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Show District formulates new 'home school' policy, regulations By G.BRETT HART FARMINGTON The Davis County School District has delayed the implementation of new home education guidelines in order to give home educators in Davis County the opportunity to review the policy. "Hie newly formed Davis Home Educators Association petitioned the Davis County School Board for the delay in its Sept. 18 board meeting. Karen Anderson, chairperson for the DHEA, said that her association wants the opportunity to make sure the policy does not overstep the state's laws regulating home education. edu-cation. District officials say they are anxious anx-ious to make sure that home education edu-cation meets district standards and complies with legislative guidelines. Dr. Nancy Fleming, assistant superintendent of schools, said the purpose behind the new policy is to put in writing some of the memos and dialogue that have existed among district administrators concerning con-cerning home education. "We have quite a few students educated at home in Davis County. I'd guess somewhere between 200 and 400," said Fleming. Richard Marsden is the district's director of home instruction services. ser-vices. According to Marsden, the district has been trying to develop a home education policy for about two years, since the Legislature established es-tablished home education guidelines. In order to educate children at home, Utah State Law requires parents to apply for their children's exemption from compulsory attendance atten-dance laws on a yearly basis and submit the name of who will actually actu-ally be teaching the children to their respective school districts. Parents must guarantee that students will receive fundamental education in math, English, science, social studies, physical education and fine arts. The law also requires students educated at home to be taught 180 days per year for five and one-half hours per day. Marsden said that it is difficult to calculate the number of students that are educated at home because ' the data varies daily. "For example," said Marsden, "there are parents at Hill Air Force Base that educate their children at home and are transferred quite frequently. fre-quently. "At the same time, parents may only utilize public schools for some of the programs offered. For example, exam-ple, a child may attend school for half a day, but receive individual instruction in-struction from a parent at home in a subject with which the student is struggling." "We had two objectives in formulating for-mulating our policy, said Marsden. "First, we wanted to make sure are policy was in compliance with the legislation. "Second, we wanted to work in cooperation with home educators for the good education of students." DHEA was formally organized Sept. 15 and consists of Anderson and five board members. The group cites concern for parental rights and responsibilities to the law as the impetus for their decision to formally organize. Anderson, a Fruit Heights resident, resi-dent, said that some of the group's members attended a meeting discussing the new district policy on Aug. 29. "The meeting came as a surprise for us, we were completely unprepared. un-prepared. We felt that it would be in our best interest to formally organize," said Anderson. "There are as many reasons for educating children at home as people peo-ple who do it. In spite of the fact we all do things are own way, we realize real-ize that we have certain feelings and goals in common." Although the DHEA is still in the process of delineating its goals, Anderson said one of the group's See Guidelines A-2 Guidelines Cont. from A-1 goals is clear. "One of our goals is to educate the public about what home education edu-cation really is. We want to get rid of the negative stigma that has been placed upon it and let people know about the positive side," said Anderson. Bountiful resident Jim Parker, a D11EA board member and home educator, feels that the strength of home education lies in independence. in-dependence. "Home education is beneficial because it can be tailored to the specific needs of the student. You don't have to be pigeon-holed into one way of doing things. "The way our family looks at education has changed. We have learned to see everything as a leam- ing experience. The DHEA has not formally responded to the district's new guidelines on home education; however, the group did say its goal was to determine where the district has been aggressive in its policy beyond what is legally required. "Our position as an organization," organiza-tion," said Parker, "is that we hope to see a minimum requirement for home education in Davis County with a basis in the law; nothing more than we want to be self-governed. self-governed. ' Anderson added, "We want to maintain our right as parents to educate our children the way our conscience dictates. "We understand where the district is coming from; they feel they are trying to help the children, and our positions are not that far apart. It's just a matter of working out the fine points." Marsden also said he feels confident confi-dent that the home educators will approve the district's policy with few revisions. The school board may vote on the policy as early as its Oct. 2 meeting. |