Terminating Home Education

To close your home education program you must submit a Letter of Termination (pdf) to the home education office.  The Letter of Termination (pdf) must include the child’s legal name, the date of termination and your signature. Termination letters may be mailed to Hillsborough County Public Schools; Home Education Office; 1202 East Palm Avenue; Tampa, Florida 33605.

After terminating your program you must re-enroll your child or children in a public or private school if they are of compulsory school age.

STUDENTS ENTERING HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
FROM A HOME EDUCATION PROGRAM

Full-time Enrollment
Students entering grades kindergarten through grade 8
Students entering grades 9 – 12

Full-time Enrollment

Home Education parents or guardians who want to enroll their child(ren) full-time in a public school should follow these steps:

1. Identify the school the child is zoned to attend. If this is not known, call the Office of Pupil Administrative Services at (813) 272-4096. (State your address, the grade level of the child and you will be given the name of the school.) You can also visit the School Locator page by clicking here.

2. Call the school to obtain a date and time to register.

3. Take the following materials to the school:
   1. A portfolio of the student's work for each subject that has been taught while in home education.

   2. The student's last home education annual evaluation.

   3. A transcript of courses (high school only) taken at other schools or in other programs.

4. Complete the enrollment process at the school site.

The school determines the grade in which a student is placed.

Students entering grades kindergarten through grade 8:

In order to determine the most appropriate grade level placement, the local school will screen students. Criteria to be considered may include age and maturity, standardized achievement test results, previous record in public and private schools and evidence from the student's portfolio of work and achievement while in home education. This placement is subject to review and revision after school personnel have had the opportunity to observe the student's work.

Students entering grades 9 - 12:

A student enrolling in a Hillsborough County high school from a registered Home Education Program must present documentation of the courses in which the student was home educated. By state law, home educated students must preserve the portfolio for at least two years. The procedure for validation shall be as follows:

Validation Procedure:

1. The State Uniform Transfer of High School Credits Rule states that in the situation of a home education student transferring into a school, credits (not grades) shall be validated through performance during the first grading period. The student shall be placed at the appropriate sequential course level and to receive credit, the student must have a minimum grade point average of 2.0 at the end of the first grading period. Courses that have been successfully validated shall be recorded on the transcript with the indication of “Pass.” No honors points will be awarded.
2. Credits and grades earned through Florida Virtual School and Hillsborough Virtual School shall be accepted at face value.
3. Alternative Validation Procedures are to be used when the student does not meet the 2.0 GPA scholastic performance standard at the end of the first grading period. The Alternative Validation Procedures specified by SBE rule include:
   1. Portfolio evaluation by the superintendent or designee;
   2. Written recommendation by a Florida certified teacher selected by the parent and approved by the principal;
   3. Demonstrated performance in courses taken through dual enrollment or at other public or private accredited schools;
   4. Demonstrated proficiencies on nationally-normed standardized subject area assessments;
   5. Demonstrated proficiencies on the FCAT; or
   6. Written review of the criteria utilized for a given subject provided by the former school.

Contacts for Additional Information

The Florida Department of Education, Office of Independent Education and Parental Choice, web site can be found at http://floridaschoolchoice.org.