Forced to Homeschool in Texas Due Poor Economy

I work at a public high school in Texas. As long as the friend you are staying with lives within the district boundaries, they will provide transportation by bus for those students. Districts are very willing to work with parents who fall on difficult times. Contact them.

If you are staying outside of the district boundaries, you need to find out what district you are staying in and get him transferred ASAP. Registering him in the new school needs to happen to keep him on grade level. Homeschooling at this point would take more effort than the switch of districts or arranging transportation would.

You NEED to call the school. They CAN and WILL help you get him there. They are legally required to by the government. How close are you to the school? Could you walk with him every day?

I don't know if you've heard, but Texas has the best economy in the country. They can't fill the jobs they have. You just have to look, and find a way to get there.

I would discuss the situation with the school. When my parents divorced and we had to move, my sister and I finished the last month of school (granted it was a private school) by correspondence. If you are living with friends, presumably there is someone who can get him to school or get him there at least to take his exams.

Seriously?

Call the school district. Registering to home school (at least in NY and FL) is a process. You make a request and they respond. With two weeks of school left, I suggest you find a way to get him to school.

Again... call the school district. You are homeless. Federal regulation requires the school to help you access your child's education. Call the homeless student coordinator for your child's school (probably the social worker) and find out what they can do.

You have other options. You just don't want to do them. The only person who will get screwed by your laziness here is your son. Not fair. Pick up the phone or email... you obviously have an internet connection.

No one's "forcing" you to homeschool.

Get yourself to the school in person, today. Explain the situation. You need to do this in the correct legal way or your son will suffer. You must either enroll him or undergo the process to register him as a homeschooled student.

Why don't you want to enroll him for what's left of the year? If he's new to the area, that would at LEAST give him a few weeks to meet some kids he can get to know over the summer and to get familiar with his school for next year.

If you can't drive him, get your friends to drive him. It's only a few weeks. Or ask the school about options for getting him there. Don't put up so many barriers that don't have to be there.

On the surface, I know this is not the answer to the question you asked. The answer: Get a job. There are all kinds of jobs available, just not the kind some people want to do. Burger King and McDonalds are always hiring and so are stores like Wal-Mart, Target, Kohl's, etc. If you look nice, you can get a job at upper end stores. Then there are always the physical labor jobs like working in a warehouse. There are lots of warehouses around. Every store has a warehouse they get their supplies from.

With a job, you can have a car and take your son to school. In the mean time you can transfer your child to the school where you live and if you have no income you can get free bus rides to school.

Good luck to you and yours.

Call the school and explain your situation. Ask if they can help you find transportation for your son--a carpool, or whatever.

Call a local church and ask them if they can help you with arranging rides for him for the next 2 weeks.

Perhaps go to a shelter instead of a friend's, as I am sure that a shelter would have a nearby school bus stop.

ETA: The state of Texas is incredibly tough on truancy, so don't even CHANCE it. Get him to school any way you can. And then over the summer you really need to get in gear and figure out a lasting solution for your situation. Any job is better than no job. A 5th grader is capable of staying home alone for a few hours before/after school while you work.

You are not being forced to homeschool due to a poor Texas economy. Texas is booming right now. Maybe you feel forced due to your personal situation.

There are 2 weeks left, Get yourself to the school and explain your situation then FIND someone to help with transportation. IF the school is aware of this issue, the PTA or someone on staff or something could very well lend a helping hand with transportation. Ask friends, neighbors, relatives, anyone who would be willing to help with transportation this last 2 weeks. How far is the school? Can you walk with him? Ride a bike? Ride a scooter. There are ways to work through this issue, you just have to make a huge effort to get it done.

Don't bail on your child right now... get in there and get something done. If you sit back and wait for something to happen.... then yes, you'll get the truancy charges. Take initiative and go do something about this now.

I don't think you understand or possibly have tried to find out your options. Work harder to find out and get that child in school.

God I hope this is not a real question.

You cannot game the system to get out of fines!
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Listen to AV, it isn't as if you are the first person to have to move with a couple weeks left. Make phone calls because they are not going to allow you to do what you are suggesting.

I don’t see that the state is forcing you. I am sorry for your situation but please call the school and work something out. Maybe there is someone that lives nearby that can give your son a ride. It is only for two weeks and I am sure most of the academics are done and graded by this time.

In Texas all you have to do is tell them you're homeschooling him now. They don't have the right to send a truancy officer out to the house to check on you. You do, however, need to actually teach him, not just let him play.

If it simply a matter of getting him to school and there are no busses, then talk to the school. They'll help you find someone in the area he can ride with. If it's actually that you don't want him in school and want to homeschool, then get the curriculum off the internet and get started.

You need to figure out a way for him to finish the last 2 weeks of school. Call your sons school and talk to them and I am sure they will be able to help you. Call now!

Call your school and ask to talk to the school social worker. Or if the school doesn't have one, the school district will. They should be able to help you with options. There are laws in place (McKinney-Vento) that provide bussing for students who are homeless or are "doubled up" (living with a friend or family member because you can't be on your own). The school where I worked, the social worker even took on picking up a couple kids and driving them to school. There are options but you need to talk to the school/district and be honest about your situation in order to get the help.

I agree with others who post that no one is "forcing" you to homeschool. If you were to homeschool, I would think you need materials in order to do so and those things cost money, too. Call the school...

How about this.. I think you can get transportation vouchers from a local agency.. (even churches have programs) you take him on the bus.. is there no bus nearby ?? it might be a pain in the neck, but as someone who uses public trans all the time.. I do what I have to do... it's only 2 1/2 left.... even the school is probably willing to help as sadly, they have to deal with these dilemmas all the time... at least they can direct you to resources..
UNLESS you have experience homeschooling, I wouldn't try it on a whim and or with only 2 1/2 weeks remaining.. there are solutions here.. also see below.. ppl gave lots of good ideas..

great first question

Nobody is forcing or coercing you to home school. Ask your friends for a ride, and get an appointment with the school's principal to explain your situation. I am SURE the school will find a solution for your kids to receive education.
Homeschooling is an important decision based on many reasons but you have to make this decision with calm attitude, love and a good plan.

Legally, isn't the state required to send a bus for your son? I am in Oregon, so I don't know Texas law, but here, if a student is so far away from school, I think its either 1 or 3 miles, then they have to send a bus! I have also seen kids in taxis and "special" kid transportation sponsored by the state. Talk to the bus depot and see what they say. Did you tell them you need a bus? they won't go there if they don't know.

Also, talk to a social worker, or your case worker. I am assuming that you are getting help with food stamps, and probably TANF right? if not, then why not? your son should not need to redo a whole year, just for missing 2 weeks.

Get on the phone and start talking! I think there is more help out there if you need it!

Does he have any good friend in school he could stay with to finish school? I would definitely help a friend of my child in this situation if I knew about it. I am a home schooler and Texas is a pretty relaxed state so I do think they are trying to freak you out. A parent can withdraw their child from school. Here is a link to check out, I think they have a letter you can download to send to school. People withdraw their kids from school to homeschool all the time. They are making a big fuss about something that is totally legal.
Good luck!
http://thsc.org/category/letters-from-thsc/letters-concer...

See if a friend can help with transportation for this last 2 weeks, I know if you were my friend I would be more then happy to pick your son up when I took my own. Then, you have the summer to figure out what you can do about next year.

If they are threatening retention, I am guessing he has already missed a ton of school. How many days has he missed this year? If has missed a lot there will be gaps in his education no matter how bright he is and he probably should be retained.

How did he do on the STAAR test? The results for 5th grade are already in.

Saying you will homeschool him for 2 weeks probably isn't going to cut it. Sorry.

I doubt you can get it up and going in time to avoid any of those nasty consequences.

I would contact the staff at his prior school and see if they can treat this like they do when a family goes away for a extended period of time - give him some work to complete and turn in by the end of the year.

of course you're not being forced to homeschool. and you shouldn't even think about it. homeschooling is an excellent choice for a family that is choosing to make this lifestyle decision, and is prepared to do what's needed to make it wonderful. you're clearly not in this position, and it would be detrimental to your son.
it's not the school's fault that your living situation is so precarious. call them and enlist their help. they'll help you figure out a way to get your kid to school as long as he's registered in the district in which you're living. if he's not, fix that. the schools don't want to lose your kid with 2 weeks left, and if you are actively trying to get him to school, you can't be charged with truancy.
it sounds as if you're working the helpless victim card here. don't be that example for your kid. i'm sorry your situation is challenging, but you can rise to the occasion and make sure your kid doesn't get shafted.
khairete
S.

I read all the other responses to your question first and, while you may not be 'forced' to homeschool as some of them said, you definitely can if you want to. It's not difficult at all in Texas. We took our 1st grader out of school to homeschool her last December, along with her 3 year old sister. It is going great. All you have to do is send a letter to the school notifying them that you are withdrawing your son from school and assuring them that you will be homeschooling him. The only requirement is that you teach him in the subjects of reading, spelling, grammar, math, and good citizenship. That's it. I researched it before we made our decision and so far, everything has been fine. In fact, we love it more than her going to school because we don't have to worry about only taking trips during the summer, or worry about bullies or her getting sick as much, we have control over their education, and we can go at their pace. I get email newsletters from the Texas Home School Coalition and the Home School Legal Defense Association, which I think is where I got the template for the withdrawal/assurance letter we sent the school. Their websites are a great help in starting the process. Also we got a full 1st grade curriculum book for $15 at Barnes and Noble, plus a preschool curriculum book for our younger daughter, and I was already printing free worksheets off the internet. And I'm sure you can find free or cheap resources/supplies on Craig's List or something, plus there are lots of free educational websites. We still use the ones her 1st grade teacher had posted online! There are so many resources out there, we don't even use all the ones we found. So my point is, if you find you want to homeschool, do it! Let me know if you would like any more advice, I'd be happy to help. Good luck!

Contact social services in your county. You probably qualify as homeless, which means you can get help with your kid finishing up 5th grade.

I read all the other responses too and other than telling you to quit feeling sorry for yourself and call the schools, I didn't see a lot of help for the question you asked. Sorry, not trying to offend anyone else. As L.M. said, you need to send a letter to the school, the superintendent and to the Texas Home School Coalition. The address for the THSC is PO BOX 6747, Lubbock, TX 79493. They can help you if you run into legal issues with the school district.

Send the letter to the school principal by CERTIFIED MAIL, RETURN RECEIPT so you can ensure they actually receive it. Get this done right away. Send a copy of the letter to the others, but not certified.

Next, since you are ok with him attending public school and you obviously have access to a computer, enroll him in a FREE, Public School at Home, such as www.k12.com or through Connections Academy at http://texas.connectionsacademy.com/tx/geosearch/tx--enro... This way he is enrolled, getting an education and you don't have to worry about transporting him. He is still considered part of the public school system and they provide all he needs as far as materials. I'm not sure if you can enroll him this late in the year, but if not, then you can withdraw him as a home schooler and finish teaching him at home for the next 2 weeks via free educational info on the internet, then enroll him in this if you need to going forward.

Texas has no reporting requirements other than you notifying the school district that you are going to home school. As long as he was enrolled in public school the previous school year, you can enroll him in the free public education at home type schools for next year.

Sometimes things get hard and we don't know how to get out of the situation right away. We don't all know your entire situation and shouldn't judge. I certainly will not as I have had my own share of struggles. If you need more information/advice, please feel free to message me and I will tell you how to contact me. I'll say prayers for you and your son. Blessings to you both.

Has he gone to school at all this year? I am sorry that things aren't great for you right now, but it is the law that children receive an education.