The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine (@tosmagazine)

TENNESSEE, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO SEND THEM BACK. YOU CAN HOMESCHOOL. The buses may be running. Your family still has a choice. Tennessee gives families two legal homeschool paths under § 49-6-3050. Choose the one that fits your family. Church-related umbrella school. Enroll your child with an approved Category IV umbrella school and follow its requirements. You do not file an independent Intent to Home School form with your district. The umbrella school manages recordkeeping and testing requirements and issues transcripts and diplomas. Independent home school. File an Intent to Home School form with your local district. File a new form before each subsequent school year. The parent-teacher needs a high school diploma or approved equivalency credential. Identify your curriculum, teach four hours a day for 180 days, keep attendance records, and submit them at year’s end. Testing in grades five, seven, and nine applies to independent home school students. Independent families use one of the testing routes permitted by current law. Umbrella families follow their umbrella school’s requirements. Choose your path. Complete the paperwork. Begin.