Homeschooling in Maryland: Umbrella or State Oversight?

This blog post is unique on my blog because instead of addressing universal education and home education topics I am writing just to those homeschooling in Maryland. I have homeschooled in Maryland 7 out of the 10 years I have homeschooled and I field a lot of questions from fellow homeschoolers in Maryland about the DOE regulations that govern homeschool in the state of Maryland. In Maryland, when a parent chooses to homeschool, they are required to notify the state of Maryland of their intent to homeschool. In this notification they declare how they will meet the oversight requirement that they submit to a portfolio review of their homeschool materials, instruction program, and instruction provided. Their options are to choose an umbrella school to be their oversight school, or to submit to the oversight of the county school district superintendent in which they reside. Those new to homeschool in Maryland are often a bit lost as to how to choose between these two options and which is best for them, and I often see new parents asking what the process is for getting started in homeschool in our state. Here is a step by step explanation:

1) In Maryland, I highly recommend you join an umbrella for your reviews, and transcript aid. Most umbrellas use a peer review method to cover the yearly portfolio reviews, which makes the oversight process in Maryland less stressful. All offer some type of direct review with school staff if that is your preference. Also, oversight via an umbrella school gives you the peace of mind of knowing that your privacy is completely protected from any overreach the state may engage in; and we all know that overreach is something governments excel in. I like knowing where my family records are, and I want to trust the organization who is keeping those records; I trust a private organization committed to homeschool freedom over the state. Often, when homeschool families in Maryland enter their portfolio reviews with state personal, they provide far more information and school samples and proofs then is required under COMAR regulations. This begins to shape the expectations that state personal have related to their oversight of individual homeschools. Now, many school districts in the state have begun doing virtual portfolio reviews to handle the increased number of homeschoolers and the work load. They are asking for the portfolio to be turned in electronically. This creates opportunity for the state to keep ongoing electronic profiles on homeschoolers and do far more oversight then is allowed in the COMAR regulations. Using an umbrella avoids all these pitfalls and helps protect your family and homeschooling in general. Beyond those important reasons that I use an umbrella — I’ve appreciated the high-school transcript my umbrella helps me produce.

2) Once your membership is confirmed with your umbrella, fill out your Maryland Homeschool Notification Form, and mail (and email it) to your county school district (their website will have the procedure for that posted). Be sure that the form you are asked to fill out, paper or electronic, does not go beyond asking for the information spelled out in COMAR and reflected on this Maryland State Homeschool Notification form.

3) If you choose not to use an umbrella, but rather to have your portfolio reviews with a designated representative from your county school district, please be very clear about your understanding of the homeschool regulations in COMAR, and for your own protection and the protection of homeschool rights generally hold your county strictly to the regulations.

Homeschooling in Maryland is in a very difficult legal predicament because in our state there are NO laws that ensure parents the right to homeschool. All law related to compulsory education assume the state has the ultimate responsibility for the supervision of all school aged children. The only provisions made for homeschool are made in COMAR — Code of Maryland Regulations, which is the official compilation of administrative regulations issued by Maryland state agencies. — The written regulations regarding homeschool in Maryland are issued by the state board of education and can be changed by a mere change of regulation, a much lower bar than one that would require a change in law.

This regulatory governance of homeschool by the state department of education makes it imperative that homeschoolers in Maryland understand what is in COMAR and hold the line through a strict adherence to COMAR. If we comply to directives that deviate from or change the defined procedures or requirement for COMAR, then we could see the state regulations change under the excuse that they are simply updating COMAR to reflect common practice.

You may ask, why aren’t we fighting to get homeschool codified in Maryland law, or in the Maryland Constitution, in order to better protect our right to homeschool in Maryland?

Understanding the political realities in the state you live is important to choosing the most effective political strategy for success. Starting battles you may not be able to win at the expense of the battles you have already won, may result in losing ground that was hard fought for. It has been more efficient to work to protect the ground we have gained in carving out a place for us in COMAR and hold the line there. MACHE, HSLDA, and Maryland Homeschoolers Hold the Line all work to watch dog the state department of education and mobilize homeschoolers to defend the ground we have.

The best way to retain our homeschool rights in the state of Maryland is to hold the line on those homeschool regulations that are in the books. No more, no less!

For next steps in getting started with homeschool, such as choosing an educational approach based on your child's learning style, building a developmentally appropriate education, and choosing homeschool curriculum browse other topics here at FreedomEd.net.