Christian Home Educators of KY Blog

Arguments I most often hear or read from people in favor of more government oversight of home schoolers come from a misunderstanding of two things.  Let’s see if we can get those cleared up. The first argument goes something like this: “Most home schoolers are doing a good job, but we both know that some parents take their kids out of school to ‘home school’ when they get in trouble or are about to fail a grade and then don’t school them.  Those kids are slipping through the cracks.  Surely, most home schoolers wouldn’t mind a little extra oversight if it would help locate those kids whose parents aren’t doing a good job.” No and yes. No, those are not home schoolers.  Those are truants.  There are already laws on the books in every state to fight truancy.  All the education personnel, law enforcement, and court designated workers have to do is use the truancy laws already in existence to prosecute those who are breaking compulsory ...

The purpose of CHEK has always been to preserve the freedom of private home educators as well as parental rights in Kentucky. CHEK opposed HB 58 in its original language. To protect private schools operating in homes, CHEK leadership met with legislators to discuss concerns. Reaching an agreement, we are very thankful the sponsor of the bill for amending the language to protect our private school status and to specify all that will be required of private educators at home is a scholarship report (report card). We have moved back to a neutral position. New Language: "Homeschool" which is not defined in Kentucky law, as we are a private school state was amended to "Private school at home". "Adhere to the same academic standards as other participants verified by submission of quarterly scholarship reports provided to the public school offering the extracurricular activity in which the student will participate" You can view the debate of this bil...

Kentucky is a private school state, meaning there are no "homeschool" laws on the books! Yes, you read that right! Pioneer homeschool leaders were wise to think ahead 25 years ago when the case of private church schools and homeschooling arose. Hang in here with me for just a minute and you will understand the connection between this statement and the forms. Your homeschool is a private school that operates in your home, the exact same as the local parochial or private church schools. Have you heard the phrase, "There is strength in numbers", or "A three cord strand cannot be broken"? We fall under private school laws. Of course, the 4th amendment gives us right to privacy in our home (yea!). Many people do not understand this about our Kentucky laws, and this was the perfect opportunity to interject. Now about the forms, federal law requires that the state send every (yep, you guessed it) private school these forms; if they do not get a response t...

Join us for Homeschool Day at the Capitol Friday, February 10, 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. This event coincides with Christians at the Capital  at the Convention Center from 12:30-3:30 Hosted by God and Country Ministry      Christian Home Educators of Kentucky invites homeschool families to join us in the lobby of the Capitol Building between 9:00 and 10:30 a.m. EST, Friday, February 10th.  Every fifteen minutes a new guided tour will begin; the tour will last approximately thirty minutes. Children will enjoy keeping their eye out for sixteen items in the Capitol, when they receive their I Spy cards in the lobby. Kentucky history, state government, and the history of home education in Kentucky, are all topics that will be presented on the tour.  At 10:30, there will be a photo opportunity with the Lt. Governor, Jenean Hampton, and possibly the Governor, Matt Bevin in the rotunda.  We encourage everyone to contact the office of the...

We have received a personal invitation from Cody Patterson, Communications Director for Lt Gov Hampton, to attend the launching of the brand new contest for Kentucky High School students promoting entrepreneurial skills. What: Kick Off of Entrepreneurial Contest for KY HS students When:  Monday, Aug. 29, 2016, 10:00 - 11:00 am Where: Rotunda of the Capitol in Frankfort, KY The website with all the information is almost ready to be live, but below are a few details of the contest. Students will submit a written business plan, with an opportunity to do a “pitch.”  Two winners will be chosen from each of five regions, with ten competing in the final competition for the top 2 to 3 spots.  Currently, $80,000 in prizes have been donated, with fundraising still ongoing.  Prize money will be able to be used for scholarship to a Kentucky college or university or to actually launch the business. It’s exciting to see the Lt Governor and her f...

The time of year will be quickly approaching to notify your school district of your private school!  This is the first step in creating an official private school in your home.  We receive many questions about this step, and encourage you to read the following information, including eight of the most common questions with answers. Here is a sample copy of the  Letter of Notification .  You can see that  KRS 159.160  states, “The reports shall be made within the two weeks of the beginning of each school year.”  So, if your school begins on Monday, August 3, your letter needs to arrive at the office of the Superintendent by Friday, August 14, the end of the second school week.  You can find the address and name of the Superintendent in this  Kentucky School Directory .  This is a 2021 directory.   You can also look at your district's website. .   As in the past, CHEK recommends that ...

Every summer, we see more school districts send out packets, many times encouraging you to fill out the forms included in place of your letter of notification.  CHEK advises all parents to send your letter of notification within the first two weeks of school in your district, as outlined in the law and Best Practice Document.  Here are two concerns we have with many of these packets. Request for information is overreaching.                                             The Letter of Notification requires:    Parent’s names   Address of location of school    Name of school, child’s name and age              Recent packets sent by districts have asked for one or more of the following:                            ...