Calendar

For the purpose of record keeping, PIE has to have a beginning and ending of each year. The office of PIE’s calendar year begins July 1 and ends the following June 30^th. Members may visit the Member Center for a list of important dates that is maintained throughout the school year.

In addition to coordinating with the office of PIE's calendar year. Members will need to establish their own calendar year which should be structured to meet the needs of each individual child/student. The decision to have a student repeat a grade, progress ahead according to schedule (one grade level each traditional school year), or to advance ahead of schedule is to be determined by the parent/teacher. The office of PIE recommends having your educational records in order, providing a clear presentation of your student’s progress at all times.

Home schoolers are free to schedule their own dates as long as they achieve the minimum one hundred eighty days of instruction, each year, as required by the state, within the dates provided by the office of PIE calendar year. Home schools are free to school in the morning, mid day, or after noon hours.

PIE suggests a minimum of 4-5 hours for each of the 180 days. The office of PIE requires members of PIE to complete enrollment by the 1st of August, each school year, in order to avoid possible truancy charges, and/or confusion between the office of PIE, members of PIE, and state attendance supervisors (see important note).

Important Note: Section 59-65-20 of the compulsory attendance laws states that the penalty for failing to enroll your child in a program approved by the state is a fine up to fifty dollars a day, as well as, thirty days of imprisonment for each day's absence, with discretion left up to the court to suspend the sentence of anyone convicted of these charges.

The office of PIE recommends completing the enrollment process no later than August of each school year in order to avoid possible truancy charges, and/or any confusion between the office of PIE, members of PIE, and Attendance Supervisor. A calendar map has been provided.

Sick Days: A sick day policy for home schools does not exist. Visit the State House Web site to view the laws concerning compulsory attendance to find the laws that state the Department of Education governs excused absences. Then visit the Department of Educations Web site to view their policy, which extends authority to the districts.

[State House Web site]

SECTION 59-65-47. Associations for home schools; requirements.

(b) the instructional year is at least one hundred eighty days;

SECTION 59-65-90. Rules and regulations.

The State Board of Education shall establish regulations defining lawful and unlawful absences beyond those specifically named in this article and additional regulations as are necessary for the orderly enrollment of pupils so as to provide for uniform dates of entrance. http://www.scstatehouse.net/code/t59c065.htm

[end]

[Department Of Education Web site]

43-274. Student Attendance (Absences and Excuses) (11/28/03)

--------------------------

State Board Regulation:

43-274. Student Attendance

I. Lawful and Unlawful Absences

School districts must adopt policies to define and list lawful and unlawful absences.

(A) Lawful absences include but are not limited to

(1) absences caused by a student’s own illness and whose attendance in school would endanger his or her health or the health of others,

(2) absences due to an illness or death in the student’s immediate family,

(3) absences due to a recognized religious holiday of the student’s faith, and

(4) absences due to activities that are approved in advance by the principal.

--------------------------

VII. Approval of Absences in Excess of Ten Days and Approval of Credit

(A) Approval or Disapproval of Absences

The district board of trustees, or its designee, shall approve or disapprove any student’s absence in excess of ten days, whether lawful, unlawful, or a combination thereof, for students in grades K–12.

[end]

You will note the office of PIE has not been given the authority to approve sick days. Members of PIE are required to turn in an Attendance Form that reflects 180 days at the end of the school year. This form is to ensure that the minimum attendance requirements of the state law are met.

The flexibility and benefits of home school program makes 180 days an easy goal. If you find yourself coming up short by a few days, take a few minutes to go back and review the past year. You may find some days that you could have counted toward your attendance, but didn't. For example: A trip to the zoo, museum, or Ruth Patrick Science Center could be credited toward science and/or math.

Have you taken a vacation over the past year? If so, did you visit any places that would be significant to the educator? For example, we took a seven day vacation and two of those days were spent in Washington D.C. visiting the Library of Congress, the National Air and Space Museum, and the National Museum of African Art. While we were there, we gathered free literature and flyers to help with record keeping.

Events List: The office of PIE uses a calendar of events list to provide important dates through the Member Center. Members may copy events from the 'Events List' to their personal calendar, which requires a calendar such as Outlook 2000, that supports iCalendar files and Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 or later. Members may also choose to subscribe and receive notification of these updates by email.