Creative Homeschooling is...Thinking Out-of-the-Box!

Oct. 4, 2007

Homeschool Truants!

Recently, my two boys (13 & 11) and their homeschooled neighbor friend, had a run in with the law! It all started with a seemingly innocent bike trip to the local store for school supplies. They weren't gone for more than ten minutes when I got a call from the police department. The officer told me he stopped the kids for truancy on their way to the office supply store. I immediately informed him (in a nice way of course) that they are homeschool students and not under the truancy laws. He insisted that although they are homeschooled they are still "students" which are required to be "in school" during certain hours. I went on to explain that I am required to school my children 180 days out of the year but not necessarily at the same time the Public Schools run. He back peddled a bit and said that in future, please send them with a note explaining where they are going.

Well, for the next week, whenever my kids went out (without me) during Public school hours, I had to write a note! This note writing got very old, as they are out a lot during "school hours": paper route, riding bikes or playing in the park across from our house. How did this story end? The police officer called a week later and offered an apology. Apparently, he had checked it out with his police chief and discovered that homsechoolers (in our town anyway) are exempt from truancy laws. I thought it was nice that he did that but more relieved that I didn't have to keep writing notes.

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Comments

Oct. 4, 2007 - Untitled Comment

Posted by SchoolinRhome

Wow! I never heard that one! How funny! You handled this well. Now I know what to do if that would happen to us.
Glad you are back to posting. It seems like awhile- we missed you. I like reading your blog.
SchoolinRhome

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Oct. 4, 2007 - whoa!

Posted by Oatmeal Kiss

That's crazy! It makes me thankful for the HSLDA if anything worse were to happen. I am glad that he called and apologized. That took a lot of humility being a man and in the position that he is in.

Liberty www.oatmealkiss.blogspot.com

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Oct. 4, 2007 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Anonymous

That was nice of him to call and apologize. Most people don't say they're sorry when they're wrong these days.

Laura

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Oct. 5, 2007 - Untitled Comment

Posted by 4sweetums

Oh my! That would be horrible to have to write a note everytime. I am glad it all worked out. I really enjoyed looking around your blog.
Blessings,
4sweetums

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Oct. 5, 2007 - Wow, and wow!

Posted by MommylovesRJ

Wow that that occurred...I would hope to maintain as level a head as you did. G-d was definitely looking over your shoulder, for certain!

And double wow, that the policeman called back, and offered an apology. Really, it speaks of his integrity...something of which too few have these days.

Praise G-d for ensuring this turned out well.

A little off topic, but I have a huge favor to ask you! Could you post before and after shots of the wood floors in your house? I know you actually have a decent before, from the dining room. But in the after, you really cannot see how well the floors turned out. I ask, because we have ucky wood floors in our house, that we want to sand, stain and seal...but would like some sort of an idea what we could end up with, before spending the money for sander, etc, not to mention the time invested. DH is beginning to lean towards carpet...and I really want to avoid that, at all costs! I would SOOOO appreciate it!

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Oct. 6, 2007 - Oh my goodness!

Posted by CommunicationFUNdamentals

In S. California there are so many different school tracts that nobody knows when anybody is supposed to be in school! ROFL

Hey...come on over and EmbraceYour Inner Weirdness on my blog today!

JoJo

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Oct. 6, 2007 - Untitled Comment

Posted by CandyFoote

I'm glad it all worked out well!

Candy

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Oct. 7, 2007 - Boy...

Posted by illiteratepoet

Did that bring back memories. My teenage daughter and a visiting homeschooler were stopped our first week in Wisconsin and were told something similar. We never did write a note. He had asked them if we were registered with the state and she informed him we had just moved here which he called a "likely story" and asked for a phone number which we didn't have yet and he said "And I suppose you don't have an address yet either?" (this sarcastic encounter was her first experience with a police officer directly and didn't leave the best of memories *sigh*)... She didn't KNOW the address yet but described where it was (directly across from the high school entrance, heh...) and offered to take him there... he didn't take her up on it.

As a result of that we DID register with the state... thankfully, because....

My third child was later stopped but he was born with attitude and informed the officer that he needed to check with the school or his boss because we were registered with the state as homeschoolers and he was within his rights. (He was about 10 then). The officer did tell the local Internet cafe that homeschoolers were not allowed in there during school hours and had I been staying in town I would have taken that cause up -- because our Internet was unreliable at home, the library too far away to walk to, and he used it for valid purposes... but by that time we were packing for Alaska...

I guess this falls under the experiences our kids wouldn't get to have if they weren't homeschooled. ;-) Ot at least we hope so...

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Oct. 8, 2007 - Untitled Comment

Posted by amatthia

I am glad it all worked out for you. I often get questions about why my kids are not in school.....I am not sure why so many people think it is their business why my kids are not in school,LOL.

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Oct. 8, 2007 - Untitled Comment