Homeschooling In Florida
Homeschooling in Florida is a very balanced choice of education. We have some accountability. We are required to have a “professional educator,” a Florida certified “teacher,” evaluate our homeschool student’s progress once every 12 months. Essentially, the annual evaluation is the most involved requirement we have, and even the annual educational evaluation is incredibly simple, contrary to some popular opinions. Even many of the county school district homeschool personnel and school administrators will tell you what is “required” for homeschooling, and what they tell you is not true at all. I am guessing it is just their opinion of what they think should be required. My opinion is that the county school district personnel and school administrators, should know the requirements for homeschooling.
We have a lot of freedom with homeschooling in Florida. We are able to use whatever methods and whatever curriculum we like. We can make up our own curriculum. Many of us use a combination of on-line resources and programs, books and hard copy resources, as well as projects, field trips, and internships. It is so much better than the “in the box, cookie cutter” schools.
The following are the requirements in Florida according to the state law. Keep in mind if it is not included and described in the following requirement portion of the FL Home Education statute, it is NOT required. Again, if it is NOT included in the requirements, it is NOT required.
1002.41 Home education programs.—
(1) A “home education program” is defined in s. 1002.01. The parent is not required to hold a valid regular Florida teaching certificate.
(b) The parent shall maintain a portfolio of records and materials. The portfolio shall consist of the following:
The portfolio shall be preserved by the parent for 2 years and shall be made available for inspection by the district school superintendent, or the district school superintendent’s agent, upon 15 days’ written notice. Nothing in this section shall require the district school superintendent to inspect the portfolio.