A. For the most part, yes,  as long as you keep in mind that the state will consider your children private school students if you choose this route.

 “Umbrella school” is something of a misnomer, and typically refers to a private school that offers a self-directed home learning option. Private schools can do that here because the state of Florida maintains a pretty much “hands off” policy with respect to private schools.

You can read more about private schools in our Florida Private Schools section. And you can find listings of private schools that offer home based learning options at various sites, including A to Z Home’s Cool website at http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/regional/FloridaUmbrella.htm, and at FloridaSmart at http://www.floridasmart.com/education/homesch_schools.htm .

Keep in mind though, that private schools are free to make their own rules regarding attendance and record keeping, and can range from minimalist to mind-boggling. The DoE also maintains a list of private schools, although many of these are traditional brick and mortar private schools: http://www.floridaschoolchoice.org/Information/directory/schoolreport.asp

So if you go that route, be sure to be educated about your private school choice, and stay up to date on private school legislation.

Also, be aware that if you want access to things like Florida Virtual School, or certain other things available only to public or homeschooled students, sometimes those are only available to specially registered private schools.

A.Florida Virtual School (www.flvs.net)  is not a private school, or a correspondence school. It’s a distinctly different offering from the state’s two other public school virtual school offerings, Florida Virtual Academy and Connections Academy, which are available only to public school students.

FLVS is a public online middle and high school equally available to all state residents. Since it is  not a degree granting school, state testing (i.e. the FCAT) is not mandated.  

The state describes FLVS thusly in a Policy Memo:(http://www.floridaschoolchoice.org/information/virtual_schools/files/FLVS_Policy_Memo.pdf ):

“Florida Virtual School (FLVS) is a fully-accredited public virtual school that offers free online courses to middle and high school students in Florida. All FLVS teachers are Florida-certified in the subjects they teach and all courses are aligned with Florida’s Sunshine State Standards.

“Florida Virtual School provides options for students, parents, school districts, and schools. Through FLVS, parents and students have expanded access to courses, and school districts have options to help ease overcrowding and/or to provide their students with additional course and acceleration opportunities.

“Students with limited or no access to a specific course are given priority for enrollment. Florida Virtual School may also be a good fit for students who have medical or behavioral issues that may limit success in the traditional classroom or for students needing a more flexible schedule due to training for other extra-curricular endeavors.

The Florida School Code establishes Florida Virtual School as an educational choice and an acceleration option for parents and students. Approximately 96 percent of FLVS students exercise this option as a supplement to their public, home, or private school education and average 1.1 courses per student.” ( Read the entire memo at the link above to see a good Q&A about the school)

Some people really like it and some people really don't. But there's no cost involved, and you can take classes a la carte, as interested and able, and easily un-enroll if the program

doesn't work for your children. Transcripts from FLVS classes can be used in annual evaluations, and useful for transfer reasons, as well.

Related statutes can be reviewed here: http://www.floridaschoolchoice.org/Information/virtual_schools/Statutes.asp

In the past year, FLVS franchised operations to some state school districts for the purposes of streamlining participation for public school students. You can see a list of the franchises here: http://www.floridaschoolchoice.org/information/virtual_schools/District_Franchises.asp

All this means is that residents in those counties can select to take classes either with their county, or with the main Florida Virtual School program. For the most part, there is little difference between the two choices, although some counties have different drop policies and different instructors. Regardless of your choice, you may get a message that your homeschooled child’s course records are being filed with your county. This is an administrative detail with no bearing on your home education program.  You can read an informative FAQ about the franchise issue at our website at http://www.learningis4everyone.org/content/view/96/39/1/1/ .

A. The short answer to the last question is “Yes.” The short answer to the second question is: No. Diplomas are not absolutely necessary (when’s the last time anyone looked at  yours?). If you really want one for your child, you can make your own, but be aware that colleges, if they look at a diploma, typically want to see one from an accredited school.   

Diplomas are less important than transcripts, which are less important than a well rounded, articulate and self assured student with a good portfolio of academic and real time experiences. Colleges are more often looking for self-motivated, responsible and self-sufficient students than anything else, and where they went to high school is less important than how they present themselves and what they can do.

See the college stuff mentioned earlier, and you can learn a bit about transcripts here: http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/olderkids/Transcripts.htm  and http://www.oklahomahomeschool.com/trans1.html#transcripts  And of course there's always the GED (General Education Development) test option (http://www.aceofflorida.org/ged/gedanswer.html#what) for a high school equivalency credential.

While some of the details are a little blurry and open to interpretation, what the rule basically says is that  any homeschooled child entering or reentering public schools

shall be accepted on the grade recommendation of the homeschooling parent, and that recommendation will be validated if the child maintains a 2.0 grade point average during the child’s first grading period.

If your child has difficulty upon admission, the rule provides for some alternative methods of validation and assessment. And don’t forget to terminate your home education program!

As of August 10, 2006, you should also be aware of new public education high school graduation requirements. While these requirements do not affect you as a home educator, should you choose to reenroll your child in public education it may be helpful to be informed about these changes. Please visit our Public School Choice link at http://www.learningis4everyone.org/content/view/93/39/1/1/ for details.  

A. Throw a couple of more exclamation marks in there and I’ll tell you who they are. “They” are largely folks like “you and me”, with the sometimes unfortunate reality of having to work for the county. 

Let’s face it – bureaucracy stinks, for us and often for the bureaucrats.  Things get lost. Files end up in the wrong place. Everybody yelled at you all day, and the coffee was stale and bitter. Most home education district contacts are overworked and underpaid. Many handle home education as just one of many district duties.  Some just got there and haven’t a clue as to how the whole thing works.

It’s usually best to assume an error has occurred and to handle things with grace, dignity and professionalism. A simple and polite letter advising the powers that be of their error – providing a copy of your evaluation that you sent in perfectly on time six months ago; or a note reminding them of the date you opened your program, along with a copy of the relevant statute – usually does the trick. You don’t need lawyers. You just need a good dose of humanity to share.

And there’s always the possibility that they may be right.  In that case, just send them a note thanking them for the reminder and advise them that you’ll be sending along whatever is needed as soon as possible. Most are just happy for a civil reply.  Keep as much of your communication as possible on paper, for good record keeping, and save copies of everything.  Always request a return receipt when using written communications with your school district , to ensure that your notes are received.

Of course, you may occasionally encounter the district curmudgeon. If becomes clear that no amount of civility will crack the hard shell of years of government employment, then head to the Office of Independent Education and Parental Choice (IEPC) and talk to the Home Education director there:  1-800-447-1636 . They’ll be glad to help.

And if you don’t feel they’re helping as they should, then call in some citizen support. We, at Learning is for Everyone, (www.learningis4everyone.org )will be happy to help you, as would anyone at the state's largest homeschool support group, the  Florida Parent Educators Association (www.fpea.com) .

So there you have it.  Relax, and have a great time with your kids!  Browse our site for tons of great statewide homeschooling resources  and don’t forget to check out our support group listings  so that you can connect with others in your area.