The Home Education Advisory Council (HEAC) is intended to support and advise the NH Department of Education regarding their work with the home education community and be a bridge to education agencies in the public-school arena. It is the only public board that represents the home-education community at the state level.
Members typically meet every-other month of the traditional school year to discuss relevant issues and happenings that impact the independent, unfunded, RSA 193-A home ed community.
Below are highlights from their last few meetings. Videos are not part of the official public record; GSHE publishes them on our YouTube channel to benefit the home ed community. They are unedited, published without alternations or modifications of any kind.
The council will start the 2024-25 session on September 20. Several new members are appointed; see the updated list for their contact information. The public is welcome to attend in person at the DOE’s Concord office or via Zoom. Details are available at the bottom of this article.
Summary of September 2023 meeting
Summary of December 2023 meeting
January 19, 2024 meeting
Highlights:
- It was unclear to HEAC members that the Free application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) application was a requirement only of public-school students. That law was altered by the legislature this session (HB 1066) to require districts and all public schools to make FAFSA information available.
- The DOE continues to work on Ed rule 704.02 regarding the HiSET exam. The discriminatory rule was initially brought forward by GSHE in spring 2022. The Commissioner said that the DOE can provide approval while the ed rule is under review.
- Sen Ruth Ward and Commissioner Edelblut mention growing antagonism about home education among legislators.
- There was considerable discussion about several bills; GSHE covered many of them throughout the legislative session.
- The DOE representative raised concerns about the count of home education students in the state. The department collects only new notifications, not totals, from SAUs and private schools (Participating Agencies), unlike the counts provided for public school students. This data is reported as of October 1 each year. The enrollment reports are posted here on the DOE website.
March 15, 2024
Highlights:
- A guest gave a presentation to the council about providing access to mental health assistance to students who are not in the public-school system. This person submitted a job proposal to the DOE to act as a “Home School Counselor.”
- There is lingering confusion and concerns about Prenda enrollment satisfying RSA 193A- (independent home ed) status even though they have different requirements and privileges. This has been an ongoing issue since Prenda began in NH in spring 2021. The federal grant that made Prenda free to NH families expires as of 9/30/2024.
- Many council members are unfamiliar with NH’s youth labor laws and how they apply to home-educated students. There was a well-intended bill, HB 1519, regarding youth employment, where there was considerable misinformation presented at the public hearing. GSHE provided critical information to the House Labor Committee and the Department of Education to make sure the committee members had correct information to consider the bill, which was ultimately defeated.
- The DOE representative mentioned that some home-ed graduates have asked the department for completion certificates when their self-certified documentation is not accepted. Currently, self-certification is enumerated in Ed 315.15 for home ed graduates; reporting to the department is only required if the student is not yet 18 years old. This may initiate a bill in the 2025 session. GSHE cautions the community about over-complying with state laws as it can set a bad precedent. It is also noteworthy that many states, including Connecticut, Illinois, Michigan, Massachusetts, Texas, Rhode Island, and Utah have little to no home ed regulation and no completion/graduation language. Also, NH’s Education Freedom Accounts program does not have a completion notification requirement in statute or rules. Be aware that “what government defines, government controls.”
May 17, 2024
Highlights:
- Some members of the council continue to confuse 193-A home education with 194-F EFA, despite that the EFA is completing its third year of operation in the state. They hear from EFA participants that they are unaware they must terminate their home ed program (in RSA 193-A:5 and RSA 194-F:2, IX). The council, again, asks the department to clarify the differences between these two educational pathways.
- Rule making for Ed 704.02 re the HiSET exam permission is still ongoing.
2023-24 Annual Report filed with the state Board of Education
Next Meetings
HEAC meets at the NH Department of Education’s office at 25 Hall Street in Concord. They meet on the third Friday of alternating months starting at 2:30pm, unless announced otherwise. The public may attend in-person or via Zoom. Zoom meeting information is available here. The scheduled 2024-25 meeting dates are as follows.
Friday, September 2024
Friday, November 15, 2024
Links to meeting minutes and members’ contact information are available on the NH DOE’s HEAC page.
