New to Greenville, SC

[agwynn]

I am moving to Greenville, SC in the middle of June from Virginia. Virginia is really strict about homeschooling so I am really excited to get out of there. It seems like it is much easier in SC. Are any of you from Greenville? I have an ABEKA program that I bought before I found out that we were moving that I am going to try.

I am so glad that I found this site! I hope to meet some people and learn more about South Carolina and Homeschooling. Thanks, Anne :wave:

[Momtoone]

Hi I am Patricia. I live in Pickens. It is about 20 miles from Greenville. I have used Abeka for 4 years. I really liked it. Welcome aboard. SC is a great to homeschool. It doesn't have a lot of red tape.

[Dianna]

I am moving to Greenville, SC in the middle of June from Virginia. Virginia is really strict about homeschooling so I am really excited to get out of there. It seems like it is much easier in SC. Are any of you from Greenville? I have an ABEKA program that I bought before I found out that we were moving that I am going to try.

I am so glad that I found this site! I hope to meet some people and learn more about South Carolina and Homeschooling. Thanks, Anne :wave:

Hi Anne, and welcome to our forums! I've heard that VA is a tough state to homeschool in and I'm glad you'll be free of it soon. :smile2: It's definitely better to homeschool in our neck of the woods. Let us know if you have any questions about homeschooling in SC, or about SC in general.

Warmly,
Dianna

[Keith]

I am moving to Greenville, SC in the middle of June from Virginia. Virginia is really strict about homeschooling so I am really excited to get out of there. It seems like it is much easier in SC. Are any of you from Greenville? I have an ABEKA program that I bought before I found out that we were moving that I am going to try.

I am so glad that I found this site! I hope to meet some people and learn more about South Carolina and Homeschooling. Thanks, Anne :wave:

Hi Anne:

I'm new to this bulletin board too so welcome! I was curious about why Virginia is so strict about homeschooling. I was thinking about relocating either there or the Oconee/Pickens county area of South Carolina. From what I have read online about Virginia, it did not seem too bad. Just curious.

Keith

[Keith]

Hi I am Patricia. I live in Pickens. It is about 20 miles from Greenville. I have used Abeka for 4 years. I really liked it. Welcome aboard. SC is a great to homeschool. It doesn't have a lot of red tape.

Hi Patricia, I'm Keith. You live in the part of South Cariolina that I am considering relocating to (from Florida). I was curious what it was like, weather (any snow at all?), sports/scouts for kids, etc. Any information would be helpful.

Thanks,

Keith

[yellowpiano]

Keith,

I moved from Va. a year and a half ago and I like homeschooling in S.C. so much more. Va. has several options under which you can homeschool but you are always in contact with the local school district and that for me was unsettling.


If a parent has a college degree, they have the most freedom. You still have to send a letter of intent each school year to the school district along with your course of study. Each child also has to pass a standardized test each year and those results are on a deadline to the school district. If your child is behind and doesn’t pass you get put on probation. I felt that the school districts there still had too much control over my home.


If there isn't a college degree, then there are even more guidelines and restrictions including following their state SOL standards. This is the state's test they use at the end of the year.

The other option is religious exemption. You have to prove before a board that public school is against your beliefs and have to be approved.

Two great sites in Va. for information are www.vhea.org (http://www.vhea.org/) (more liberal) and www.heav.org (http://www.heav.org/) (more conservative) Both of these groups are associations with homeschoolers rights in mind. They are on the forefront of legislation in the state. They also both hold conventions in Richmond each year that are spectacular. You will find the laws for homeschooling in Va. on both of their websites.


I school under options 3 here in S.C. and so far so good. I think having to keep an attendance record is a little ridiculous but I would much rather do the small amount of paper work here then be at the school districts mercy each new school year. On another point....housing in Va. is outragous! :eek: S.C. was much better suited for our income. We were able to upgrade our home because of the difference. Hope my opinion and info is helpful.
Warmly,
Lora

[Keith]

Lora,

Your information was very helpful. I will go to the links you provided and do a little more research. I am a little discouraged however as I was under the impression that Virginia was not as strict as you describe. I based this opinion on reading the law and corresponding briefly via e-mail with a member of a homeschool association in Roanoke. It seems that neither were an accurate depiction of how the law is actually applied.

So from my research, the state I live in (Florida) seems to be the most relaxed when it comes to homeschoolers. South Carolina runs a close second as I am begnning to see...

Is what you describe standard throughout the state of Virginia, or just indicative of the school district you had to deal with?

Keith

[yellowpiano]

Keith,I went back to those websites that I listed to see if the law has changed since I left Va. and they have not. They both have the current law I summarized on their website. It is a very strict state to homeschool in, we homeschooled there for 3 years. I am sorry that you were mislead in someway regarding the homeschool law in Va. The law is a state law and all counties have to follow the same guidelines. I have had friends put on probation for one reason or another so I know it does happen. If your correspondence has never homeschooled in another state then they might not consider it cumbersome. I suggest corresponding with someone for HEAV or VHEA. They should be able to answer all your questions.

[Momtoone]

Hi Keith,
We don't have a lot of snow. It does get very cold here sometimes. Pickens has a lot of mountains. It is a very beautiful place to live.

We have rec. sports and also the YMCA has sports. We do have boy scouts and girl scouts.

It is really a nice town. We are a small town. We don't even have a Walmart. The nearest Walmart is about 10 miles away in Easley.

Sorry to be so long answering your questions I have been busy.

[Keith]

Thanks for the reply. Four seasons would be nice, snow or not. Having lived in Florida for the past 17 years (not originally from here) I can tell you from experience that flat terrain and hot weather all year gets really old. Many people who are tired of snow up north and moved here to get away from winter really love it. The result is a melting pot of people who are definately not cut from the same cloth (values, beliefs, etc.).

Hurricanes are getting pretty old too. Frances and Jeanne ('04) passed directly over us three weeks apart from one another, and then Wilma in '05. Who knows what '06 will bring! I know South Carolina is in the hurricane zone (we all remember Hugo) but I cannot imagine anything above a tropical storm beating down on the upstate area. Someone pelase tell me if I am wrong!

Anyway, thanks for your input!

Keith

[Keith]

Keith,I went back to those websites that I listed to see if the law has changed since I left Va. and they have not. They both have the current law I summarized on their website. It is a very strict state to homeschool in, we homeschooled there for 3 years. I am sorry that you were mislead in someway regarding the homeschool law in Va. The law is a state law and all counties have to follow the same guidelines. I have had friends put on probation for one reason or another so I know it does happen. If your correspondence has never homeschooled in another state then they might not consider it cumbersome. I suggest corresponding with someone for HEAV or VHEA. They should be able to answer all your questions.

Lora,

Thanks again for the information. I will correspond with someone as you suggest. When looking for a place to relocate, we first consider the homeschool laws. HSLDA has been the primary source thus far, so I was basing my opinion on their summary page that lists the options in chart form:

http://www.hslda.org/laws/default.asp?State=VA

If that is all one goes by (Option 1 anyway) then it does not appear to be too intimidating. It sounds like the application of the law is much more in depth. My main question from the source I spoke to was what "have child otherwise evaluated every year" in lieu of testing meant in Option 1. His explaination did not appear too concerning at the time.

Thanks again for your input!

Keith

[Momtoone]

Hugo set off tornados around here. Usually we get the high winds and some flooding. Tornado do happen every once and while. Pickens did get one last year. It did do alot of damage but nothing compared to what the hurricanes do.

[yellowpiano]

Keith,

Not to bug you again about this...I just want you to have the right information. I checked out the HSLDA site you referenced...it is totally misleading. You can homeschool with a high school diploma but there are restrictions to your curriculum.... www.heav.org and vhea.org have the complete laws. Heav also has an easy to follow state law flowchart. Good Luck with your decision!

[Dianna]

Keith,

Not to bug you again about this...I just want you to have the right information. I checked out the HSLDA site you referenced...it is totally misleading. You can homeschool with a high school diploma but there are restrictions to your curriculum.... www.heav.org (http://www.heav.org) and vhea.org have the complete laws. Heav also has an easy to follow state law flowchart. Good Luck with your decision!

Lora, I've heard that the laws quoted at HSLDA are often misleading because they're not the actual text, but just a summary. It's always best to read the actual text at state homeschooling websites and talk to the people who live in the state for a true representation of what the law really means.

Dianna

[Dianna]

So from my research, the state I live in (Florida) seems to be the most relaxed when it comes to homeschoolers. South Carolina runs a close second as I am begnning to see...
Keith

Actually, from the remarks I've heard from homeschoolers in both states, SC is even more relaxed in reality. But you'll be the best judge of that once you settle in here (if you decide to move to SC). :smile2:

Dianna

[Keith]

Keith,

Not to bug you again about this...I just want you to have the right information. I checked out the HSLDA site you referenced...it is totally misleading. You can homeschool with a high school diploma but there are restrictions to your curriculum.... www.heav.org (http://www.heav.org) and vhea.org have the complete laws. Heav also has an easy to follow state law flowchart. Good Luck with your decision!

Lora,

Thanks again for all your help. I have not yet had a chance to go to the site but I will. I have always leaned toward SC as a place to move to anyway. We'll see what happens. Any move won't happen for a year to three years anyway.

Keith

[Keith]

Actually, from the remarks I've heard from homeschoolers in both states, SC is even more relaxed in reality. But you'll be the best judge of that once you settle in here (if you decide to move to SC). :smile2:

Dianna

Thank you to you too Diana!

Keith

[Keith]

Hugo set off tornados around here. Usually we get the high winds and some flooding. Tornado do happen every once and while. Pickens did get one last year. It did do alot of damage but nothing compared to what the hurricanes do.

Thanks Momtoone. How bad is the flooding (how often, certain areas only, etc.)? I guess no area is exempt from some kind of natural issue!

Keith

[Momtoone]

It usually not real bad. We don't flood a lot. We just do that if some weather comes in off of hurricanes from somewhere else. Usually it is near rivers or creeks.

No there is no place exempt for natural disaster when the Lord wants something to happen.

[Keith]

Amen. :smile2: