What should I include in the "Letter of Intent"?

When parents contact their county administrator they may tell them they have a form for them to fill out and what information should be on there.  According to Florida Statute 1002.41 homeschooling parents are not required to fill out a form and can create a letter with the following information to send to their superintendent of their county's homeschool district office:

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full legal names

addresses

birthdates

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Florida law requires the superintendent where a homeschool parent sends a LOI to immediately register the child into the homeschool program without any additional information.  According to Florida law as of 2020 grade levels, Social Security number or any other personal information is not required to be disclosed to county officials as part of your “Letter of Intent”. Parents do not need to disclose the choice of curriculum or activities they intend for their child to participate in. Unless their child will be participating in a public school program on a part time basis or service there in no reason for this information be included in any state or district database by disclosing as part of their LOI.  Parents are not required to be certified teachers in order to educate their children at home.

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What other options of homeschooling are there where the "Letter of Intent" is relevant?

There are other options that are commonly mistaken as homeschool programs because of their flexibility.  

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FUNDING FOR PRIVATE/UMBRELLA SCHOOL OR TUTORING

Parents whom are funding the education cost may want to evaluate the expense annually and per child before making a commitment to the programs.  School programs and tutors may be funded or reimbursed for in two ways.  If they qualify they may recieve state funds similar to brick and mortar schools or online programs from the federal government and/or state funds.  They may also be a participant qualified to receive funds through reimbursed scholarship programs that are awarded to students.  There are a few programs that are offered in Florida including programs such as Step Up or the McKay Scholarship.  These programs offer funds for resources to families that qualify.   

 

Safety:

Do the due diligence in researching the school and tutors credentials prior to enrolling your child.  We highly recommend parents do not simply go based off someone's recommendation.  Every program and instructor must be appropriately licensed, so research their certification.  Conduct a general google search to view their social medias, comments, company background, and a general search for possible article surprises.  Tutors in particular will spend consider amount of time in close contact with the child so consider all the factors before hiring a tutor or choosing a private school.  

 

Private Tutoring:

Under Florida Statute 1002.43 parents have the option to select a private tutor to give educational instruction at home or in any setting.  This type of instruction must be done by a certified teacher.  The law requires the teacher hold a valid state teacher's certification in the grade and subjects in which they are tutoring. 

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1. Homeschool Tutoring Program:

Parents will need to submit a "Letter of Intent" to enroll into this program. In order to be considered a homeschool program the tutor must use limited instruction and not be on a daily basis.  An example of this would be to hire a Spanish teacher that comes once or twice a week for a limited time period.    

 

However, if the instruction is done daily and consistently by the tutor this would legally fall under the definition of "private tutoring" and be considered as private education which would be regulated by the same Florida Statue as a public school program.

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2. Private Tutoring Program:

Under Florida State Statue 1003.23 a teaching tutor that provides consistent or daily tutoring is not considered to be homeschooling.  Teachers whom provide this type of instruction must maintain the child's records, attendance records for 180 days (or what is the equivalent of the hours) and provide reports and supervision which are required by the state and district school boards to remain in compliance with Florida Statutes 1003.23.  While the tutor handles the records parents still continue to be the primary individual responsible for the child's education.

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Private/Umbrella/Cover School Program:

In this program parents will not need to file a letter of intent since under Florida State statue 1003.23 (2) the private school will be required to enroll the child with the Florida Department of Education.  This in reality gives them the authority to supervise and maintain records for the educational program to ensure it is in the state's compliance.  Depending on the school, they may require certain things such as a annual medical physical, immunization records, and attendance records for 180 days of instruction.  Some programs are offered free because they obtain subsidization from the State similarly to how the public school funding operates.  Others may do as well but may also require minimal fees. 

 

Each program is different, so take some time to explore their site and call their program representative to gather information so that you can compare them to other private/umbrella/cover schools.  Do due diligence and call the county to check on their company license, check online for reviews and complaints, and call the county to check on their educational status.  DO NOT assume just because someone recommended them or they have a great online presence that they are conducting legitimate business.  Be ready to ask the hard questions.

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Online School Programs:

Since an increase in distance learning began due to Covid-19 a lot of confusion has arisen on whether a child is considered homeschooled if they are doing distance learning through an online platform.  Zoom is a popular tool being used by some district schools in order to present a live teacher to the students.  Virtual schools are also very popular and free online platform.  So let's clarify what would differentiates a program to be considered home-schooled or public.

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If a child is attending a program that gives full instruction of the student on a continual or daily basis they would fall under the public or private school regulations and state laws.  Check with your program.  Simply sending a letter of intent and enrolling the child in distance learning may give parents a false impression that they are legally homeschooling.  In many cases, even if parents have sent an LOI, once they enroll the child in the program the program will forward the registration information to the county so that from that moment they will be consider a public school student.  At home instruction is not equivalent to being a homeschoolers.  Such is the case with umbrella schools.  Yes, they do give parents the flexibility to remain schooling their child at home, however legally they are considered to be a private school.  Another online platform that offers a way to remain truly homeschooled or participate as a public school student is Florida Virtual School.

 

FLVS Flex Program:

Parents will need to submit a "Letter of Intent" to enroll into this program.  Students may enter the program as a homeschooled student in their FLEX program which allows the student to submit 2 to 3 assignments per week by doing work at any hour during the week.  The program is very flexible for families who have changing schedules.  A student can take up to six classes per year. Although, FLVS does not recommend students take more than four classes at one time. 

 

Homeschooled students with FLVS Flex do not earn a traditional high school diploma and will require that parents create a transcript and award their student their diploma upon graduation.  This is an official and legal right to homeschooling parents.  Credits will be monitored by the parents and if the child is seeking a higher education in a secondary school (college or university) they will also be responsible to provide sufficient course credits during the high school years which the student will need to pass entrance exams and meet course requirements for admissions.

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FLVS Full Time Program:

Parents do not need a "Letter of Intent" to enroll into this program.  FLVS Full Time students are considered public school students even if they learning online while at home. This program follows the traditional school year.  Registration is required at the beginning of the school year and may be closed until the following year once they reach their closing date.  Once students are enrolled into this program they will no longer be considered homeschooled. This option has a course work of six classes per semester with set weekly schedules. The school will maintain all of the students records while they are enrolled under this program.  Students in this program are subject to all the public school standards, compliance, attendance requirements and regulatory supervisions.  The student whom completes their high school with this program will be awarded a high school diploma by FLVS. This option is also equivalent to other public, private, and charter schools even if it through distance learning.  This also means that a senior can return to public school to complete their senior year at their zoned high school.  

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There are other virtual online platfrom that parents may want to consider.  Check with the school to learn what their qualifications are and whether or not they are considered a public education.

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Should I contact the county official if I have not heard from them?

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It is a good idea to call them after a week after if you have not heard a response for your email. Give about 3 weeks time if you have mailed it for a response before you try calling.

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Can I give a “Letter of Intent” for kinder when he turns five in December or do I have to wait until next school year?

 

It is not necessary to send a "Letter of Intent" for a child prior to the year they will turn 6 by February 1st. So if your child is still age 5 in December you can hold off sending your letter of intent until January.

 

Parents will only have to file it once and not annually. If a parents have multiple children they can send the LOI prior to February 1st to include the younger child on the same letter; however it will record the child's starting point from that date. That may become an issue when the child is in the older grades or graduation and is expected to be promoted prior to their actual year. If a parent intends to keep that pace for their child for the next 12 years then there is no concern, however if they do not they may want to wait until their child turns six on the deadline. This will give the child the full potential they can reach with the appropriate age level.

 

Another consideration would be for them to take advantage of the free dual college enrollment in the later years. Enrolling them earlier will shorten the amount of time they could have spent earning college credits in the later years. Parents may promote their child if they are advancing quicker in the later years but they cannot take back the time that was initiated at enrollment. Something they may want to think carefully if they plan on returning them to the public education system at some point. Parents can however begin to homeschool their child without the LOI. The LOI is the formal enrollment of the child into legal accountability and does not mean parents cannot begin their home education program. In reality, parents  already began their journey years ago through their child's development stages like walking, talking, language, vocabulary, social interaction, etc. So, feel free to expand the education once the LOI has been sent.