Home Schooling in Alabama

**foxxyroxie** · 03-04-2011, 02:03 PM

I would like any weblinks or information about home schooling a 14 year old (9th grade) in Alabama. A friend is looking for this. Can anyone help?

**MaryCarney** · 03-04-2011, 02:56 PM

Go to Homeschool: HSLDA-Home School Legal Defense Association. This is the Home School Legal Defense Association, and they are aa nationwide clearinghouse for all things home school. Highly recommended.

**2ndGenGranola** · 03-04-2011, 02:57 PM

Go to the Homeschool Legal site (HSLDA.org) look for the link you that state and there you will find all the legal and support info.

**MaryCarney** · 03-04-2011, 03:08 PM

Originally Posted by 2ndGenGranola

Go to the Homeschool Legal site (HSLDA.org) look for the link you that state and there you will find all the legal and support info.

Great minds think alike!!

**Neeley** · 03-04-2011, 04:04 PM

I agree with above posters as far as the HSLDA. Personally, we never joined and a good many families in Alabama do not join either. Some cover/umbrella schools here will require it though.

We are in Alabama and home schooled our kids from 2005/2006 school year to the 2008/2009 school year. DD was 12-14 and in the 7th through 9th grade, DS was 10 to 13 and in the 5th to 7th grades.

One thing about home school in Alabama is it is extremely unregulated and loosely, if at all governed. Some counties could care less and others are a little more strict. It just varies. You do have to have a cover/umbrella school though. What you are going to get out of home schooling here is only as good as the cover/umbrella school you choose to go with. There are many fly-by-night covers that just get your money then leave you to try and figure it all out on your own. We had one cover school that never required us to turn in lesson plans, grades, reports, nothing. All that was required was an affidavit of days in attendance and as long as we showed the kids were in attendance for 175 days out of a 365 day period you were fine. Standardized test were not required. Like I said, it was very unregulated and this particular cover was a nightmare to deal with. We got away from them as fast as we could.
Go with a cover that has been around a while and has an excellent reputation. The more the cover requires (standardized testing, lesson plans, regular grade reporting, etc...) the better off you will be. Most school districts and counties here are too broke and burdened with their own issues to concern themselves with dealing with the home schooled children. Not to say this is the case with all 67 counties, but with a good many of them it is. We live in Montgomery, one of the largest school districts and counties in the state. Our BOE is not the least bit concerned with the home schooled population at all.
In our three years we never once heard anything from truant officer, school official, no one.
When we decided to send our kids back to traditional school, one to private and one to public, we expected some issues on having the schools accept the kids records. But, we had no trouble registering them at all. Both schools readily accepted the records I had kept on their performance, no questions asked. The private school did their normal placement testing on DS and the public school just took my word that DD was to be placed in all AP classes. Now, I have a freshman with a 3.8 GPA and graduating senior with a 4.2 GPA, Valedictorian and full ride scholarships to two private universities and one public college.
Good luck to your friend. It can be tough, but also extremely rewarding.

**2ndGenGranola** · 03-04-2011, 04:25 PM

Originally Posted by Neeley

I agree with above posters as far as the HSLDA. Personally, we never joined and a good many families in Alabama do not join either. Some cover/umbrella schools here will require it though.

I am so thankful we joined. We had "an issue" and HSLDA took care of us. We had top of the line legal. I don't regret joining for one second.

**Lindsey** · 03-04-2011, 04:29 PM

I graduated in Alabama, homeschooled. The covering my parents used was in Montgomery; Evangel Family Christian Acadamy, on Vaughn Road. Good luck to your friend. My entire class went on to college.

**Lindsey** · 03-04-2011, 04:30 PM

Originally Posted by 2ndGenGranola

I am so thankful we joined. We had "an issue" and HSLDA took care of us. We had top of the line legal. I don't regret joining for one second.

Ditto! and some more wording because it says I need 10.

**Neeley** · 03-04-2011, 04:44 PM

Originally Posted by Lindsey

I graduated in Alabama, homeschooled. The covering my parents used was in Montgomery; Evangel Family Christian Acadamy, on Vaughn Road. Good luck to your friend. My entire class went on to college.

Evangel is still around and one of the best here. We have many friends who use them and are very happy. They are very selective about who they accept and their requirements, policies and procedures are strictly enforced. In the past few years they have added more sports and extra-curricular for the home schoolers. They have also opened up some of the extra-curricular activities to students in other cover schools as well.
If we ever home school again, that would be our cover choice.

**Neeley** · 03-04-2011, 04:50 PM

Also, have your friend look up the Elmore County Home School Organization (ECHO) online. They are a very active group with lots of resources and vast knowledge on home schooling in Alabama. Even if she is not near Elmore County, this particular group is suppose to be one of the best home schooling resources in the state.

**zakity** · 03-04-2011, 06:13 PM

I am not in Alabama, but I have two in high school. We use American School. It is a correspondence high school. It is pretty affordable. It is $1330 per child (if you pay in full, slightly more if you don't and they will do montly payments if you need to do that).

**tracergal007** · 03-15-2011, 02:41 PM

I homeschooled my daughter from third grade on. Once we got to high school, I enrolled her in Citizen's High School, a correspondant school that worked wonders for her. She graduated on the honor roll. I don't remember the total cost but it was really affordable and they allowed for monthly payments.

Hope that helps!

**foxxyroxie** · 03-15-2011, 04:32 PM

Update: Thanks everyone for the input on this. My friend and I reviewed and she will probably be getting back with you Neely to ask some questions. I did find out that she paid a woman in Cullman $100 for dues, curriculum whatever but so far the lady has left her high and dry... basically took the money and ran. She was going to make the trip to see her and demand results but I'm not sure that's going to help her situation. I told her to look into the school in Montgomery and maybe they could help.

Anyway... thanks again for the help. I knew I could get some answers/information from my FV people.
God Bless.