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Working and Compulsory Age 18 Requirements
Q: My 16 year old daughter is applying
for jobs and I'm concerned that with
the new compulsory age of 18 we may be in trouble if she
works in the
morning. What input do you have? I guess I was assuming
that she could
work whenever, but I want to be above reproach.
A: Basically, this law in no way affects a homeschooled
student's freedom to
work part-time before the age of 18. (It may effect a public
or private
school student, but that will be addressed by the school
districts.)
Under the previous law, any homeschooled student could
work (babysitting,
lawn-mowing, fast food, etc.) before the age of 16 at the
parent's
discretion during school hours. Under this new "law"
homeschooled students
may continue to work-part time before turning 18, at the
parent's
discretion, as well as run errands, attend practices, attend
community college classes, etc. The key there is, as it
always has been: at the parent's discretion.
The primary focus of Rule 12 & 13 laws centers around
curriculum choices and projected class hours. The only change
in the law affecting homeschoolers is that we are now required
to submit Rule 12/Rule 13 papers until the school year in
which our child turns 18. This new law merely extends the
time period in which we must project hours to be spent "in
class." It has no jurisdiction over what the homeschooled
student does IN ADDITION to class work during a given school
year.
So, essentially, nothing has changed, other than the fact
that we must
continue to submit our papers a couple of years longer.
In addition, there are two new "Forms" included
to accommodate parents whose children discontinue or complete
their high school studies before the age of 18. They are:
Form C-Parental statement that student is discontinuing
enrollment (i.e.-dropping out of school) before the age
of 18. Form D-Parental statement that student has completed
program (i.e.-graduated) before the age of 18.
I assume that public and private school high school students
are still issued
"work permits" that allow them to leave the school
premises before normal
school hours end. I would also assume that, since now students
are now
required to be in school until the age of 18, those still
in school and
working will need to have an official "work permit"
for a year or two
longer. However, homeschooled students in Nebraska have
never had to have a "work permit" of any sort.
If at some point that is required, the
Department of Education would inform HEN of such a new mandate,
and HEN would definitely help inform parents about it. But,
at this point, there
is no such mandate.
The whole point of this new "compulsory attendance
law" is to decrease the
drop-out rate in public high schools, by requiring that
students be in class
until they are 18. What this new law basically does is make
it a little more
difficult for public school (and private schooled) students
to "drop-out"
before 18, because it requires the parents to make an official
statement to
the effect, AND it extends the time period by which students
may be
considered truant for not attending classes, with the hope
of providing a
huge incentive for public school students to stay in school
and graduate.
At any rate, the bottom line is that it changes little
for the day-to-day
lives of Nebraska homeschool families, other than that it
requires them to
submit paperwork earlier (age 6 instead of 7) and later
(until the age of
18). You may visit the HEN Website www.OmahaHEN.org to view
and download copies of Form C and Form D.
If you have a homeschooling question and
would like to “Ask The Veterans”, please put
it in writing to Board@OmahaHEN.org
or to: HEN Newsletter, 2610 Morrie Dr., Bellevue, NE 68147.
We will forward your question along to our veteran moms
who will respond for publishing in a future newsletter.
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not necessarily represent the views or opinions of any of
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None of the information distributed by HEN, either verbal
or written, is intended as legal advice and should not take
the place of legal counsel from a qualified, informed attorney. |
