Author: Katie Matteson

• First and foremost, taking away parental choice of when to start the child’s formal education.
• No longer would a parent be able to wait till the school year when their child is 6yrs 4 mo, 6 yrs 8 mo, 6 yrs 11 months- they would be forced into school at a YOUNG 6 or as a 5 yr old, if their birthday was midyear.
• The manner in which this amendment was added, with input (according to the superintendent’s testimony) of only 2 school districts.
• Private schooled parents were not consulted (according to testimony) about the fiscal burden of them having to start their children a year early.
• Homeschoolers, by far the largest demographic that this will affect, were also not consulted.

As we approach a new school year, we see YOU and hear your questions/concerns in getting started and the love of the community and support groups that have offered sanctuary and wisdom in this unique year online and in person. Thank you for whatever role you played in that communication! While many have found the joy of homeschooling and are happy to stick with it, some are pleased that their schools have re-opened, even amongst social distancing and mask mandates and have returned to their in-person school of choice (public, private, or charter). The reality of school choice in Nevada is that PARENTS have a GOD GIVEN right to do what they think is best for their child and that homeschooling is a separate and legal choice from the others!  We are pleased to have offered support to many this last year as homeschooling became a household norm. We are committed to keep fighting for homeschooling rights as a different and  separate option from what is outlined in the public sector. We believe in your abilities as parents to homeschool your kids! Please continue to reach out if you have questions, concerns, or feedback to how we can improve homeschooling in Nevada. Let the 2012-2022 school year begin!

Please share in the comments ways that you have been supported or have helped this last year within the homeschool community. Let the record show that Nevada is amazing when it comes to homeschool choice and community.

This past week we have seen the efforts of so many during a call to action in regards to AB19. We surpassed our goal of 500 oppositions by over 300 and flooded the inboxes of state legislators statewide. They heard us loud and clear as one of the most opposed bills in the state. But many are trying to usurp our rights as homeschoolers and directors of our child’s education. Their (Department of Education or DOE) reasons for the change are not consistent with their treatment (they don’t accept our discretion to the standards) and they fail to recognize parents as a voice kijk hier in the matter. This week is very important and your prayers are needed. Specifically for:

1) Homeschoolers to be removed from AB19

2) Recognition of current standing laws that give homeschoolers the legal right to be the voice that changes current mandates.

3) Our Nevada homeschool leaders and respective legal council to be guided and directed by Him in this work to protect our freedoms.

Here’s the thing, we already won this battle in 2007 when the Homeschool Freedom bill removed us from the public school system completely. Because of THAT bill parents only answer to the court in the cases of educational neglect NOT the DOE. Because of THAT bill the parents (or a group who represents homeschool parents) get to decide on the changes to our current mandates. We already won that battle but some in power are refusing to recognize it and trying to blur that line with ambiguity. It is time to remind them of what we already won in 2007 by vehemently opposing this current bill based on legalities of bills past.

Your prayerful consideration to this cause is vital. God is willing, sometimes he just needs to hear us ask for it. Let our prayers find their way to Him as loudly as our pleas to our respective assembly leaders but this time with definitive power to make a difference.

If you haven’t already, please keep up the work of opposing this bill here:

This is an interactive guide to some of the first, and most important, questions people ask when getting started homeschooling. Click on a question and a short video answer will show behind the question to help you explore that topic. Sometimes joining a support group can feel daunting and scatterbrained as you try to piece together everyone’s answers and while there are many groups out there that ARE helpful (and please, find a homeschool group that you can be a part of), having the most important decision making answers to questions in one place is empowering.

Creating a homeschool where both the teaching style and learning styles match our (my husband and my) family values AND each child took me several years to understand; my hopes in sharing this tutorial with you is that you can shave off the time it takes to make those connections. You’ll still have to put in the work to figure out YOUR homeschool but I guide you to places that will inform and educate you, narrow down your choices, and keep your values at the forefront of those decisions! I want your homeschool to succeed and hope that these are helpful.