FAQs

Textbooks

Question - Does the public school systems furnish home school textbooks?

Answer - The law does not require school systems to furnish home school students' books or other educational material. Further, since state textbook funds are distributed on the basis of ADA (Average Daily Attendance), school systems do not receive any textbook funds for home school students.

Curriculum

Question - Should public school systems furnish home school parents with a lists of subjects taught in each grade, lists of approved textbooks, and course objectives for grade level?

Answer - Here again, the school system is not obligated by law to furnish such materials. However, it might prove beneficial to provide these items if they are requested, particularly if the children enter public school in subsequent years.

Testing

Question - Are home school students tested and when?

Answer - All home school students in grades 5 and 7 who are registered with the local school system are administered the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) tests as required for public school students in these grades.

Home school students in grade 9-12 are tested in the Secondary Subject Area Test if they are currently enrolled in the course.
The law does not require testing of church-related home school students in grades K-8.
The TCAP tests are administered to home school students in grades 5 and 7 in the spring of each year.
Parents of home school students in grade 5 may be present when the home school student is tested.
The State Department of Education mails details concerning testing procedures to the superintendents' offices and to home school parents prior to the testing period.

Test Results

Question - How do home school parents and school systems get the test results?

Answer - The score reports for the home school tests are mailed by the State Department of Education to individual parents and to superintendents of the local school systems.

Test Score Reports

Question - When will parents receive the test score reports?

Answer - The home schools tests are scored by the State Testing Center in Knoxville after the public and approved private school tests are scored. It is usually June or July before the home school score reports can be mailed.

Special Needs Courses

Question - If a home school student asks to take a course such as chemistry or a foreign language at the local public school, can the superintendent permit it? Will the school system receive any ADM (Average Daily Membership) funds for home school students enrolled in such courses?

Answer - The law provides that in the case of special needs courses, e.g., laboratory sciences, vocational education, special education, etc., home school students may participate in school activities with the approval of the superintendent in accordance with rules established by the local board of education. However, the law also states that this permissive authority does not confer any right upon home school participants to use public school facilities. If the superintendent permits a home school student to enroll in public school courses, the home student will be counted in ADM only if the student is enrolled for more than 50 percent of the school day or for 3 hours and 16 minutes.

Special Education Students

Question - What about special education students whose parents decide to teach them at home? Does the school system have an obligation to provide special education services, such as, an M-Team, I.E.P., etc.?

Answer - The home school law addresses the needs of special education students taught at home only in the provision mentioned in Question 3. That is, the superintendent has permissive authority to allow them to use public school facilities. The State law for Education of Handicapped Children provides that school systems must screen all children within their boundaries for handicapping conditions. [TCA 49-10-108].

Under the Education of the Handicapped Act, Part B, Federal funds are provided for services to handicapped students in public and private schools. Private schools are notified that handicapped students are eligible to participate in programs and projects carried out with Part B funds and may come to the public schools to participate in these services if they qualify. Home school students who are handicapped and qualify should be treated the same as handicapped private school students who qualify for services.

Starting/ Ending Dates

Question - Is there any certain time of year a home school should start and end? If a home school operates on a 12-month basis, when does its school year begin? July 1 of each year? August 1st of each year?

Answer

A home school may start and end any month of the year provided students are taught at least four (4) hours per day for 180 days. A home school operated for 12 months would begin when the parents indicate to the superintendent their intent to conduct a home school. For accounting purposes, the superintendent would consider the home school as operating from July 1 of any given year through June 30 of the following year.

Tutors

Question - Can parents/guardians hire a tutor to teach their children at home in grades K-12 if the parent/guardians do not have a high school diploma or GED, or in grades 9-12 (Independent Home School) if they do not have a baccalaureate degree?

Answer - No. The home school law is a law to permit parent/guardians, who wish to teach their own children at home. It is not a tutorial law. A parent-teacher, who is otherwise qualified, may hire a tutor only in two instances: (1) if the parent-teacher is ill, or (2) if the parent-teacher is inadequate to teach a specific subject. The tutor must have the same qualifications as required of the parent-teacher.

Immunizations

Question - Can home school students be exempted from required immunizations if their parents object to such immunizations on religious grounds?

Answer - The same provisions that apply to public school parents (TCA 49-6-5001) would apply to home school parents concerning religious objections to required immunizations. Parents must submit a signed statement of their objections on religious grounds to the local superintendent, affirmed under the penalty of perjury.

Returning to Public School

Question - What happens when home school students enter public schools?

Answer - Home school students entering public schools are treated as students entering from other non-approved schools and are subject to State Board of Education Rule No. 0520-1-3-.03 (11) (b) (c) (d), as follows:

Principals shall allow credit for work transferred from other schools only when substantiated by official transcripts. Students transferred from schools which are approved by the Tennessee State Board of Education or by comparable agencies shall be allowed credit only when they have passed comprehensive written examinations approved, administered, and graded by the principal. Student scores from a recognized standardized test may substitute for the required comprehensive written examinations.
The examination administered to students in grades 1-8 shall cover only the last grade completed.

The examinations administered to students in grades 9-12 shall cover the individual subjects appearing on the official transcripts. The examination for subjects of more than one unit cover only the last unit completed. A student transferring from one school to another may count for graduation one-half unit of credit courses for which a minimum of one unit is required only if the course cannot be offered