About PPEA

What do I have to do to register my child as a homeschooler in Pinellas County?

Within 30 days of beginning your home education program a letter of intent to homeschool needs to be sent to the superintendent. To avoid truancy allegations, we would recommend doing this immediately, especially if you are withdrawing your child from a public or private school. The letter of intent needs to state that you plan to establish a home education system compliant with Florida Statutes 1002.41. It needs to state the names and dates of birth of the child(ren) you wish to homeschool. It also needs to state your address, and include the parent's signature. In Pinellas County, the address to send this letter of intent to is:

Pinellas County Schools
Attention: Home Education
P.O. Box 2942
Largo, Florida 33779-2942

We encourage you to send your notice return-receipt requested to prove that it reached its destination. For the sake of your convenience, you may call Dot Clark, Coordinator of Partnership Schools and Child Care Programs at (727)588-2909 and request a homeschool packet that includes a letter of intent form. Any informaion asked of you beyond name, date of birth and address, goes above and beyond the scope of the law and does not have to be answered.

 

What are my responsibilities as a homeschooler in Florida?

Your six responsibilities as a home educator, as outlined in the Guide to Homeschooling in Florida, are as follows:

  1. You must submit a letter of intent to your school district
  2. Maintian a portfolio
  3. Make your portfolio available for inspection by the school district superintendent upon a 15-day written notice
  4. Submit an annual evaluation for each of your children whom you homeschool
  5. Keep your child's portfolio for two years
  6. Be sure to send a letter of termination of your homeschool if your homeschool has been completed, you move from the county, or you enroll your child in a public or private school.

For more information, please see The Guide to Homeschooling in Florida, available at http://fpea.com/Guide/index/css/fpea_1.html

 

How do I submit something for the newsletter?

All materials must be received via e-mail by the 5th of the month prior to publication. (i.e. September contributions must be in by August 5th) Always include your phone number in case there are any questions.

Please send items in paragraph form, left justified (not centered) in black ink. Be sure not to send items with your e-mail theme or background. All articles submissions must have "Perspective" in the subject line. Otherwise they may be inadvertently deleted.

Do not send items in as attatchments. Please do not send items in "all caps" or forwards with >'s but send items "copy ready".

Members may submit student birthdates, achievements and field trip information for consideration for inclusion in the Perspective. Organizations offering classes and/or field trip opportunities to homeschoolers may submit a brief article outlining their opportunity and contact information. Your items will be considered based on their alignment with the PPEA mission statement and as space allows.

The address to send your submissions to is:

newsletter@ppea-homeschool.com

 

Where are you located?

We offer numerous opportunities each and every month for fellowship and support in your homeschooling. We offer two meetings in mid and south county. We are often asked where we are located. Well, our board members represent every part of this county, our meetings and events are spread throughout the county as well. So while we may have a P.O. Box in St. Petersburg, we are active in all parts of Pinellas County.