Want to Homeschool! Need advice! NYC area!

[AYOOGUN]

Hi,
I'm seriously considering homeschooling my 4 children and have a few questions.
1. Are NYC Homeschooling laws tough?
2. Does the district get back to you on time regarding your letter of intent?
3. Does anyone homeschool a child with an IEP (speech, OT services,...)?
4. Can I pull my children out of public school before receiving a reply
regarding my letter of intent?
Thanks in advance for any and All information that you can share. SO glad &
relieved to see tons of info online.
Ayo
Mom of 4 (Ages 15, 8, 7, 1.5)

[fairylover]

Hi Ayo, Welcome to time4learning and the wonderful world of homeschooling. First of all I would suggest that you stop on over at the New York Forums. This way you will be able to meet with others who are already homeschooling in New York. I'm the moderator over there. New York laws seem to be intimidating but they're not bad once you get the hang of them. As far as the district getting back to you, this veries so much. So districts are prompt in replying, others never reply. If your district does not respond to you NOI, then just file the rest of the paperwork in a timely manner and you should be okay. You can certainly pull your children out of school at any time you wish. The law says you must file a notice of intent within 14 days of beginning home instruction. Here is a link to a good source for New York law. I know a lot of parents homeschool children with special needs. Whether or not the school district will comply iwth providing services for those needs is another story. Some districts are great with helping you meet all of your child's needs. Other districts just don't.

Good luck with your journey. It will definitely be an adventure.

[AYOOGUN]

Hi fairylover,
Thank you so much for your response. When I spoke to my children's school about it, they stated that I needed a homeschool approval letter from the DOE because then their absence would constitute as truancy. They were very discouraging. (Like, "Why would you pull them out of Ms. so and so's class?") But I'll hold onto my stand about homeschooling and will proceed, nonetheless. Getting started on my letter of intent, right now!

[fairylover]

To be honest, many school employees do not know anything about homeschool law. Some people will even tell you that it is illegal. Just print out a copy of the law and give it to them. They will try to pull the truancy thing to intimidate you into keeping your kids in school. The truth is they lose state and federal money when you take your kids out of school. And that's what it's really all about, money.