Delaware Home School Umbrella Organization
  1. Where can I get an overview of legal information for Delaware homeschooling?
    Click Here

  2. Why do I have an FLA Advisor?
    An FLA Advisor is an experienced home school mom, who is willing to come alongside you and be an encouragement and support.  If you are having difficulties with your schooling, she can listen and often point you toward appropriate resources.  During your first year, she will keep an eye on your homeschooling journey by conducting a semester progress review with you and monitoring your children’s report cards.  If you have high school students, she will supervise your transcript preparations and keep you on track with yearly credit checks.

  3. What is HSLDA and why should I consider joining it?
    Homeschool Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) has membership of over 55,000 families and is supported by more than 50 dedicated staff members, who have banded together to ensure that our rights as homeschoolers are respected and our freedoms protected.  The mission of HSLDA is to defend and advance the constitutional right of parents to direct the education of their children.  FLA does not provide this coverage and strongly encourages its families to join HSLDA.  Because FLA is an officially registered HSLDA discount group, our members are eligible for a 17% discount on HSLDA membership. In order to receive this discount, you must be given access to our school discount number to use when filling out your application.

  4. How much time should I spend homeschooling?
    During school hours, your child will need your undivided attention.  The decision to homeschool does mean a willingness to make that time commitment.  However, the exact amount of time that you spend homeschooling will be determined by a number of factors – the age and grade level of your child, the number of children you are schooling, your curriculum choices, and your child’s capabilities and willingness to work.  The specific time and content requirements for assigning high school credits are covered in the August high school workshop.

  5. What should I do if I am contacted by Child Protective Services?
    Do not allow anyone from Child Protective Services into your house unless he or she has a search warrant.  If you are a member of HSLDA, call them immediately.  Also, alert your FLA Advisor and the FLA director as soon as possible.  We will help in any way that we can.  However, we cannot provide you with any legal coverage, which is why we highly recommend that you join HSLDA.

  6. Why do I have to sign a 180-day form at the end of the school year?
    Delaware Code Title 14, section 2704, requires that “All persons conducting non-public schools shall report end of the year attendance information to the Department of Education annually, on or before the 31st day of July, on such forms as shall be prescribed by the Department of Education.” Since FLA reports this for you, the school needs confirmation that you have met this requirement.   The 180-day form is to be downloaded and printed from the FLA website and turned in with the end-of-the-year report card.

  7. May I homeschool students who are not my own children?
    You may teach other children in a co-op situation, tutor them in an individual subject, or school them with your own children on an occasional or temporary basis.  However, if you are taking day-to-day responsibility for homeschooling a child who is not your own, you must receive FLA board approval to do so.  The family of the child will also be required to join FLA and fulfill all FLA requirements.

  8. What do I need to do if I want to accelerate my child through a grade?
    See your FLA Advisor for the necessary form and an explanation of the steps that must take place.

  9. I suspect my child has special needs.  What should I do?
    Again, we highly recommend that you join HSLDA. However, whether or not you are a member of HSLDA, you should go to their webpage (www.hslda.org) and select their link on “struggling learners.” You can also find many other resources and support groups on the Internet.

  10. Why do I have to submit an immunization form?
    Delaware State Code, Title 14 Education (800 Health and Safety) states that all “school enterers” (according to Delaware’s epidemiology division, this includes children entering homeschools) shall have a number of specified immunizations. Title 14 goes on to state that “the parent … shall present a certificate specifying the month, day, and year that the immunizations were administered by a licensed health care practitioner.”

    Every year the epidemiology division conducts audits of schools (including independent home schools) to find out the degree of compliance to this regulation.  FLA has been audited once -- but no family in our umbrella was approached individually by the state.  However, those homeschooling on their own could be contacted by the state regarding their children’s immunization records.
     
    Title 14 does provide one exception clause –“Exemption from this requirement may be
    granted in accordance with 14 Del.C #131, which permits approved medical and notarized religious exemptions.”
     
    In accordance with the provisions of Delaware State Code, Title 14, FLA asks each family registering in our school for the first time to provide us with a copy of their child(ren)’s immunization records (either a printout obtained from your child(ren)’s physician or completion of the form obtained at the school website based on your personal records). We also ask returning families, who have children entering kindergarten for the first time, to provide us with their “entering kindergartner’s” records.  If you have chosen not to have your children immunized, you can let us know that on the school form.

  11. I have a friend who is ready to pull her child out of school and homeschool him. How should I advise her?
    Encourage her not to take this action until she has done her research and planning, obtained her curriculum, and decided what steps that she will need to follow to undertake homeschooling legally.  You may refer her to the FLA website and encourage her to call the FLA director.

  12. When and where do I turn in my children’s report cards at the end of the school year?
    Report cards, transcripts, and 180-day forms may be mailed to the FLA PO Box or brought to the promotion/graduation ceremony on June 1st.  Emailed or faxed documents are not acceptable. After June 1st, report cards and transcripts must be turned into the registrar with a $25 late fee.

  13. What steps should I take if I move from the area or decide to leave FLA for another reason?
    You should inform your FLA Advisor and the FLA director as soon as you know you will be leaving the school.  When you leave, the school needs to close your records and return them to you.  Failure to communicate about your leaving will create confusion and extra work.