The Legalities of Homeschooling in Florida

as quoted from the State Statutes

• Reference
  
  
• 232.02 Regular school attendance. Regular attendance is the actual attendance of a pupil during the school day as defined by law and regulations of the state board. Regular attendance within the intent of s. 232.01 may be achieved by attendance in:
  
  

  1. A public school supported by public funds;
  2. A parochial, religious, or denominational school;
  3. A private school supported in whole or in part by tuition charges or by endowments or gifts;
  4. A home education program that meets the requirements of s. 232.0201; or
  5. A private tutoring program that meets the requirements of s. 232.0202.

• 232.021 Attendance records and reports required.--All officials, teachers, and other employees in public, parochial, denominational, and private schools, including private tutors, shall keep all records and shall prepare and submit promptly all reports that may be required by law and by regulations of state and district boards. Such records shall include a register of enrollment and attendance and all such persons named above shall make such reports therefrom as may be required by the state board. The enrollment register shall show the absence or attendance of each child enrolled for each school day of the year in a manner prescribed by the state board. The register shall be open for the inspection by the designated school representative or the superintendent of the district in which the school is located. Violation of the provisions of this section shall be a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided by law. This section shall not apply to home education programs provided in s. 232.0201.
  
  
• 232.022 Attendance defined.--The attendance of all public school pupils shall be checked each school day in the manner prescribed by regulations of the state board and recorded in the teacher's register or by some approved system of recording attendance. Pupils may be counted in attendance only if they are actually present at school or are away from school on a school day and are engaged in an educational activity which constitutes a part of the school-approved instructional program for the pupil.
  
  
• 232.246 General requirements for high school graduation.
  
  
• 232.2462 Definition of "credit".
  
  

  1. For the purposes of requirements for high school graduation, one full credit means a minimum of 135 hours of bona fide instruction in a designated course of study which contains student performance standards as provided for in s. 232.2454. The Articulation Coordinating Committee shall determine the number of postsecondary credit hours earned through dual enrollment pursuant to s. 240.116 and which satisfy the requirements of a district's interinstitutional articulation agreement according to s. 240.1161 that equal one full credit of the equivalent high school course identified pursuant to s. 229.551(1)(f)6.
  2. The hourly requirements for one-half credit are one-half the requirements specified in paragraph (a).
  
  
  • In awarding credit for high school graduation, each school district shall maintain a one-half credit earned system which shall include courses provided on a full-year basis. A student enrolled in a full-year course shall receive one-half credit if the student successfully completes either the first half or the second half of a full-year course but fails to successfully complete the other half of the course and the averaging of the grades obtained in each half would not result in a passing grade. A student enrolled in a full-year course shall receive a full credit if the student successfully completes either the first half or the second half of a full-year course but fails to successfully complete the other half of the course and the averaging of the grades obtained in each half would result in a passing grade, provided that such additional requirements specified in school board policies, such as class attendance, homework, participation, and other indicators of performance, shall be successfully completed by the student.

• 229.808 Annual nonpublic school survey. (Includes the definition of non-public school): a “nonpublic school” is defined as an individual, association, copartnership, or corporation, or department, division, or section of such organization, which designates itself as an educational center which includes kindergarten or a higher grade or as an elementary, secondary, business, technical, or trade school below college level or any organization which provides instructional services which meet the intent of s. 232.02 or which gives preemployment or supplementary training in technology or in fields of trade or industry or which offers academic, literary, or vocational training below college level, or any combination of the above, including an institution which performs the functions of the above schools through correspondence or extension, except those licensed under the provisions of chapter 246. This definition shall not include home education programs conducted in accordance with s. 232.0201.
  
  
• 228.092 also has the rules regarding our use of records