SHoWLE and Humanism in general support a strong and adequately funded public-school system. It is the best way to provide a good common education no matter a child’s race, religion, or social economic status. The best option to educate children is the public-schools but homeschooling is available to every family in the state of Ohio.
The information on this page is for people who live in Ohio. Laws and policies for homeschooling may differ in other states. Check with the education department in your state for their current laws and policies.
State of Ohio Requirements to Homeschool:
A parent or guardian intending to homeschool needs to notify the Superintendent of the school district the child(ren) would have attended. The district then will acknowledge the homeschooling, and the child(ren) will be exempt from the attendance law.
Parents agree to: Provide instruction in English language arts, mathematics, science, history, government, and social studies, and;
Notify the superintendent each year
https://education.ohio.gov/topics/ohio-education-options/home-schooling
That’s it….
The state doesn’t mandate anything else. Curriculum, hours spent on study, number of days in “school” is all up to the parents.
Diplomas are given by the educator, so the parents give them out.
As of October 2023, Ohio law does not require homeschooled students to take state-mandated tests or provide year-end academic assessments, such as standardized tests or portfolio reviews – but parents can choose to give their children a nationally normed test that assesses student growth.
Homeschool children can participate in extra-curricular activities at the public school they would have attended if the activity is not graded. Band tends to be graded while varsity sports tend not to be.
There are no vouchers available yet for homeschooling so all costs will come from the parent, and you will still pay taxes to the public school. There has been talk of expanding vouchers for homeschooling or giving tax breaks if you homeschool.
Reasons to Homeschool:
1. What children are learning in the public school doesn’t align with your family values. Number one reason religious people homeschool but could also apply to secular families if the school whitewashes history, banning books, or allowing Lifewise to take over the school.
2. Children are being harassed or bullied. Homeschool is an option to protect your kids as is online school which is not considered homeschooling in Ohio.
3. You don’t believe children are getting a good education in your public school due to financial issues in the district, cutbacks, or even too old books and materials.
4. Student is a young mother and homeschool allows her to get an education and take care of the infant.
Homeschooling demands a dedicated parent or guardian able to spend a good chunk of the day in “school” making sure the kids are keeping on task and answering any questions. If both parents must work, it might be hard to have someone available to teach the kids
Costs of books and materials aren’t covered by the state so depending on what you need the cost is out of pocket.
The parent educator(s) is fully responsible for the curriculum. The state has no say in it, but it does offer Learning Standards you can use to gauge where the children are.
Most of the curriculum available to purchase is geared toward the religious homeschool market.
Options include:
- Finding other secular homeschool parents and finding out what they use.
- Creating something out of whole cloth
- Adapting a religious homeschool curriculum package (take out all the religious bits)
- Check out the new curriculum available from the American Humanist Association
Bringing Humanism Home
Bringing Humanism Home is a free collection of flexible, multi-age lessons that help families explore empathy, ethics, curiosity, and global responsibility together. The resource includes curated books, films, and discussion-based activities designed to spark critical thinking and meaningful conversations. Simple to use and easy to adapt, it’s ideal for homeschoolers, unschoolers, and families interested in values-based learning. It is currently the only online resource available that is specifically geared toward Humanist values-based/character education helping families learn together about empathy, altruism, community responsibility, and global citizenship.
https://americanhumanistcenterforeducation.org/courses/bringing-humanism-home/