by aggieteacher

Created on: March 14, 2010

Texas is by far the most friendly state in the nation to homeschooling. This offers parents both great freedom and great responsibility.

Home schools operate as private schools in the state of Texas. Since Texas law only allows the legislature to control public schools, there are practically no rules/laws for home schoolers. There are a few guidelines that must be kept in mind, however.

First of all, state law does require that the following subjects be taught, but the parent (aka private school) can decide HOW to teach them: good citizenship, math, reading, spelling, and grammar. Now, the state cannot mandate what curriculum is used or anything about that curriculum, just that those subjects are covered.You must make a genuine effort at teaching these subjects and not just say you are teaching them though.

The next thing to consider is whether or not your child is registered with your local school district. If your child has NEVER attended public school, you DO NOT have to register with the state according to state law. If they have attended public school, you should withdraw them. This is just prudent to avoid the school district contacting Child Protective Services or another agency to report truancy. You do not have to provide a reason for why you are withdrawing your child. Remember, despite what your local school district might try to convince you of, you DO NOT have to show them your curriculum or discuss it with them. The are not allowed to "police" a home schooling family.

Keep in mind that there is a compulsory attendance law in Texas that states that children over the age of 6 and not yet 18 years of age must be schooled in some form or fashion.

Believe it or not, someone else CAN home school your children since home schools are private schools in Texas and there is no regulation for private schools. This means that if you do not feel equipped to educate your children for whatever reason and you know someone else who is capable, you may allow them to teach your children.

The state does not, and cannot, mandate a certain number of school days for home schoolers. In public schools in Texas, students are required to have 180 days of school scheduled.

The state allows school districts to decide on their own whether home schoolers may attend certain classes, for example if you wanted your child to take a foreign language at  the public high school. Some districts allow this, but most do not. The same applies to extra curriculars such as sports.

A huge question for all parents considering home schooling is always "Can my child continue to college?" The answer is a resounding absolutely. In the state of Texas a parent can issue a diploma. Most colleges will expect to do an interview and meet the student, but home school graduates can and do attend universities all over the state. There are several colleges in the state that LOVE home schoolers.

During my years of home schooling, I became very familiar with two non-profit organizations that are critical for home schoolers in Texas to know of. Membership is a great protection as they both provide legal services if you ever encounter a problem with CPS or another state agency. HSLDA is the Home School Legal Defense Association and THSC is the Texas Home School Coalition. Both of these agencies have excellent web sites, low cost memberships, and magazines.

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