Homeschooling in Tennessee
Families in Tennessee may join and benefit from Homelife Academy's record keeping, transcript, diploma, and counseling services. We are happy to serve you and your family.
Below is a summary of the Tennessee (TN) State laws regarding "homeschools" and "church-related schools." If you live in Tennessee and would like to register with HomeLife Academy please carefully read this summary. It is important that you know your legal rights. In TN it is not necessary for you to register K-12 grade students with the local school board if you are registered with a church-related school.
HomeLife Academy is a state recognized church-related school, listed as #296 with the TN Department of Education.
HomeLife Academy is a member in good standing with the Association of Christian Schools International and is operated by Families In Christ Ministries in Memphis, TN. We also have a Private School Membership with Home School Legal Defense Association. HSLDA may be reached at (540) 338-5600. Membership with HSLDA is encouraged but not required. For additional LEGAL HELP visit http://tnhomeed.com/LegalHelp.html.
Legal Information
There are FOUR OPTIONS to home educate your children according to TN state laws. HomeLifeAcademy operates under option three. The church-related laws of Tennessee read,
"The state board of education and local boards or education are prohibited from regulating the selection of faculty or textbooks or the establishment of curriculum in church-related schools" (T.C.A. 49-50-801). Therefore we choose you, the parents, to be faculty. Secondly, we allow you to customize an educational plan to meet the needs or your student(s) (subject to approval). And, third, instead of having our faculty come to our campus and teach someone else's children we let you stay home and teach your own. Therefore, legally speaking, you are not a "home schooler" under TN state laws but a private school teacher that stays home.
To further validate this position the court appointed Kaye Jeter to research the issue and report to the courts. The
Jeter Memorandum is the result of trouble homeschoolers in West Tennessee had with truancy officials disagreeing with local homeschoolers and a church-related school over just what was required of homeschoolers.
LINKS 2009 Legislation
Driver's License
Home Schooling in Tennessee
PLEASE LOOK FOR OUR BOOTH AT THE FOLLOWING CURRICULUM FAIRS IN 2010:
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MTHEA, Nashville, TN ~ May 14-15
MHEA, Memphis, TN ~ June 11-12
WTHEA, Jackson, TN ~ July TBA
CSTHEA, Chattanooga, TN ~ July 23-24
Associations
TnHomeEd TnHomeEd is a comprehensive and
independent clearinghouse and network of homeschooling ( home education)
information specifically for Tennesseans. If you're
just starting your homeschooling journey, just need the
non-lawyer version of
our laws or looking for
support groups, our
e-lists, umbrella or covers schools, (known as
church-related schools here, or other
resources, you're sure to find what you need here. We've got a great
Search feature and a good
FAQ. If you still have questions, feel free
to e-mail
for a prompt response. Thanks for visiting...
Kay Brooks,
Founder, TnHomeEd.com.
TENNESSEE HOME EDUCATION ASSOCIATION (THEA)
http://www.tnhea.org
THEA was formed for the purpose
of preserving & defending the rights of parents to direct the
education of their children & to provide a statewide network of
support, encouragement, & assistance to home schooling families.
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Christian Communicators of Tennessee
tugglefamily@integrity.com
http://www.cctennessee.net
Ebony Homeschoolers
Memphis, TN 38125
Contact: Dell
Email: ebonyhomeschoolers@memphishomeed.org
http://www.dellsplace.com
Ebony Homeschoolers is a
Christian homeschool support fellowship established to strengthen and
encourage the African-American homeschooling family.
Elijah Program, the
P.O. Box 148268, Nashville, TN 37124-8268
Phone: (615) 889-8292
http://www.serve.com/Blansett/Comply/COMPLY.HTML
http://www.serve.com/Blansett/Mentor/MENTOR.HTML
HEART
HEART is a volunteer organization
comprised of families who chose to home educate their children. The
families live in the Rutherford County area of Tennessee. Membership
comprises the largest home school support group in the county.
http://www.heart-hs.org/index.html
Henry County Home Educators Association (HCHEA)
Based in Paris, TN 38242
Contact: Gary Moyers
Email: info@hchea.com
http://www.hchea.com
Kingsport Area Christian Home Education Association (KACHEA)
Based in Kingsport, Tennessee
Email: sherreewilliams@hotmail.com
http://kachea.cjb.net
Lewis County Homeschool Group
Hohenwald, TN 38462
Phone: (931) 796 4891
http://www.lewiscountyhomeschool.com
Mideast Tenessee Home Education Association (MTHEA)
261 County Road #757, Riceville, TN 37370
Contact: Mike & Lisa Bell
Phone: (423) 336-5800
Email: lisa_bell7@hotmail.com
Memphis Home Education Association (MHEA)
P.O. Box 171134, Memphis, TN 38187-1134
Contact: Bill and Tonya Richard
Voice Mail: (901) 362-2620
Email: mhea@memphishomeed.org
http://www.memphishomeschool.org
Middle Tennessee Home Education Association (MTHEA)
P.O. Box 1382, Franklin, TN 37065-1382
Phone: (615) 794-3259
Email: mthea1@bellsouth.net
http://www.mthea.org
Northeast Tennessee Home Education Association
168 Forest Hills Rd, Rogersville, TN 37857
Contact: William & Robin Pack
Phone: (423) 272-4529
Email: packw@planetc.com
Network of Home Education (NHE) South West Tennessee Contact: Phyllis Broadus
Phone: 1-731-668-4816
Address: PO Box 11404
City/Zip: Jackson, Tn 38308
E-Mail: NHE@NetworkofHomeEducation.net
Web site: http://www.networkofhomeeducation.net
Our goal as an organization is to
provide a service for homeschoolers that will aid in communication,
education, edification and to promote a positive awareness of home
education in the community
Parents Each After Children's Education (PEACE)
Serving Hamblen, Grainger, & Jefferson
Email: imrescued@yahoo.com
http://groups.msn.com/ParentsEachAfterC ... lcome.msnw
Smoky Mountain Home Education Association (SMHEA)
925 View Harbor Road, Knoxville, TN 37922
Contact: Cory & Barbara Bennett
Phone: (865) 675-3073
Email: coryb@esper.com
http://www.smhea.org
Southeast Tennessee Home Education Association
7420 Short Tail Springs Rd, Harrison TN 37341
Contact: Gary & Carole Hargraves
Phone: (423) 266-4663 - The Homeschool Hotline
Email: carole@voy.net
http://www.csthea.org
Tennessee Homeschool Athletic Association (TNHSAA)
706 Rocky Ridge Circle, LaVergne, TN 37086
Contact: Patrick Fettig
Phone: (615) 793-0780
Email: tnhsaa@yahoo.com
Discussion: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tnhsaa/
Dedicated to providing an alternative to public and private school athletics.
Tipton Homeschoolers Encouraging Another by Reaching and Teaching (HEART)
P.O. Box 224 Tipton, TN 38071-0224
Contact: Christie Jarvis
Phone: (901) 837-9601
Email: tiptonhearts@direcway.com
http://www.tiptonhearts.org
A support group for homeschooling
families in the Tipton county area. We hold monthly moms meetings and
quarterly family events. We also have scheduled activities for the
children during the month.
West Tennessee Home Education Association
P.O. Box 10013, Jackson, TN 38308-0100
Contact: Brandon and Judith Belew
Phone: 731-723-3945
Email: wthea@quixnet.net
Toll Free: (888) 560-0774
