Source: https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/1508005052
Timestamp: 2018-01-19 01:47:43
Document Index: 275391265

Matched Legal Cases: ['§22', '§22', '§22', '§ 22', '§ 22', '§22', '§22']

SSA - POMS: PR 08005.052 - Virginia - 01/14/2013
TN 19 (01-13)
PR 08005.052 Virginia
A. PR 13-031 Virginia’s Compulsory School Attendance Law
Individuals who receive a religious exemption from compulsory school attendance are not required to have any additional contact with the school system and are not subject to Virginia’s requirements for home instruction of children. However, in order to receive federal student benefits, all home schooled children in Virginia, whether having received a religious exemption or not, must prove that they meet the requirements of Virginia’s home school law. The student must also meet federal standards for full-time attendance and all other requirements for payment of benefits.
B. PR 07-148 Reply to Your Request for a Legal Opinion as to whether Faron, A Home-Schooled Student, is Entitled to Student Benefits SSN: ~
Virginia law now requires a home school parent to have a high school diploma instead of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution of higher education, and this opinion modifies PR 04-084 (2/25/04) and PR 03-105 (3/13/03).
Whether Faron , a home-schooled student in Virginia, qualifies as a full-time student entitled to receive student's benefits.
According to the information you provided, Faron was born on March. He attained age 18 in March 2007, at which time his student benefits were stopped. Faron resides with his father in Cana, Virginia.
Faron is enrolled in a program of home schooling using materials provided by A Beka Academy, which has been approved by the State of Virginia. According to the Form SSA-1372, "Student's Statement Regarding School Attendance," Faron's current home-school year began on September 1, 2006 and will end on June 13, 2007. Faron attends classes for 35 hours per week. Faron's father, Faron , is home-schooling Faron. Faron has submitted a diploma from Carroll County High School, Hillsville, Virginia, certifying his graduation from the school in June 1980.
An August 25, 2006 letter from Strader , Assistant Superintendent for Instruction, Carroll County (Virginia) Public Schools, indicates that Faron has been approved to home school Faron for the 2006-2007 school year. Faron must submit an official progress report to the Division Superintendent by August 1, 2007. The file also contains a June 30, 2006 letter from Strader, addressed to Faron , providing Faron's Stanford 10 test results from the Spring 2006 administration. Faron scored in the 13th percentile in mathematics. Because the state requirement is the 23rd percentile, Faron has been advised to provide specific instruction in this area in order to bring Faron's score up to the 23rd percentile.
Faron's father, Faron , has submitted a copy of his diploma from Carrol County High School, certifying his graduation from the school in June 1980 and, thus, his eligibility to provide a home-school education for his son. Faron has received written approval from the Assistant Superintendent for Instruction for Faron's home schooling program for the 2006-2007 school year. Faron is administered the Stanford 10 test annually, and Faron's father is working with the Assistant Superintendent to assure that Faron achieves the state-mandated percentile scoring on the Stanford 10 test.
In this case, Faron's father, Faron , is instructing Faron in accordance with A Beka Academy's program of instruction, using A Beka Academy's course material. Pursuant to the A Beka Academy program, Faron is required to supervise all work, grade quizzes and tests, and review Faron's compositions. A Beka Academy provides report cards and maintains transcripts. However, Faron is required to administer and grade all examinations and send the required graded work to A Beka Academy for evaluation in accordance with A Beka Academy's academic calendar. Accordingly, we conclude that Faron ‘s home schooling program is not enrollment in a correspondence course.
Thomas C. Buchana
C. PR 04-084 Benjamin , SSN: ~
The home school instructor should submit evidence that Virginia laws are being met. The student must also meet federal standards for full-time attendance and all other requirements for payment of benefits.
This is in response to your January 13, 2004, request for an opinion as to whether Benjamin a home-schooled student, is entitled to student benefits. The specific issues to be addressed are: (1) whether Benjamin's home schooling program meets the requirements under Virginia law (2) whether Benjamin's home schooling program meets Federal standards (3) whether Benjamin is in full-time attendance under Federal law; and (4) whether student benefits should be paid.
On September 18, 2003, Joseph , Assistant Superintendent for Instruction, notified Benjamin's father that he had received his application to provide home instruction for Benjamin. Superintendent Joseph stated that the Wythe County School Board had approved the application. However, Superintendent Joseph notified Benjamin's father that, under the law, his remaining responsibility was to arrange for annual testing and provide evidence of a composite score at or above the fourth stanine on a battery of achievement tests which have been approved by the Virginia Board of Education, per the Code of Virginia §22.1-254.1. The Code of Virginia §22.1-254.1(C) indicates that the scores must be provided by August 1st of the following school year. Alternatively, a parent can provide an evaluation or assessment which, in the judgment of the division superintendent, indicates that the child is achieving an adequate level of educational growth. Code of Virginia §22.1-254.1(C )(ii).
Rollie , Assistant Superintendent of Administration at Wythe County School Board completed an SSA-1372, Student Statement Regarding School Attendance, on September 23, 2003. Superintendent Rollie’s certified that Benjamin's school year began on August 25, 2003, and would end on August 31, 2004. He also certified that Benjamin was scheduled to attend instruction thirty hours per week and that the course of study was at least thirteen weeks in duration. Benjamin's anticipated graduation date was August 2, 2004. On another SSA-1372 Benjamin's father indicated that he was Benjamin's teacher.
The SSA-1372 certified by Superintendent Rollie’s reflects that Benjamin was educated at home the previous year. As evidence of educational progress, Benjamin's father submitted SAT scores taken in the previous school year, May 2003, that indicated a verbal score of 490 and a math score of 450. The verbal scores were in the 43rd percentile of college bound seniors nationally and 41st percentile statewide. The math scores were in the 28th percentile nationally and the 30th percentile statewide.
Based on the information you have provided to us, it is not clear whether Benjamin's father has complied with all of Virginia's requirements for home schooling. Because there is no evidence Benjamin's father has obtained a religious exemption pursuant to Va. Code Ann. § 22.1-254(B), he must meet the criteria set forth in Va. Code Ann. §§ 22.1-254.1, 22.1-271.4. Benjamin's father has complied with the first requirement because he has submitted copies of his bachelor of science degree in business administration, as well as his master's degree in social work. Benjamin's father evidently satisfied the second requirement because his application was approved by the Wythe County School Board as indicated in the September 18, 2003, correspondence. In addition, the file contains the SSA-1372, the Student's Statement Regarding School Attendance, in August 2003, which was signed by Rollie’s, Assistant Superintendent of Administration at Wythe County School Board, as well as a list of courses.
With regard to the third requirement, however, the correspondence from the Assistant Superintendent, Joseph, indicates that Benjamin was required to score a composite score at or above the fourth stanine on a battery of achievement tests that had been approved by the Virginia Board of Education, per the Code of Virginia §22.1-254.1. The correspondence further indicated that Benjamin's father would need to make his own arrangements for the testing. The Code of Virginia §22.1-254.1(C) provides that the scores must be submitted by August 1st of the following school year. Therefore, we recognize that Benjamin's father need not submit this evidence until August 1, 2004.
The evidence provided does not indicate that Benjamin has submitted the evidence of acceptable progress for the current school year. Instead, the file contains only SAT scores taken in the previous school year, May 2003, which indicated a verbal score of 490 and a math score of 450. The verbal scores were in the 41st percentile of college bound seniors statewide and the 43rd percentile nationally. The math scores were in the 30th percentile statewide and the 28th percentile nationally. Although the SSA-1372 certified by Superintendent Rollie’s reflects that Benjamin was educated at home the previous year, the file does not contain any evidence to indicate that these SAT scores were accepted, in lieu of the required Stanford Form 9 Standardized Achievement Test, as evidence of educational progress for the previous school year. Submission of any test other than the Stanford Form 9 is subject to the superintendent's judgment. Therefore, it is unclear whether Benjamin's father satisfied this state requirement for the current school year and whether the documentation submitted for the previous school year was accepted.
D. PR 03-105 Brandon, SSN: ~ Whether Brandon is Entitled to Student Benefits
This is in response to your February 12, 2003 request for an opinion as to whether Brandon, a home schooled student, is entitled to student benefits. The specific issues to be addressed are: (1) whether Brandon is in full-time attendance under federal law; (2) whether Virginia recognizes home schooling as a legitimate form of education; and (3) if so, whether Brandon's home schooling complies with Virginia law.
http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/1508005052
PR 08005.052 - Virginia - 01/14/2013
Batch run: 01/14/2013