Prepper Schooling, Public Education vs Homeschooled

[TWP]

First, I'm not a parent, so my opinions may be different than yours.

Second, I spent 11 years teaching in the community college system (read that as "public eduction").

There is an on-going argument around "home schooling".  There are both pro and con discussions in the media.  You can pretty much pick and choose to support or reject either "school" of thought.

So, this article is about the current attempts to legislate what parents are "allowed" to do with respect to their children's education.

No, I'm not trying to skate around the issue, but I have some strong opinions, based on my own eduction and the years I spent in "public education".  Hence the reason I am posting this link.

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/02/17/homeschoolers-revolt-republican-school-choice-bill/

What does this have to do with prepping, you ask?  I assume you do ask, because it is relevant if you are a parent, and even if you are not.

Some questions to ask about the public school curriculum in your area:

1)  Do they even mention prepping, either in a positive or negative context?

2)  Will your children be subject to positive or negative "influence" if they mention that YOU are a prepper?

3)  What kind of response do you expect from your public school system during a failing economy?

4)  Worst case, during a crisis event (SHTF), how will your public schools system handle your children?

5)  Do you know what plans are in place, in your public schools, to give you access to your children?

6)  If you home school, what "hoops" do you jump through to deal with the education system in your state?

These are rhetorical questions and I do not solicit a reply on this forum.  I think that might cross the line of OPSEC (Operations Security) and is information you don't need made public.

FYI

[Glenda KG7MZO]

You've opened up a very murky topic.  I haven't read  this article thoroughly, but have gotten the jist of it after a quick skimming through.  As a mother that homeschooled, this is nothing new.  Every legislative session brings another education bill and there's always hidden agendas written into the language of the bills.  Attempts at adding any sort of regulation to homeschooling is generally lobbied against by homeschoolers and HSLDA (Home School Legal Defense Association).  The HSLDA has a great success record in protecting homeschool rights.  Parents choose to homeschool because they are exercising their right to control their children's education; therefore any attempt to subjugate that right is quickly defended.  Most homeschooling parents are very leery of any language that would allow for tax deductions or credits.   Typically, if there's money involved, the government will include certain limitations, including required curriculum and testing requirements.  Homeschool parents do not like the government meddling in our rights to direct our child's education.  Period.  Given the increasing popularity of homeschooling, legislation like this will become more common place.  It will continue to be a fight as most homeschool parents do not want any further government interference in their homes, especially when it comes to education.


In response to your questions, I can answer 3 of them.


Question #4 -Worst case, during a crisis event (SHTF), how will your public schools system handle your children?


When you register your children to attend public school, you are releasing your authority of your children to the school district.  During a crisis situation, the school district and health department will make the decision regarding the students.  Parents will not have access to them, period.  Until the situation is over or it is deemed safe to release the students.  You will not be able to enter the school to retrieve your children.  If you do, you will be arrested.  Observe any lockdown situation.  The school is surrounded by parents and little information is passed to them.  Parents will be kept from their children in a crisis event.  Few schools are prepared for disasters.  Classrooms are not stocked with emergency provisions and most personnel are inadequately prepared to handle a true crisis situation.  An entire school can be quarantined if there's a pandemic.  Those decisions are typically made by the health department.  Unless it is a complete meltdown in society and parents overrun the teachers and administrators, you will be kept from your kids.

Question #5 - DO you know what plans are in place, in your public schools, to give access to your children?

Most schools post evacuation information or is available in the handbooks.  You can ask any teacher or the principal for emergency plans and evacuation centers.  These are all pre-planned, so they do know where kids will be taken in the event of an evacution.  Will you have access to your children?  No.  As long as the students are on school property, you will not have access to them.  If children are being released to the parents, there is a reunification process.  Have all your documentation on you to verify you are the parents of the child - birth certificates, copy of school ID, recent photo of you and the child together.  Prepare to wait. 

Question #6 - If you home school ,what "hoops" do you jump through to deal with the education systemin  your state?

Each state has different legislation.  The HSLDA website is a great source of information - www.hslda.org.   In Nevada, it's super easy.  All you need to do is submit an Intent to Homeschool form to the school district along with an education plan.  The education plan can be as simple as stating your child will receive education in language arts, math, history, science, arts, etc and these topics will be instructed as you deem them ready for instruction.  My education plan was 3 sentences long.  There are no other requirements.  Parents do not need a teacher's certificate or college degree.  The State of Nevada does not require yearly testing.  The Intent to Homeschoool only needs to be filed once, unless you move.  Then you need to file again mainly to update your address info.

[TWP]

Hi Glenda, nice to hear from you again.

Thank you for the very detailed reply and I'm encouraged by Nevada's position on home schooling.

Yes, I agree it is a "murky" subject and what I read about policy in other states is discouraging...

I think my biggest concern with respect to public schools and prepping is the need to plan around the school "lock down" situations in a crisis.   If you need to leave the area, how do you get you children out of the school?

This points to a plan for early departure, before a "lock down" is declared.  How early is an unknown factor, but unless the crisis happens so quickly that we have no warning period, I would advise a plan which keeps the children from going to school in the first place.  That means being aware of what is happening, locally, nationally and world wide.

Oh, and don't forget to get some sleep every other day...