the feds fund, they can regulate.
The dictator-controlled United Nations “Human Rights Council” passed a resolution in 2015 demanding that governments worldwide crackdown and regulate non-government education, even calling for the same “standards” to be imposed on both. That is the real agenda.
Last year, The Newman Report exposed DeVos’ agreement with mass-murdering regimes and other G20 governments to facilitate the ongoing “internationalization” of education. The same deal also purported to commit the signatories to advancing the totalitarian ideology of “sustainable development” through “education.”
The staggering implications of DeVos’ statements and schemes must be understood clearly as a direct assault on educational freedom. It is past time to shut down the unconstitutional U.S. Department of Education and get the feds out of schools completely. Advocates of true school choice must turn up the heat or risk losing educational freedom in the years ahead.”
A recent Georgia Court of Appeals decision overturning a lower court’s restriction of homeschooling gives homeschool freedom advocates reason to cheer. The Chief Judge on the Court, Stephen Dillard, wrote a concurring opinion that give historic context to the right of parents to direct the education of their children without government interference. Click the title or the link to read Mr. Eugene Volokh’s article on this important court decision and the judge’s own words.
By Barbara Dragon
Nevada Homeschool statutes, NRS 388D.010-070
References: NHN Memo to Parents, Public-Private School Administrators & State Officials and NHN’s Frequently Asked Questions
“Parent” means the parent, custodial parent, legal guardian or other person in this State who has control or charge of a child and the legal right to direct the education of the child (NRS 388D.010). Further, the Liberty interest of the parent in the care, custody, and management of the child is a fundamental right (NRS 126.036). Nevada parents, no matter their background, experience, or level of education have the right and responsibility to direct the education of their child as they see fit via homeschooling. NHN Frequently Asked Questions – Section 4, Question E
I am often asked if a parent can have someone else “homeschool” their child. The answer is no. NRS 385.007 #3 and NRS 392.070 #1b define homeschooling, and when combined say: “Homeschooled child means a child, who receives instruction at home… when a parent of the child chooses to provide education to the child…” Under the law, the parent assumes full responsibility, including the financial burden, to provide education to their child by signing the Notice of Intent to Homeschool.
Stick with me here… but does that mean that the parent must do all the teaching? Again, the answer is no.
Providing the education means the parent may do their own teaching, use others (such as a tutor, relative, etc.), have the child take classes (such as at a homeschool co-op, a private or public school, a civic or community group, a private organization, etc.), use a private correspondence or online course, and/or do whatever else the parent deems necessary. Here’s the important point – the parent, not another person, organization, or school, is the one who has direct managerial control of the child’s education and is responsible for promoting the child “grade to grade” and graduating the child from their high school homeschool program. The parent is responsible for directing and maintaining all documentation of the child’s educational experience such as report cards, portfolios, and/or transcripts. NHN Frequently Asked Questions – Section 2, Question C
So, the homeschool parent may use others to teach and/or assist in educating the child but must remain in control of the overall structure of the education as well as assuming the financial cost of the education. Government funding of the child’s education changes the “control structure” of the education and thus is legally not homeschooling in Nevada (this is discussed further under “Government funded ‘School Choice’ options are not homeschooling” below).
The parent choosing to homeschool their child must submit a one-time Notification of Intent to Homeschool to the Superintendent of the School District in which the child resides when:
See NHN’s Memo, Pages 3-4. The parent may use either the State’s NOI to Homeschool form, another form such as the NOI produced by NHN, or their own form/letter that meets the intent of NRS 388D.010-070.
Information that needs to be included in an NOI to Homeschool (one form per child required) is:
The only other time a new NOI to Homeschool is filed is if the child/family moves anywhere in Nevada (including within the same school district), moves out of state and then moves back to Nevada, or if the child enrolls in a different education option (public/private school) for a time and then returns to homeschooling. A parent may decide to homeschool at any time during the child’s academic career. It is important to understand that by choosing to file a NOI to Homeschool the parent assumes full responsibility, including financial, for the education of the child.
The NOI to Homeschool is NOT an application rather the parent is simply notifying the Superintendent of the School District that their child is exempt from compulsory attendance because the parent(s) will be providing education to the child. Further, the law gives the parent full discretion to determine the appropriate level of instruction given to the child based on the age/skill level of the child as determined by the parent. In other words, the homeschool parent not the state establishes the standards of academic training appropriate for their child to become a productive member of society and no longer dependent on the parent.
For more info on how and where to file the Nevada NOI to Homeschool see the NHN Notice of Intent page.
Nevada law (NRS 392.040) requires children between the ages of 7 and 18 (unless graduated) to be enrolled in a public school (which would include a public charter school) or be excused from compulsory attendance by enrollment in a Nevada private school or filing a Notification of Intent to Homeschool (NRS 392.070). Traditionally, in a school based model age 5 = Kindergarten, age 6 = First Grade, age 7 = Second Grade and so on. However, when homeschooling the parent determines when the child is ready to begin formal academic education as well as the academic structure.
Of course, parents may begin to educate their child prior to age 7 but no notification to the state is required. Or the parent may choose to delay formal academic training until the child is ready. But you do need notify the school district of your intent to homeschool when the child turns 7 and file the appropriate “education plan” based on the age and skill level of the child as determined by YOU, the parent.
In 2007 the Homeschool Freedom bill, SB 404 was unanimously passed by the Nevada Legislature and signed into law by the governor on June 14, 2007. Under the new law, homeschooling was removed from oversight of the Nevada State Board of Education and the Nevada Department of Education and all language requiring equivalent instruction in kind and amount to the public school removed. As such, there are no state requirements on the kind or amount of instruction the child receives beyond basic instruction in required subjects listed below.
Instead, the homeschool parent takes full legal and financial responsibility to direct the education of the child by determining his/her academic needs, purchasing and/or hiring suitable materials/instruction in order for the child to receive an education. In other words, the homeschool parent does not delegate the control or direction of the child’s education to others. And under, NRS 388D.050, if an accusation of “education neglect” is charged against a parent, a Nevada court intervenes and reviews the parent’s current education plan for the child. In this manner, the child is protected.
Under NRS 388D.050 the parent of a child who is being homeschooled shall prepare an educational plan of instruction for the child in the subject areas of English language arts, mathematics, science and social studies, including history, geography, economics and government, as appropriate for the age and level of skill of the child as determined by the parent. Further, the parent is not required to teach every subject every year and of course additional subjects may be covered. NHN Frequently Asked Questions – Section 4, Question A
This freedom allows the parent to decide the best academic structure for their child and when it is appropriate to provide the instruction. Parents with gifted children and/or special needs children find this especially beneficial when evaluating the academic progress of each of their children and meeting their needs independently of some “standard” being foisted on public school children. Under the Nevada homeschool law, children are free to progress academically at the rate suitable for their age and skill level as determined by the parent, not the state.
However, be warned, a parent considering enrollment of their homeschooled child in a public high school after the beginning of the 9th grade should be aware there may be some issues transferring “credits earned” in a non-accredited high school course. Although the law allows the public high school to consider a variety of means in evaluating “non-accredited” high school courses, most public schools refuse to do so and require a student enrolling in public high school after the start of 9th grade to “makeup the credits” by retaking the courses at the public high school. For a more thorough discussion regarding this process refer to NHN’s Frequently Asked Questions – Section 6, Question A.
There are no “days or hours per day” required for a homeschool child. Homeschooled children are exempt from the number of days a child is required to attend public school, again a man-made artificial number and not reflective of a one on one teaching/learning environment. Homeschooled children are also exempt from “minutes per day of instruction” required of public school students. It is recognized that in a tutorial education program such as homeschooling a student can generally accomplish more in a shorter period of time than in a group setting.
By law, the public school year runs from July 1 to June 30. Most homeschool parents use a traditional academic schedule as a starting point and then tailor the amount of instructional time as needed for each child. Some children may need more time to master a skill, others less. That is what makes homeschooling unique and such a success. You may follow a traditional nine month calendar or follow your own year round schedule within that twelve month period. NHN Frequently Asked Questions – Section 4, Question B
No standardized tests are required of homeschool students in Nevada. A parent is free to choose the method of evaluation, if any, is appropriate to determine their child’s academic needs, advancement to the next grade and/or final completion of the homeschool school program.
Because the parent assumes full responsibility for the education of the child, including the financial burden, the parent is best suited to determine the academic needs of the child, not the state. Public school students are tested as a method of “accountability” to the taxpayer who funds public schools. Additionally, many homeschooled children are at different grade (skill) levels for different subjects, thereby limiting the usefulness of standardized tests. NHN Frequently Asked Questions – Section 4, Question F
Some parents do choose to periodically administer standardized tests or some other form of evaluation to determine the academic progress of their child and use in future planning. This is perfectly acceptable. However, Tina Hollenbeck puts standardized tests into perspective on the Wisconsin legal page: “The purpose of standardized tests is to compare one child to another, and almost every test uses public school students as the ‘norm.’ In reality, there is no need to compare one child against any other – and the ranking and sorting inherent in institutional school is rather inhumane when it comes right down to it – because each child is a unique individual. And comparing a homeschool student to a public school ‘norm’ is like compare apples to and grenades. What schooled kids are tested on doesn’t even do them justice… and it certainly doesn’t even do them justice… and it certainly ought not be our measure; instead, we can watch for a child’s growth and development compared to his own past ability, and because we are the child’s parents – living with him every day – we don’t need a test to tell us what he knows and is able to do.”
Nevada law does not specify graduation requirements for homeschool students. A parent filing a NOI to Homeschool is the legal administrator (principal/teacher) of their homeschool, the same as public and private school principals, charged with determining each child’s graduation requirements without regard to what local public schools mandate. Of course, a wise parent will engage in the necessary research to determine an appropriate course of study in order to successfully move on to college, trade school, military service, or proceed directly into a career. A parent may legally and without apology customize a high school program for each child based on their child’s goals and ambitions. NHN Frequently Asked Questions – Section 4, Question G
A word about high school transcripts and diplomas:
No vaccinations are required of homeschooled students. However, if a homeschool child participates in a public school class, extra-curricular activity and/or sports; vaccination requirements do apply but there is an “opt-out” provision in the law for those who choose not to vaccinate.
In cases of special education, Nevada law (NRS392.070 #2) equates a homeschooled child to a private school child for purposes of Nevada and Federal special education laws and regulations. Under these laws, a homeschooled child is not entitled to any or all of the services that would be provided by a FAPE (Free Appropriate Public Education) of the local public school. Some districts do supplement the Federal special education funding so that private and homeschooled children do receive all necessary services, but they are not required to. Some school districts send out forms to see if you want to receive services from them. You are not required to answer or submit those forms. The public school districts are not responsible for, nor will they, test a non-enrolled child for Gifted abilities. However, our homeschooled (or private schooled) children can be evaluated outside of the public school, at the parent’s expense. See NHN Frequently Asked Questions – Section 4, Questions A, B, & C.
Homeschool students may participate part-time in brick and mortar private school and public/charter school classes, extra-curricular activities (on a “space availability” basis) and/or sports (subject to team try-outs). Participation by homeschooled children in public school class/activities was added to the law in 1997 and participation in NIAA sports was added in 2003 with no harmful effect on the NV homeschool laws. Families choosing not to participate in public school classes, activities, and/or sports ARE NOT negatively impacted by those who do – different strokes for different folks.
However, “when in Rome do as the Romans do” definitely applies to those homeschool students who choose to participate in public school programs. Local public schools are reimbursed by the State (taxpayer funding) for up to three classes per semester when a homeschool student participates. So a parent of a homeschool child requesting to “participate” must supply documentation congruous to information supplied by parents “enrolling” their child in NV public school. Lastly, homeschool students are prohibited from participating part-time in a virtual (online) charter school or local public school “distance education” programs. See NHN’s Memo, Page 6-10.
It is also important to note there is a legal distinction between “enrolling” full-time in a public school and “participating” part-time in a public school class, activity, or sport. Public schools insist on “enrolling” a homeschool child in order for them to take a class. To protect the integrity of the homeschool law NHN urges parents to follow the procedures for submitting a Notice of Intent to Participate in Programs and Activities (NOIPPA) and not allow the school to attempt to “enroll” the homeschool child in the school.
For current information and necessary forms regarding participation in public school see Nevada Homeschool Network’s Frequently Asked Questions – Section 5, Question D & E.
While government funded home-based education programs may “look” the same as homeschooling they are legally different. A child enrolled in an online charter school at home or utilizing an ESA to fund the child’s education is considered either a Public School Student or an ESA Opt-in Child. These are government funded education options available to the parent to choose from but with differing “control” structures than homeschooling.
An online charter school is a government controlled public school (funded by the taxpayer) that is done in the home. The parent enrolls the child in an online charter school and serves as a non-paid teacher’s aide. However it is the charter school, not the parent, who provides the curriculum, determines grade advancement, and issues the diploma to the child. In essence, the child is doing “public school at home.” Although the parent has more options available to them under the NV-ESA than using an online charter school in that they can purchase “approved” curriculum/materials and may do some of the teaching, because the government provides at least partial funding of the education the government maintains “accountability” measures controlling the education a child receives and thus is not homeschooling.
As stated earlier in this article, the parent filing a NOI to Homeschool takes full responsibility, including the financial burden, to provide an education to the child and is not accountable to the public school system for the education of the child. In other words, the homeschool parent fully directs/controls the education of the child, not the government. The parent has direct managerial control and not only provides the education but advances the child to the next grade level when the child is ready and issues the diploma when the child completes their K-12 education.
For a more in depth discussion on these two types of education options please see Frequently Asked Questions – Section 5, Question G and read Homeschooling vs. Public School at Home.
The general age of acceptance, recommended by the NV Board of Regents, for a student to begin taking courses a NV community college is 14. However, if the parent can prove the child is academically ready for college level courses… the child could almost be any age. But generally we see homeschool students taking courses at the community college (dual-credit towards their high school diploma and an AA (2 year) or BA/BS degree (4 year) beginning in 9th grade). For more information visit NHN’s “Homeschooling through High School – Staying the Course” page.
A homeschooled student is eligible to apply for the Nevada Millennium Scholarship. The NV-MS is for high school graduates to use to pay tuition expenses at local community colleges, state colleges, and universities in this state. The NV-MS may not be used in conjunction with dual-credits being earned at a community college before the homeschooled child has graduated. For more information on applying for the NV-MS see Frequently Asked Questions – Section 4, Question I.
Nevada’s homeschool legal history is long and embattled. We had one of the first homeschool laws adopted in the country in 1947, regulated to death by the NV-SBOE in 1983 (amended many times over the next 20 years through the tireless work of homeschool parents), and finally rewritten after sixty years in 2007 – allowing parents to assume full responsibility for the education of their children as writers of the NV Constitution envisioned. Proof positive of this came to light in a 2016 Nevada Supreme Court ruling on the NV-ESA program. The court found that delegates to Nevada State Constitutional Convention of 1864 discussed the education of Nevada children in depth, “And although the debates surrounding the enactment of Article 11 reveal that the delegates discussed the establishment of a system of public education and its funding, they also noted the importance of parental freedom over the education of their children, rejected the notion of making public school attendance compulsory, and acknowledged the need to vest the Legislature with discretion over education into the future” (Page 19) [Emphasis added]. That is a reaffirming find for Nevada homeschool parents. Parents need to familiarize themselves with our history in order remain ever-vigilant in its defense. Knowing where we came from and how we got to where we are will ensure homeschool freedom for generations to come.
Barbara Dragon homeschooled her three children, Kindergarten-12th grade from 1990-2008. From the very beginning she was active in local, regional, and state homeschool organizations working to amend the Nevada homeschool regulations and later co-authored the Nevada Homeschool Freedom Bill, SB 404 that unanimously passed the NV Legislature in 2007 and freed NV homeschool parents from oppressive and over-restrictive government regulation. Barb also lobbied to pass the bi-partisan NV Fundamental Parental Rights Bill, SB 314 in 2013. She has served as a Non-paid Lobbyist at the NV State Legislature since 2003 and NHN Officer (Treasurer) from 2007-2015 when she “retired” and was honored with the title “NHN Officer Emerita.” Barb has written numerous articles on homeschool freedom in Nevada, NHN blog posts, as wells as letters on behalf of NHN to members of the NV State Legislature in defense of homeschooling and parental rights and currently advises NHN Officers as they advocate for homeschool freedom in Nevada.
Do you ever wonder where the ideas for restricting the God-given right of parenting one’s own children revealed in threatening pieces of legislation across six states in early 2018 come from? Are they simply in response to one or two HORRIFIC cases of child abuse perpetrated by a few sick parents? Or is it something deeper being espoused in American colleges and universities by hcg 10000iu professors posing as “experts” on the subject of family law and relationship?
The threat to fundamental parental rights and homeschool freedom is not new. And regretfully, based on events this year the tide is rising and parents must educate themselves on the threat. To that end here are pertinent articles predicting the crisis, exposing the threat, and defending against it.
The Third Wave of Homeschool Persecution – Dr. Michael Farris, HSLDA, 2010.
Law Professor Attacks Parental Rights – Michele Malkin Reports on CRTV; posted with permission on ParentalRights.org – 2017
“The reason parent-child relationships exist is because the State confers legal parenthood…”
So says James Dwyer, and he’s no bumbling statist hack. Dwyer is a respected law professor at the prestigious College of William and Mary, America’s second-oldest college (after Harvard).
He actually believes your parental rights literally come from the State. And you and I both know that what the State can give, the State can take away.
But with his credentials, Dwyer’s radical ideas will be heard.
“The New Law of the Child” Attacks Parental Rights – ParentalRights.org posts paper by two law professors arguing against fundamental parental rights – 2018
The (Not So) New Law of the Child – Martin Guggenheim, The (Not So) New Law of the Child, 127 Yale L.J. F. 942 (2018), http://www.yalelawjournal.org/forum/the-not-so-new-law-of-the-child. Martin Guggenheim is the Fiorello LaGuardia Professor of Clinical Law at New York University School of Law.
Top-Down or from the Ground?: A Practical Perspective on Reforming the Field of Children and the Law – Cheryl Bratt, Top-Down or from the Ground?: A Practical Perspective on Reforming the Field of Children and the Law, 127 Yale L.J. F. 917 (2018), http://www.yalelawjournal.org/forum/top-down-or-from-the-ground.
The Parental Rights Amendment to the United States Constitution – Link to the bi-partisan group, ParentalRights.org to learn how you can help “Protect Children by Empowering Parents.”
Homeschool students register online to take either the SAT or ACT college entrance exams all results are sent directly to them and the college/university they request NOT the public school where they physically take the exam. (See our Homeschooling through High School page for more info.)
Apparently, public schools are now registering their students for these exams (instead of the student registering online themselves) and the data collected are getting caught up in the state longitudinal data systems where privacy seems not to be protected. This has led the US Department of Education to write a “guidance document” protecting the data of these students who take the SAT or ACT.
June 13, 2018 article by Jane Robbins of America Principles Project published in The Hill:
Guidance Document from US DOE:
Many homeschool parents have expressed concerned over questions asked during registration process… many have commented the questions are personal, intrusive, and not answering doesn’t appear to be optional. Rest assured they ARE OPTIONAL! From the Robbins article:
In 2007 after the Homeschool Freedom bill (SB 404) unanimously passed the Nevada Legislature and was signed into law by Governor Jim Gibbons, NHN worked with then Superintendent Dr. Keith Rheault to write a memo to public school districts informing them of the specifics of the newly adopted law since it removed homeschooling from oversight by the NV State Board of Education.
In 2016 the Legislative Counsel Bureau revised the numbering of NRS based on bills passed in 2015. As a result, the NRS references to homeschooling changed. This 2018 version of the original NHN Memo reflects the number changes. However, it is important to note that none of the language in the laws changed.
The MEMO is provided as a courtesy to all parents, public school district administrators, private school administrators, state officials, and the general public to explain how “homeschooling” works in Nevada and legally exists to protect the rights of parents who choose to direct the education of their own children.
NHN Homeschool MEMO to Parents, Public-Private School Administrators, State Officials 08.17.2018
Nevada Homeschool Networks believes that parents love their children and we advocate for the right of parents to take full responsibility for the education