New program provides home schooled children with benefits through family school program

A new family school program for the 2012-13 school year will begins in September.

Superintendent Randall Earwood says this is a home school program with additional educational services. Home schooled students will spend half their time in the home school environment and the other half learning in a portable at the GRADS site, he said.

“It (family school program) is important for these kids who live in the school district,” Earwood said. “It’s a good program to meet their needs, and to enhance the educational process to create a partnership with the home school community that is important.”

Home School teacher Dawn Weaver lives in Bingham and is secretary on the Socorro school board; she has been a home school teacher for 13 years. A home school parent can choose to teach their children various subjects, such as math, language arts and science, including religion, Weaver said.

Home school teachers are provided nothing from the state, such as textbooks, and they make their own curriculum based on what they (the teacher) choose, she said.

Weaver has one child with a learning disability, and as a home school teacher she receives no services from the state. She said the services that would be most beneficial for her child would include reading coaches to help her child with reading or any other need with special assistance.

With the family school program, children with disabilities will receive these services. Weaver said it’s hard to see her child struggling to read and progress when another teacher may be able to help her child and could make all the difference.

“I think it’s exciting,” Weaver said.

Earwood will have an interview committee at the central office to visit with whomever applies to be a qualified teacher. The home school parents will make up the interview committee, and make a recommendation of whom they will see fit as a teacher. Earwood will make the final decision of whom to hire, Weaver said.

The new family school program will have to follow public schools system and all state laws, Weaver said

There will be two portables available, one for elementary and the other for secondary students. One part-time teacher will be available per classroom, each teaching for 14 hours a week. The home school teacher will provide the other 14 hours, Weaver said. The resolution for the family school program was approved by the board for a year. At the end of the year, an assessment will be conducted to determine how successful the program is, and whether to continue it or not, Earwood said.

“Parents home school their children for different reasons,” Weaver said. “It’s different. I’m not afraid to ask for help.”