1. A. BACKGROUND
    2. B. ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES
      1. Guidelines for Conducting an Investigation
    3. C. GENERAL INFORMATION
      1. Curriculum
      2. Part-Time Enrolment
      3. Full-Time Enrolment / Return to School


     
    altNIAGARA CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD

     

    HOME SCHOOLING ADMINISTRATIVE GUIDELINES

    MINISTRY POLICY/PROGRAM MEMORANDUM NO. 131

     
      
    Adopted Date: February 18, 2003

     
    Latest Reviewed/Revised Date: September 15, 2020

     
     


    ~ NO POLICY ~


     





    A. BACKGROUND

     


    The Director of Education has established Administrative Operational Procedures for the implementation of Home Schooling. Policy Program Memorandum No. 131 is available at the following website address: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/extra/eng/ppm/131.html.


     





    B. ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES

     


      Parents


     


    ·   Parents, who decide to provide Home Schooling, must notify the Board of their intent in writing to the Superintendent of Education, with a copy to the School Principal on an annual basis prior to September 1 of the school year.

    ·   The name(s), gender, and date of birth, telephone number and address of the home are to be included.


    ·   Parents will sign the letter.

    ·   Parents may use the attached Appendix B: Sample Parent/Guardian Letter - Indicating Notification of Intent to Provide Home Schooling to notify the Board.


     


      Niagara Catholic District School Board


     


    ·   When parents have provided written notification of their intent to provide Home Schooling, the Board shall consider the child to be excused under 21(2) clause (a) of the Education Act (see Appendix A ).

    ·   The Board shall accept the written notification of the parents each year as evidence that the parents are willing to provide "satisfactory instruction at home", until there are reasonable


    ·   grounds to suspect otherwise.

    ·   The Board shall send a letter each year to the parents, acknowledging the notification.

    ·   The Board shall use the attached Appendix C: Sample Letter - In Response to a Parent's Notification.


     


      Investigation of Home Schooling


     


    If there are reasonable grounds to suspect that the child is not receiving "satisfactory instruction" at home, the Board shall investigate to determine whether instruction is satisfactory.

     

      Possible Reasons for an Investigation of Home Schooling


     

    ·   A parent has not notified the Board in writing of the intent to provide Home Schooling.

    ·   A credible report has been received from a third party regarding the instruction.

    ·   Evidence has been provided that the child was removed because of ongoing conflicts.

    ·   The student has a history of absenteeism.


     


      In this document, parents refer to parent(s) and guardian(s).



    Guidelines for Conducting an Investigation



    The Board may arrange an official meeting with the family or ask the parent to submit information about Home Schooling in writing. A member of a recognized support group for parents, from one of the Home Schooling Support Associations, may be present when a Board is conducting an investigation.


     


    If a Board chooses a written submission from the parent/guardian, board officials may ask the parent to complete a form such as the attached Appendix D: Sample Form for Gathering Information in an Investigation.


     





    C. GENERAL INFORMATION

     

      Key Contacts

     

      For specific questions regarding program and service matters, please contact:
    Kimberley Kinney Superintendent of Education 905-735-0240 ext. 227
    Ted Farrell Superintendent of Education 905-735-0240 ext. 230
    Lee Ann Forsyth-Sells Superintendent of Education 905-735-0240 ext. 229
    Gino Pizzoferrato Superintendent of Education 905-735-0240 ext. 228  





    Curriculum


     


    The Niagara Catholic District School Board provides access to all parents to the Ministry of Education

    Ontario curriculum. It is also available at the Ministry of Education website www.edu.gov.on.ca .


     


    Requests for Ministry of Education materials and Religion and Family Life resources are processed through the Board at extension 222.


     





    Part-Time Enrolment


     


    It is preferred for students to be enrolled full-time. If a parent requests part-time enrolment, arrangements must be made with the Principal of the student's community school. Part-time student expectations in regards to attendance, course work, and assessment and evaluation, are the same as for all students. The student will be enrolled on the part-time register.


     





    Full-Time Enrolment / Return to School


     


    Should a home schooler wish to return to school on a full-time basis, parents need to meet with the Principal of the home school. The principal will determine whether an assessment will be required for educational placement.


     


    For secondary placement, the Ministry of Education's General Educational development (GED) is a testing service for high school equivalency and is available by visiting the Independent Learning Centre (ILC) website or by telephone at 1-800-575-7022.

     

     

     

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    APPENDIX A


     

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    LEGISLATION


     

    The sections and subsections of the Education Act relevant to Home Schooling are:


    ·   Subsection 21(1) requires every child to attend school from the age of six until the age of sixteen.


    ·   Subsection 21(2) lists the legal reasons that a child may be excused from attending school. One of the reasons is that "the child is receiving satisfactory instruction at home or elsewhere", stated in clause (a).


    ·   Subsection 21(5) requires parents to send children to school.


    ·   Subsection 24(1) deals with the appointment of the Provincial School Attendance Counsellor, and subsection 24(2) sets out the authority and mandate of the Provincial School Attendance Counsellor to conduct an inquiry into the reasons for, and other circumstances related to, a child's non-attendance at school.

    ·   Section 25 deals with the appointment by school boards of school attendance counsellors, and authorizes a school attendance counsellor to enforce compulsory school attendance.


    ·   Section 26 sets out the duties and powers of school attendance counsellors

    ·   Section 30 deals with prosecution of parents or guardians for a child's non-attendance at school.

    ·   Subsection 30(7) authorizes a court to order an inquiry under subsection 24(2).

     

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     APPENDIX B


     


     

     

    Policy/Program

    Memorandum

    No. 131

     

    alt

     

     

     

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    Notification of Intent to Provide Home Schooling


     

    TO:  The Niagara Catholic District School Board





       427 Rice Road, Welland, Ontario, L3C 7C1

        Attention: Superintendent of Education

     

    I/We herewith provide the names, gender and date of birth for each child of compulsory school age for whom I/we intend to provide home schooling.

     
    Name of Student

     
    Date of Birth

    month/date/year
    Gender
    Grade
    Name of Current/Last School Attended
         
     

           		    
     

           		    
     

           		    


     
     

    Name of Parent/Guardian:     		 
     

    Home Address (Including Postal Code):     		 

       
     

    Mailing Address (If different then above):     		 

       
     

    Telephone Number:     		 

       
     

    Email Address:     		 

       


     

     

     

    I/We wish to notify the Niagara Catholic District School Board that I/we will be providing home
    schooling for our child(ren) starting on (insert date):  


    I/We understand our responsibility under the Education Act to provide satisfactory instruction for my/our school-aged child(ren) and do hereby declare my/our intend to do so.

     
    Signature of Parent/Guardian:  
     

    Date:     		 

       


     

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    APPENDIX C


     

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    PARENT/GUARDIAN SAMPLE LETTER

    INDICATING NOTIFICATION OF INTENT TO PROVIDE HOME SCHOOLING


     

     

     

    Dear ___________________,

     

    Thank you for notifying the ____________________________________(District) School Board of your intent to provide home schooling for your child(ren):
     
     


     

    Your child(ren) is excused from attendance at school for the school year __________ under subsection 21(2), clause (a), of the Education Act, because your child(ren) is/are receiving satisfactory instruction at home

     


    If you would like your child(ren) to participate in the assessments for students in Grades 3, 6, and 9, and/or in the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (normally given to students in Grade 10), that are administered by the Education Quality and Accountability Office ( EQAO ), you should contact the school board by September 30, for information about the dates, times and locations.


     

    Enclosed please find a copy of the Policy/Program Memorandum No. 131, "Home Schooling", issued by the Ministry of Education and a copy of the Board's "Home Schooling Administrative Procedures".

     


    Sincerely,


     

     

     

     

    Signature of school board official: _______________________________________________________________

     

    Name of school board official: __________________________________________________________________

     

    Title of school board official:____________________________________________________________________

     

    Date: _______________________________________________________________________________________

     

     

     

    Attachments:


    ·   Ministry of Education Policy/Program Memorandum No. 131, "Home Schooling"

    ·   Niagara Catholic District School Board, "Home Schooling: Administrative Procedures"


     


    Copy:  Home School Principal


       OSR

     

     





    SAMPLE FORM FOR GATHERING INFORMATION IN AN INVESTIGATION

     

     

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    APPENDIX D


     

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    SAMPLE OF FORM FOR GATHERING INFORMATION IN AN INVESTIGATION


     

    Dear ___________________,

     

    Please complete this form and return it to the school board, along with the additional material requested below. If you need more space, attach additional sheets.

     

    Name of Parent/Guardian: ___________________________________________________________________

     

    Home Address: ______________________________________________________________________________

     

    Telephone:__________________________________________________________________________________

     

    School: ____________________________________________________________________________________

     

    Date: _____________________________________________________________________________________

     





    PROGRAM PLANNING

     

    This section is intended to give the board information on your short and long-range plans for your child's education.

     

    Please describe your plan for your child's learning by answering the following questions:

     
    Do you make instructional plans? Yes   No  
          
    Do you spend regularly planned instructional time with your child? Yes   No  
          
    Do you have a daily work schedule for your child's home schooling? Yes   No  


     

    If yes, please describe it.
     
     
     
     


     

    What subjects are you teaching?
     
     
     


     

    What do you expect to accomplish with your child in Religion and Family Life, English, Mathematics, and other subjects this year?
     
     
     
     





    INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM

     

    This section is intended to give the board information on the curriculum you follow.

     
    Does your instructional program include Religion and Family Life? Yes   No  
          
    Is your instructional program based on any of the elementary or secondary Yes   Yes  
    curriculum policy documents published by the Ontario Ministry of Education      
          


    If yes, please check the appropriate boxes below.

     





    ELEMENTARY CURRICULUM POLICY DOCUMENTS

     
    Language  
      
    Mathematics  
      
    Science and Technology  
      
    Social Studies/History and Geography

          		 
      
    The Arts  
      
    Health and Physical Education  
      
    French As a Second Language

          		 
      
    Secondary Curriculum Policy Documents

          		 


     

    Please specify:
     
     
     
     
     
     


     


    Note: Ministry of Education curriculum policy documents and curriculum support material may be downloaded free of charge from the ministry's website, at http://www.edu.gov.on.ca . This material may also be obtained through Publications Ontario. Contact Publications Ontario by using its toll-free telephone number, 1-800-668-9938, or visit its website, at http://www.publications.gov.on.ca , for more information.


     


    Please include Religion and Family Life resources, and any other curriculum documents and materials that you use to help you design your instructional program.
     
     
     
     
     


     

     

    INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES


     


    This section is intended to give the board information on the types of planned activities that you provide for your child to help him or her meet the learning expectations you have established.


     


    Please describe the typical activities you use to help your child learn. For example, what types of activities does your child do while learning English, Mathematics, and other subjects? Please include samples of your child's work in each subject area.
     
     
     
     
     
     


     

     





    INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

     

    This section is intended to give the board information on the types of materials you use to help your child meet the learning expectations you have established.

     

    Please indicate the resources you use to support your instruction.

     

    Encyclopaedias/reference books (please list):
     
     
     


     





    TEXTBOOKS:

     
    English    
        
    Mathematics    
        
    Other subjects   Please list:
        
        
        


     

    Names of textbooks used:
     
     
     


     

     

    Supplementary materials used:
    Very Often
    Often
    Seldom
    Never
    Magazines                        
                            
    Newspapers                        
                            
    Science Kits                        
                            
    Films

          		                       
                            
    Slides

          		                       
                            
    Tape Recordings

          		                       
                            
    Maps Charts Models/mock-ups

          		                       
                            
    Television programs                        
                            
    Radio programs                        
                            
    Posters

          		                       
                            
    Computer programs

          		                       


     

    Other supplementary materials (please specify):

     
     
     
     


     

     

    Assessment of Student Learning 

     

    This section is intended to give the board information on how you evaluate your child’s progress in learning.

     

    What techniques do you use to assess student learning? Please describe them.

     
     
     
     
     
     
     


     

     



    RESOURCES

    This section is intended to give the board information on the resources you use to support your instructional program.

    Please indicate the community and other resources you use.
    Public Library    
        
    YMCA/YWCA    
        
    Community centre    
        
    Local gym facilities    
        
    Public swimming pool    
        
    Museums

          		   
        
    Art galleries

          		   
        
    Recreational/education/social groups (e.g. Scouts, Guides)    
        
    Nature interpretive centres

          		   
        
    Camping areas

          		   
        
    Youth groups   Please specify:
        
        
        

     

     

    Networking with other families that provide home schooling can offer valuable support. Please indicate if you are a member of any of the following provincial associations.

     

     
    Ontario Federation of Teaching Parents

          		   
        
    Ontario Christian Home Educators' Connection

          		   
        
    Catholic Home Schoolers' Association - Ontario

          		   
        
    Other organizations or groups   Please specify:
        
        
        



     

     

     





    OTHER INFORMATION

     

    Please provide below any other information that would help the board determine whether the instruction is satisfactory.

     
     
     
     
     
     
     


     

     

     

    Name of Parent/Guardian: ___________________________________________________________________

     

    Date: _____________________________________________________________________________________

     

     

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