|
|
|
|
|
M.S.A.D. #37 PROCEDURE HOME SCHOOLING—PARTICIPATION IN SCHOOL PROGRAMS The
MSAD #37 School Board, hereinafter referred to as the “Board,” acknowledges
the provisions for equivalent instruction under In
addition, it is the intention of the Board to, “cooperate in the home
instruction of any child who resides in the school administrative unit to the
degree that the level of cooperation does not interfere with the
responsibilities to the students enrolled in MSAD #37’s regular
programs.” Furthermore, participation
of students in such school programs shall be limited to home-schooled
students whose home instruction programs are incompliance with applicable
Maine Law and Department of Education regulations. In
order to maintain an efficient and orderly school program, the Board directs
the Superintendent/designee to develop procedures, as appropriate, regarding
the availability of school system resources and services to home-schooled
students who would otherwise be eligible to attend school in MSAD #37. The procedures shall be in accord with the
following provisions. I. PROVISION OF INFORMATION At the request of the student or the student’s
parent/guardian, this school unit shall make available to home-schooled students,
in a form determined by the school, information regarding access to public
school activities and attendance at MSAD #37 schools. This information must include: A. Requirements
regarding initial health and developmental screening for motor skills, vision,
hearing and immunization; and B. Criteria
for participation of home-schooled students in curricular, co-curricular and
extracurricular activities. II. PERMITTED PARTICIPATION A. Participation in Regular Classes. Home instruction students may enroll in
specific day-school classes provided that the student’s attendance is
regular, the class is deemed to be age and grade appropriate and all
prerequisite course requirements are met.
In addition, the following shall also apply. 1. The student or the student’s
parent/guardian, on the student’s behalf, shall apply in writing to and
receive written approval from the superintendent/designee. Approval may not be unreasonably withheld. 2. The student shall demonstrate prior
satisfactory academic achievement consistent with school unit policy and
procedures applicable to all students. 3. The student shall comply with
behavioral, disciplinary, attendance and other classroom rules applicable to
all students. If a student fails to
comply, the school may withhold credit or terminate the student’s
participation. 4. Transportation must be provided by
the parent/guardian or student.
However, the student may use the same transportation as all other
students in the school unit as long as additional expenses are not incurred and
vehicle capacity is not exceeded. 5. The student shall complete all
assignments and tests as required of all students in the same class. B. Course Auditing. Home instruction students may audit a
course(s) provided the following
conditions have been met. 1. The student or the student’s
parent/guardian, on behalf of the student, shall apply in writing to and
receives written approval from the Superintendent/designee to audit a
specific course or courses.
Participation may not be unreasonably withheld. 2. The student agrees to meet
established behavioral, disciplinary, attendance and other classroom rules
applicable to all students. If a
student fails to comply, the school may terminate participation. III. SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES Special Education Services will be available to
eligible special education students in accordance with applicable federal and
state laws and regulations. IV. ADMISSION TO REGULAR PROGRAM/PLACEMENT A student who has been receiving home-school
instruction and who seeks admission to the regular school program will be
placed in a grade commensurate with the level of the student’s academic
achievement. Placement must be guided
by the following. A. For
students who transfer into school from an educational program that is not
required to meet the standards of the system of Learning Results, the
principal of the receiving school shall determine the value of the student’s
prior educational experience toward meeting these standards. B. Appropriate
school staff may make recommendations concerning placement based upon, but
not limited to, factors such as the student’s completed curricula and record
of achievement, conferences with the student’s parent/guardian, and
administration of tests. C. The
final grade level placement decision shall be made by the principal. The principal’s decision may be appealed to
the Superintendent, whose decision shall be final. V. RE-ADMISSION TO THE SCHOOL PROGRAM Placement of home-schooled students who wish to be
readmitted to the school program will be determined by the Principal who
shall consult with members of the professional staff to the extent
appropriate and, as deemed necessary, to make a reasonable determination that
the requisite academic standards have been met, and collect from parents
actual samples of coursework (e.g., homework, papers, examinations). The Principal may also direct that a test or
tests be administered to help determine the student’s progress toward meeting
the content standards of the Learning Results for the purpose of determining
an appropriate grade level. The
decision of the Principal may be appealed to the Superintendent. VI. USE OF SCHOOL TEXTBOOKS AND LIBRARY
BOOKS Subject to availability, a student receiving home instruction
may use school textbooks, if the number of particular copies is sufficient,
and library books owned by MSAD #37, subject to the following conditions. A. The
use does not disrupt regular student, staff or special program functions. B. The
student’s sign-out period for a library book is the same as that applicable
to regularly enrolled students. C. The
student may sign out a textbook for a period not to exceed one school year. D. The
parent/guardian and student agree to reimburse the school unit for lost,
unreturned or damaged library books and textbooks and for consumable supplies
used. VII. USE OF SCHOOL FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT A student receiving home-school instruction may use
public school facilities and equipment on the same basis as regularly
enrolled students if the following conditions are met. A. The
use does not disrupt regular school activities. B. The
use is approved by the school Principal in accordance with established school
policy. C. The
use does not create additional expense to the school unit. D. The
use is directly related to the student’s academic program. E. The
use of potentially hazardous areas, such as shops, laboratories and
gymnasiums, is supervised by a qualified employee of the school unit,
approved and assigned by the Superintendent. VIII. If a parent of a student in an equivalent instruction
program requests to have the student participate in the Maine Educational
Assessment (MEA), such request must be granted. Participation in such examinations must be
in compliance with all rules and procedures governing testing conditions in
MSAD #37. IX. ACADEMIC CREDIT A student receiving home-school instruction must
receive academic credit subject to the following requirements. A. Academic
credit for individual courses must be awarded if the student meets required
academic standards applicable to all students enrolled in the same course. B. Academic
credit must be awarded for successful completion of alternative instruction
opportunities sponsored by the school and available to all students. X. HIGH SCHOOL COURSE CREDITS AND
DIPLOMA ELIGIBILITY The following standards govern the awarding
of course credits and a graduation diploma to a student receiving home-school
instruction who seeks admission or readmission to the high school. A. A
student shall earn high school credits for satisfactory completion of courses
in the high school pursuant to 20-A MRSA § 5021, subsection 2, paragraph A. B. A
student may earn credit for course work completed through home-school
instruction if the Principal determines both in advance and upon completion
of the course that the course satisfies the requirements for awarding the
credit. The Principal may direct that
the student undergo a test or tests to assist in making a determination
relative to the awarding of credit. C. Requests
for transfer credit for equivalent instruction completed at non-approved
private schools, at private schools that elect not to meet requirements under
20-A MRSA § 2901 or through other equivalent instruction programs must be
evaluated on the merits of the documentation provided. The Principal and guidance staff shall
conduct these evaluations on request by the student or the student’s
parent/guardian. The principal may
direct that the student undergo a test or tests to assist in making a
determination relative to the awarding of credit. D. Students
may earn 1. This portfolio should consist of
curriculum guides, all student work, evaluative criteria, goals and
objectives, documentation of related activities, experiences, trips,
projects, etc., and an assessment of the success of the program. 2. Although portfolios may vary from
course to course, it is meant to be a detailed compilation of a student’s
work. 3. This portfolio will be reviewed by a
committee consisting of the guidance director, an appropriate department
representative, Principal, and a representative of a home schooling
program. The student and a
parent/guardian must also be involved in the process. This committee will determine if credit
should be granted. E. Awarding
of a high school diploma is conditional upon the student’s satisfactory
completion of all local and State graduation requirements. F. Students
participating
in home instruction programming for more than one school year will not be
included in the rank in class listing. G. In
order to receive a Narraguagus High School diploma and participate in senior
class activities and the graduation ceremony, a student must earn a minimum
of six (6)
credits in courses taken at the high school and be in
residence (full-time student) throughout his/her senior year. H. For
students who transfer into a secondary school from another state or an
educational program that is not required to meet the standards of the system
of Learning Results, the principal of the receiving school shall determine
the value of the prior educational experience toward meeting the standards
through the local assessment system. I. For
students graduating at the end of the 2006-2007 school year, awarding of a
high school diploma by the MSAD #37 is conditioned upon the student’s having
met the content standards of the applicable content areas of the system of
Learning Results as determined by the local assessment system and the
student’s demonstration of having satisfied all specific course credits and
additional diploma requirements as specified by Board policy. XI. PARTICIPATION IN CO-CURRICULAR
ACTIVITIES Students receiving home-school instruction may
participate in co-curricular activities such as field trips, assemblies, and
academically-related fairs provided: A. Prior
written permission is obtained from both the parent and the Principal; and B. The
student has agreed to meet established behavioral, disciplinary, attendance
and other rules applicable to all students. XII. PARTICIPATION IN EXTRACURRICULAR
ACTIVITIES Students receiving home-school instruction are eligible
to try out for extracurricular activities sponsored by MSAD #37, provided the
student applies in writing if the following requirements are satisfied. A. The
student agrees to abide by equivalent rules of participation as are
applicable to regularly enrolled students participating in the activity and
provides evidence that the rules of participation are being met. B. The
student complies with the same physical examination, immunization, insurance,
age and semester eligibility requirements as regularly enrolled students
participating in the activity. All
required documentation must be made available upon request by the school
unit. The school principal is
authorized to collect from parents actual samples of coursework (e.g., homework, examinations, etc.), as he/she
deems necessary in order to make the determination that the necessary
academic standards have been met. C. The
student meets equivalent academic standards as those established for
regularly enrolled students participating in the activity and provides
evidence that the academic standards are being met. D. The
student abides by the same transportation policy as regularly enrolled
students participating in the activity. XIII. STANDARDS FOR PARTICIPATION WHEN TUITION
PAYMENT TO ANOTHER UNIT IS REQUIRED If and when the school unit does not provide academic
instruction for specific grade levels, the following applies for students
enrolled in an approved program of equivalent instruction. A. Class participation. The home-schooled student or the student’s
parent/guardian shall request authorization from the resident local school
unit to apply to another school unit for permission to participate in classes
or activities in that other school unit. B. Tuition payment. Tuition payments for home-schooled student
participation in a local school unit, including attendance at an applied
technology center or an applied technology region, other than the applicant’s resident district, is the
responsibility of the home-schooled student, the student’s parent/guardian or
the student’s resident school administrative unit, in accordance with school
unit policy. Participation may not be
unreasonably withheld. C. Participation eligibility. A tuitioned home-schooled student is
subject to the rules relating to eligibility for participation in
co-curricular or extracurricular activities as may apply at the receiving
school unit. D. Interscholastic activities. A tuitioned home-schooled student attending
classes in more than one receiving school unit is not eligible for
participation in interscholastic activities at any local school unit. XIV. APPEALS Appeals from administration and application of the
Board policy are heard by the Board,
whose decision is final and binding.
Appeals that question the Board policy compliance with legal
requirements must be made to the Commissioner, whose decision is final and
binding. Cross
Reference: IHBG – Home Schooling IHBGB –
Special Education Services for Students in Private Schools or Home Schooling Legal
Reference: 20-A MRSA
§§5001-A.3, 5021-5025 Chap. 127,
130 ( Adopted: Revised: November 17, 2004 |
|
|
|