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Welcome to TnHomeEd.com

Tennessee's comprehensive homeschool information site.

CRS Comments. Subscribers to the TnHomeEd e-list can access the CRS comments file. This is a place where our members can post their comments regarding church-related schools they've used. Members of our list can access the file here. To subscribe to the list go here.

Legislative
and other alerts

New legislation HB1652 passed through the House Education Committee. It's waiting for the Calendar & Rules Committee to send it to the full House for a vote. It was a fight but Rep. Mike Bell's (R-Riceville) amendment was adopted and passed with no other amendments--despite a strong push from some committee members. We're not out of the woods yet. It still must pass in the democratic House and then the Republican controlled Senate. This legislation was presented in order to have the State recognize Category IV CRS diplomas after it had come to light that recent job and school applicants had been denied. The DOE offered an amendment that would require all Category IV teachers teaching 9-12 grades have a baccalaureate degree.  See HB1652 for details. This page is still being constructed so check back several times during this weekend of May 3.

HB3019 regarding Fire Marshal/codes inspections of tutorials and cooperatives is also in play this week. Senate vote on Wednesday 5/7/08. See http://TnHomeEd.com/HB3019-SB2737.htm for details.

10 pieces of legislation (so far) that may impact homeschoolers.

During eight years of following legislation I've never known so there to be so many homeschool related pieces of legislation. Several of these are similar and reflect growing support in the legislature for homeschoolers. Legislation includes leveling the playing field, literally, in extracurricular activities, four separate House/Senate bills to lower the unnecessary requirement that homeschoolers have been homeschooled the two years prior to receiving lottery scholarship money, testing raises its ugly head, an effort to prevent the fire marshal from shutting down our tutorials and we're looking at mandatory Pre-K, to include homeschoolers. I include the virtual schools legislation because HSLDA has highlighted it in legislation across the nation. They are very much against this educational choice and I think homeschoolers need to seriously consider why we should fight to limit the rights of other parents to educational options and demand our own.

Please review them at http://TnHomeEd.com/2008Legis.html .

Fire Marshal visits may be being renewed for the school year. I've received two e-mails from people in  Williamson County saying their tutorial has been visited. Please be alert. I suggest you get names and titles of visitors, ensure you've got a second adult observing the visit and conversation and that you keep specific and timely notes on the encounters. 

The crux of the issue is the permitted use of the building and which fire codes apply to educational use and which to occasional use and who gets to define what is a 'school'. To avoid educational use it's looking like groups need to meet fewer than 4 hours per day and fewer than 12 hours per week. Despite our meeting in March of 2006 this issue is still in flux.

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News

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HB0153/SB1706 would change homeschool qualifications for the HOPE scholarship by reducing it from two years prior to graduation to one year and also allow retroactive payments for those students who missed this cutoff.

HB1059/SB1724 adds a definition to the lottery scholarship legislation to wit:

In order to be eligible for a Tennessee HOPE scholarship to attend an eligible four-year post-secondary institution, successfully complete the college core curriculum in high school. For purposes of this subsection, "college core curriculum" means the high school courses in the curriculum approved by the state board of education for those students intending to pursue postsecondary education;"  Sponsor Rep. Delores Gresham is willing to hear from homeschoolers regarding a better wording of this legislation. See HB1059-SB1724 for details and contact information.

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 May 2008