Vermont Department of Education - State Board of Education Manual of Rules and Practices

4400 HOME STUDY STUDENTS

4400 Integration of Home Study Students
4401 Statutory Authority: Section 1(c) of Act 119 of 1998; 16 VSA §563(24)

4402 Definitions
“Facilities” means the portions of a school building and grounds used by students
for classes, study and co-curricular or extracurricular activities.

“Home study student” means a student enrolled in a registered home study
program pursuant to 16 VSA §166b.

“Integrated course” means a course covering two or more subjects that are taught
in a unified manner by one teacher or team where the subjects cannot be separated
into discrete sections for purposes of student attendance.

4403 Part-time Enrollment of Home Study Students in Public School Academic
Programs

4403.1 A home study student shall be eligible to enroll as a part-time student in a
school operated by his or her district of residence or, if the district does
not operate a school, in a public school for which his or her district of
residence is required to pay tuition.

4403.2 Each school board shall adopt, by July 1, 1999, policies and procedures to
ensure that home study students who request part-time enrollment are
accepted into those courses or programs, and are furnished with required
learning materials, on the same basis as full-time students.

4403.3 Policies and procedures adopted under this rule shall:

(a) upon inquiry by a home study student or parent, require the
provision by the district of the student’s residence of information
concerning the availability of part-time enrollment in school. Such
information shall include procedures, including registration
deadlines, that home study students must follow to enroll on a part time
basis in the schools operated by the home study student’s
district of residence. In the event the district of residence does not
operate a school in the grades appropriate to the inquiring student,
the student or parents shall be given information on how to contact
neighboring school districts that accept tuition students from the
district of residence.

(b) apply the same enrollment procedures and deadlines to home study
students that apply to full-time students.

(c) specify any enrollment capacity limits that the school board will
apply to particular academic courses or grade levels. Capacity
limits shall apply equally to home study and full-time students.

(d) establish criteria to determine whether home study students are
eligible to enroll in integrated courses and courses that are
available only to students who fulfill prerequisites. Criteria
applied to courses with prerequisites shall be applied equally to
home study and full-time students. Reasonable indications that
academic criteria have been met, including results from
achievement tests or other indications of adequate preparation,
may be required of home study students, so long as those students
are required to meet the same prerequisite standards as full-time
students.

(e) establish informal and expeditious processes to appeal denials of
requests for part-time enrollment to administrators and/or the
school board.

4404 Participation of Home Study Students in Public School Co-curricular and Extracurricular Activities.

4404.1 A home study student shall be eligible to participate in or, when selection
to participate in an activity is made on a competitive basis, to try out for,
one or more co-curricular or extra-curricular activities at a school operated
by his or her district of residence or, if the district does not operate a
school, at a public school for which his or her district is required to pay
tuition. This rule is not intended to confer a right upon any student to
participate in any activity. Although a home student need not enroll in
academic programs to participate in activities under this rule, he or she
must show compliance with insurance, physical examination, age, transfer
and other requirements of the Vermont Principals Association on the same
basis as enrolled students.

4404.2 Each school board shall adopt, by July 1, 1999, policies and procedures to
ensure that home study students who wish to participate in co-curricular or
extra-curricular activities are accepted into those activities without first
being required to enroll as part-time students at the sponsoring school.

4404.3 Policies and procedures adopted under this rule shall:
(a) upon inquiry by a home study student or parent, require the
provision by the district of the student’s residence of information
concerning the eligibility of home study students to participate in
co-curricular or extra-curricular activities. Such information shall
include procedures, including registration deadlines, that home
study students must follow to participate in activities at schools
operated by the home study student’s district of residence. In the
event the district or residence does not operate a school in the
grades appropriate to the inquiring student, the student or parents
shall be given information on how to contact neighboring school
districts that accept tuition students from the district of residence.

(b) apply the same activity registration deadlines to home study
students that apply to full-time students.

(c) apply the same academic eligibility requirements to home study
students that apply to full-time students. Policies may require the
parents of home study students to provide assurances that the
school’s academic eligibility standards are being met. Such
assurances may be required at the same intervals during the year as
is required of full-time students. A home study parent’s assurance
that the student meets the district’s academic standards, provided at
the intervals required by the school, shall be sufficient to satisfy
academic eligibility requirements.

(d) establish priorities and criteria for admitting students to particular
activities. When space is limited in a particular activity, preference
may be given to enrolled students as long as the reporting
requirement in §4404.4 of these rules is met. Procedures for
admitting home study students to activities with limited spaces
may include lotteries, first-come first-served waiting lists and
performance-based criteria for participation on sports teams or in
activities.

(e) policies adopted in compliance with this rule shall establish
informal and expeditious procedures to appeal denials of requests
to participate in activities to administrators and/or the school
board.

4404.4 When a home study student’s request to participate in an activity is
denied on the grounds that space is not available and that preference is
given to full-time students, the school shall, within 30 days of the denial,
notify the Home Study Consultant at the Department of Education on a
form provided by the Department.

4405 Use of School Facilities by Home Study Students

4405.1 A home study student may use facilities at a school operated by his or her
district of residence or, if the district does not operate a school, at a public
school for which his or her district is required to pay tuition.

4405.2 Each school board shall adopt, by July 1, 1999, policies and procedures to
ensure that home study students are allowed to use school facilities on the
same basis as full-time students.

4405.3 Policies and procedures adopted under this rule shall:
(a) apply to home study students the same criteria, procedures and
deadlines for requesting the use of school facilities as are applied
to full-time students.

(b) upon inquiry by a home study student or parent, require the
provision by the district of the student’s residence of information
concerning the use of school facilities operated by the district. In
the event the district does not operate a school in the grades
appropriate to the inquiring student, the student or parents shall be
given information on how to contact neighboring school districts
which accept tuition students from the district of residence.

(c) provide for the establishment of criteria to determine whether
sufficient space is available to comply with specific requests for
facilities use. Criteria may also be developed to establish fees, to
be applied equally to home study and full-time students, for
security, janitorial or other services not normally available at the
time of the requested use.

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