Homeschooling in Tennessee
Our move to Tennessee gave me quite a few things to think about. When we lived in Illinois, I did not have to think about whether our homeschool was legal or not because Illinois treated homeschool as a private school. The state trusted that I would do what was necessary for my children’s education. As we settled into Tennessee, I found myself becoming anxious about being a legal homeschooler. Moms in Tennessee homeschooling Facebook groups caused me to pause because of the requirements attached to homeschooling here. Stepping back and doing the research I needed for our homeschool has helped me to move past my anxious feelings related to homeschooling legally.
Legally Home Educating in Tennessee
As an experienced home-educating parent, my go-to suggestion for new homeschoolers or homeschooling families moving to a new state is to go to the source to find out the laws. When I researched homeschooling before and after our move, I visited the Tennessee Department of Education, where I learned there are three legal ways to homeschool in Tennessee. Parents can choose to be an independent homeschool, enrolled in a church-related umbrella school, or an accredited online school.
The independent school option allows the parents to home school through the local school district. With this option, parents must submit a letter of intent, proof of vaccination, and attendance forms each year. Students are required to have 180 days of school that consists of 4 hours of instruction each day. Students enrolled in this option are also required to participate in standardized testing in grades 5, 7, and 9.
The church-related umbrella school option gives the parents the option to enroll in a cover school, eliminating the need to communicate with the school district. The umbrella school serves a middle man, and parents abide by the rules that the umbrella school has stated. Many umbrella schools do not require testing, but they require attendance, plan of study, and grades. Some may also require vaccination documentation.
The accredited online school option allows the parents to choose an online school that fits their child’s needs. This option requires the parent to report enrollment to the local school district and ensure that the school is accredited by one of the regional accrediting agencies.
Our Decision
Choosing the right method was something I was still unsure about when we arrived in Tennessee in 2015. My husband gives me full reign in our home school; therefore, the decision was ultimately up to me. I leaned more towards the independent home school because it seemed simple enough, but after listening to several local moms' stories, I became doubtful of my decision. Most of the moms use an umbrella program to reduce their interaction with the school district. In our first year, we enrolled in an umbrella school. This decision came in two parts: the homeschool coordinator for the school district return my call, and enrolling with an umbrella school is the norm around here.
After utilizing an umbrella school, we are now independent homeschoolers. I prefer this option because the umbrella schools tend to have more requirements than the school district, and with balancing so much already, I preferred the method, which was simpler for our family. The girls and my husband all came along when we turned in our intent to homeschool form, their vaccination records, and my proof of high school education. Registering as an independent homeschooler was less terrifying than I expected. Because I met the state requirements, I really did not have anything to worry about. It was only a matter of being prepared and turning in exactly what they ask for. I am a true believer in not providing more than what is necessary, so I did not pressure myself to prove my abilities to teach my daughter, and the homeschooling liaison did not expect anything more from me. She was friendly, and she continues to be responsive when getting answers to questions that I have.
If you are coming from a state with little or no requirements, Tennessee is a good option. You have the accountability to stay on track with your homeschool, and you also have the option to continue to homeschool your children as you always had. Whichever choice you make, you will need to at the very minimum turn in attendance records each school year along with registering your child each year at an umbrella school or the local school district.
I know my anxiety stemmed from the fact that we came from doing nothing to having to do something. There are more than a few options to make homeschooling in Tennessee easy.