SR 13-33 Dated 07/13

 

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

INTER-DEPARTMENT COMMUNICATION

 

FROM OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR, DFA:

Terry R. Smith

DFA SIGNATURE DATE:

July 9, 2013

AT (OFFICE):

Division of Family Assistance

TO:

District Office Supervisors

NHEP Teams

 

SUBJECT:

Clarifications to Current Policy for Home Education Programs as Acceptable Substitutions for Secondary Educational Programs in the New Hampshire Employment Program (NHEP)

EFFECTIVE DATE:

July 29, 2013

 

 

SUMMARY

 

This SR releases changes to the Family Assistance Manual (FAM) that clarify and augment the current basic education policy regarding home education programs in FAM 808.39, NHEP Activities: Basic Education. The existing home education policy remains valid, but the clarifications released in this SR provide additional details regarding home education programs as acceptable substitutions for secondary educational programs with regard to the New Hampshire Employment Program’s (NHEP) work participation requirements.

 

FORMER POLICY

NEW POLICY

None

Pursuant to RSA 193-A:4, home education instruction must be provided by parents for their own children, unless the Department of Education (DOE) or resident District Superintendent agrees to another education provider.

Home education programs are an acceptable substitution for secondary educational programs for a participant age 16 and older, when any of the following documentation verifying participation and progress in the program is provided:

• curriculum, or lesson plans;

• tests, grades, or progress reports;

• proof of payment for the approved home education curriculum or course of study; or

• any documentation that reasonably establishes the participant’s on-going participation and progress in the home education program.

Home education programs are acceptable substitutions for secondary educational programs for minor caseheads under age 20, and dependent children age 16 to 19, when any of the following documentation verifying participation and progress in the program is provided at least once per month:

• curriculum, project logs, or lesson plans;

• projects, worksheets, or workbooks;

• corrected quizzes or tests, grades, or progress reports;

• Form NHEP275, NHEP Distance Learning Log;

• proof of payment for the approved home education curriculum or course of study; or

• any documentation that reasonably establishes the participant’s on-going participation and progress in the home education program.

Parental participation in an approved home education program does not meet the parent’s NHEP work participation requirements and is not an allowable NHEP work activity.

Home education instruction provided by a parent to their child in an approved program does not meet the parent’s NHEP work participation requirements and is not an allowable NHEP work activity. However, home education instruction received by a teenaged parent in an approved program does meet the NHEP work participation requirements and is an allowable NHEP work activity.

 

POLICY

 

The current policy for home education in Section 808.39 of the Family Assistance Manual (FAM), NHEP Activities: Basic Education, remains valid. However, the following changes were made to the text to clarify and expand the existing policy, with specific regard to being acceptable substitutions for secondary educational programs in the New Hampshire Employment Program (NHEP).

 

·   A new 1st paragraph was added to stipulate that home education instruction must be provided by parents to their own children, unless an alternative education provider has been approved by the Department of Education or the resident District Office Superintendent. This aligns with state law RSA 193-A:4;

·   In the second paragraph, the following changes were made to clarify the ages of individuals to whom home education instruction in approved programs are an acceptable substitution for secondary educational programs:

-   caseheads under age 20; and

-   dependent children age 16-19;

·   The following additional types of documentation that verify participation in a home education program were listed in the bulleted section of acceptable proofs:

-   project logs;

-   projects, worksheets, or workbooks;

-   corrected quizzes; and

-   Form NHEP275, NHEP Distance Learning Log;

·   The requirement of providing the above proofs at least once per month was also added; and

·   The last paragraph was revised to differentiate the fact that although home education instruction provided by a parent does not meet the parent’s NHEP’s work participation requirements and the instruction is not an allowable NHEP work activity, home education instruction received by a teenaged parent in an approved program does meet the NHEP work participation requirements and is an allowable NHEP work activity.

 

Additionally, in the 1st paragraph of FAM 207.07, Dependent Children Who Are Students, a link to FAM 808.39, NHEP Activities: Basic Education, was added after the 3rd sentence to provide a reference to the home education policy.

 

POLICY MANUAL REVISIONS

 

Revised Family Assistance Manual Topics

Section 207.07  Dependent Children Who Are Students

Section 808.39   NHEP Activities: Basic Education

 

IMPLEMENTATION

 

The policy released in this SR is effective upon release.

 

CLIENT NOTIFICATION

 

No special client notification is planned.

 

DISPOSITION

 

This SR may be destroyed or deleted after its contents have been noted and the revised manual topics released by this SR have been posted to the On-line manuals.

 

DISTRIBUTION

 

This SR will be distributed according to the electronic distribution list for Division of Family Assistance policy releases. This SR, and revised On-Line Manuals, will be available for agency staff in the On-Line Manual Library, and for public access on the Internet at www.dhhs.nh.gov/DFA/publications.htm, effective July 29, 2013. Additionally, this SR, and printed pages with posting instructions, will be distributed under separate cover to all internal hard copy holders of the Family Assistance and Supervisory Release Manuals.

 

DFA/KD:s