New Jersey may tighten homeschool regulations around notification, curriculum approval, evaluations and wellness checks to increase oversight.
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The New Jersey legislature is reviewing two proposed bills that would place more rules and limitations on homeschooling in the state
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New Jersey Assembly Bill 5825 would require parents or guardians who choose to homeschool their child to officially inform their local school district in writing
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They would need to send a letter to the superintendent informing them of the child's name and age in order to register their child in the homeschool program
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The letter must be sent by August 1st of each school year or within 14 days of the start of homeschooling
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Along with the required letter notifying the school district of homeschooling, parents must also submit a copy of the curriculum they plan to use, which must follow the New Jersey student learning standards
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The bill requires homeschool supervisors to keep a student portfolio, including work samples, reading lists
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and an annual evaluation by a licensed teacher or psychologist, not the parent, and submit it
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yearly to the district superintendent. Garden State lawmakers are also considering Assembly Bill
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5796 which would require a homeschooled child and their parent or guardian to meet with school officials The meeting would give the parent a chance to ask for support from the school district for their homeschooling needs and allow the designated staff member to perform a general health and wellness check of the child
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Homeschooling regulations vary depending on the state. Advocates of regulating homeschooling argue the practice can shield abuse. However, limited data on homeschooled children has led
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a few studies on their risk of mistreatment. According to the National Home Education Research
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Institute, there are approximately between 77,000 to 94,000 homeschooled students in New Jersey
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Homeschooling rates have steadily grown about two to eight percent annually and saw a sharp
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increase from 2019 to 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. And according to Science Direct
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since the pandemic, an estimated 3.5 million children were reported to be homeschooled between
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2023 and 2024. Straight Arrow News has reached out to the Coalition for Responsible Home Education
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a homeschool advocacy group founded in 2013 by homeschool alumni, for comment on the New Jersey bills
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For Straight Arrow News, I'm Lauren Keenan. If you want more on this story, download the Straight Arrow News app or visit san.com
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