Are you considering homeschooling for the first time in Mississippi this fall?

You’re certainly not alone. Fortunately, getting started is easy. 

How do I begin?

Mississippi provides parents with the right to educate their children at home in a manner that they choose. 

To be removed from the state’s compulsory education law to homeschool, you must fill out a certificate of enrollment form for each child and return it to your local school attendance officer. The Mississippi Department of Education provides a list of each officer. Use it to find your local officer. Traditionally, they would provide the enrollment form, but MDE also has a form on their website. 

On the form, a parent or guardian must enter basic contact information. Per state law, you must also provide a description of the education program for homeschooling. This doesn’t have to be complicated. You can just say “age appropriate instruction” or something similar. 

Compulsory age for education in Mississippi begins at six, so there is no need to fill out this form for a traditional kindergarten age child.  

If your child is currently enrolled at a public school, you will need to contact their current school to notify them you will be homeschooling. 

Are there other requirements?

No. Among the most common questions or requirements in other states, in Mississippi:

• There are no teacher qualifications
• There are no curriculum mandates
• There is not a required number of school days or hours
• There is no bookkeeping or portfolio requirement

School districts cannot require additional information

In the past few years, we have seen stories of school districts overstepping their authority in an attempt to control homeschoolers.

• The Greenville Public School District Deputy Superintendent Glenn Dedeaux said the district is “legally responsible to ensure every child of educating age receives an adequate education” and he warned that not all homeschool curricula “are approved by the Mississippi Department of Education to meet the necessary standards.” Dedeaux also implied that homeschoolers must take subject matter tests to graduate. Not true. 
• There is also the story of a Mississippi mom who was arrested on truancy charges. Her child had previously been enrolled in public school, but she chose to homeschool him because of health reasons. She decided to begin homeschooling the following year but was arrested before the September 15 deadline to file her notice to homeschool. 
• The Natchez-Adams School District tried to demand homeschoolers provide receipts for curriculum purchases.

Even MDE has recommendation on their website, such as reviewing state curriculum to have “clear expectations of what a student should know and be able to do at each grade level” along with a suggestion to maintain a portfolio for each child. However beneficial that might be to you, these are “recommendations.” The state has no authority to require anything along those lines. 

If you feel your rights have been violated, contact Home School Legal Defense Association.

What groups are available for support?

When it comes to homeschooling, you don’t need to do it on your own! Many local co-ops and support groups exist to aid students and families who homeschool. Small groups of families can also come together to create their own microschools or cottage schools.

That’s a start. But the quickest path for information will likely be Facebook. A quick search of homeschool groups in Mississippi with yield an expansive list of informal groups where veterans and newbies come together to share information, curriculum, and other tips to make your homeschool a success.  

Classical Conversations is one of the largest nationwide networks of homeschool classes. They are offered in 40 communities throughout Mississippi. 

There are also private schools that offer a non-traditional path where classroom learning and homeschooling is blended. In these settings, children attend school a couple days a week, while families educate at home on the other days. This includes St. Augustine School in Ridgeland and Jackson Classical in the Reservoir area. 

Are free resources available?

Yes! 

Here is a great website that offers free resources in a variety of subjects, including math, science, Bible, technology, health, language arts, history and social studies, foreign languages, art, music, and a variety of electives. 

Do you want to share your story?

At MCPP, we believe your ability to raise your child as you see fit is a fundamental right that cannot be restricted by government. We have been sharing stories of new homeschoolers who have made the decision to leave public or private school this year. 

Is that you? We’d love to share your story. Just fill out this form and we’ll follow up with you! 

“I want my children to be well educated students, but more importantly to keep their lives as stable as possible without having to be consumed with everything ‘socially distant related.’ I truly believe that homeschooling will keep my children's mental health safest. 

“We made the decision to homeschool because I am opposed to children being in a ‘masked’ environment, along with the uncertainty of random school closings paired with disrupted virtual and in-person schooling.

“I’ve had fleeting thoughts of homeschooling in the past, but only during middle school years, not during this time of elementary studies. 

“Fortunately, I am a work from home mom, and I believe the monies that would've been spent for school supplies/clothing/random fundraisers etc. throughout the year should hopefully balance itself out."

Julia Overfield
Pass Christian, Mississippi

“We never considered homeschooling because I believed we received a quality educational experience up until this point in our district. But I don't believe our public school district's new policies during this pandemic will yield any meaningful academic advancement for its students in the foreseeable future. 

“The adjusted school, bus, class, and bell times, strict mask and social distancing mandates, daily wellness screenings, polycarbonate barriers, simultaneous virtual and traditional teaching, and cancelation and major changes to many courses, sports and clubs will be a huge distraction to the teachers, staff, and students. 

“The state's Department of Education is prioritizing military-style policy enforcement based on haphazard political opinions instead of a quality educational experience for our youth. Teachers and staff will be preoccupied with reporting sneezes and coughs and jumping through COVID hoops handed down by the state and district leaders instead of academic progress. 

“Not to mention, the first time a child tests positive, entire classrooms and/or teachers will be forced to quarantine for long periods of time. I would be surprised if any class can complete a single lesson before the first quarantine. The school experience this year is sure to be a miserable one.

“I can’t afford to leave the workforce, but I may have to adjust my work hours and offset lost wages and the cost of homeschooling and tutors by canceling some services and cutting back on discretionary spending.

“I hope to meet or exceed our academic goals this year in a relaxed setting that allows us to maintain focus on studies and retain some freedoms of youth by avoiding the hyper-vigilant ‘virus policing’ theme of the public school systems this year.

“We may only homeschool temporarily. Time will tell.”

Jamie Mitchell
Olive Branch, Mississippi

“We decided to homeschool this year because my children and myself have asthma, and my mother is immune suppressed. We do not want to bring COVID into our home. 

“I considered homeschooling in the past when the school denied me help with my son. That’s one of my concerns. That I will not have the resources to teach my child with learning disabilities.

“To make this change, we are having to cut back on things we enjoy on the weekends to pay for homeschooling. But in the end, I just want my children to be safe and healthy and to learn at the appropriate grade level.” 

Kayla Manning
Moss Point, Mississippi

"I never considered homeschooling previously, but decided to this year because I do not wish to send my children to school if they are required to wear a face covering for seven hours plus a day.

"It is simply too hot in south Mississippi. The school buses are not air conditioned. When a child is constantly thinking about when, if, how they are required to wear a face covering, they are not focused on their schoolwork.

"It’s too much of a distraction, even if I did believe that masks really would make a difference. My boys are highly intelligent and I’m confident that they will have no problem passing the placement test next school year and transitioning back to public school. My main concern is that I won’t be able to help them if they struggle with a particular area of instruction.

"But thankfully I’ve been blessed to have a job that allows me to work remotely, making it easier to homeschool.

"In doing this, I'm looking forward to having the chance to bond with my boys in a way that I’ve never been able to before. I want to take control of the things they learn and I want to have as much hands-on learning and take as many field trips as possible.

"This is a special chance for them to learn exactly the way they want to learn."

Kaleigh Vicknair
Long Beach, Mississippi

The order mandating masks in public places has been extended for two more weeks and expanded to an additional 10 counties.

Gov. Tate Reeves signed the updated executive order yesterday. The face mask requirement is now in place in the following counties: Bolivar, Claiborne, Covington, Desoto, Forrest, Grenada, Harrison, Hinds, Humphreys, Jackson, Jefferson, Madison, Panola, Quitman, Rankin, Sharkey, Simpson, Sunflower, Tallahatchie, Tate, Walthall, Washington, and Wayne counties. 

Under the order, all retail businesses are required to mandate that all employees and customers wear a mask. For people in public, everyone must wear a mask when in a public setting. Additionally, groups are now limited to no more than 10 indoors and no more than 20 outdoors. 

Those who violate the order could face a fine of up to $500 and/ or six months in jail. State, county, and local law enforce, as well as government entities, may enforce the order. 

The new order expires on August 3 unless it is extended prior to that time.

New legislation will expand Mississippi’s sales cap for cottage operators to $35,000. Previously, cottage food operators were capped at $20,000.

That was the third lowest in the country. Mississippi is now above the national average – for state’s that have a cap. Twenty-seven states have no limitation on what cottage food operators can earn. Which makes sense because all this cap does is restrict an entrepreneur’s ability to earn an income, which then contributes to the tax base. 

Several years ago, Mississippi brought home bakers into the light with the passage of the state’s cottage food law. This allows individuals to sell certain allowable products that they make at home. They can sell the products in various settings, such as farmers’ markets, without a government inspection or a professional kitchen. And there is no license required or government fees to pay to begin. 

Opponents of cottage food operators, largely the established restaurant or bakery industries, will point to the fact that these operators aren’t regulated by the state. But there has not been evidence to suggest that the lack of comprehensive regulations pose a threat to public health as some indicate. Consumers know what they are purchasing, where they are purchasing it from, and that it does not come from a government-inspected kitchen. They willingly accept the so-called risk. 

Today’s technology makes it easy to find high-quality food, read reviews from happy (or unhappy) customers, and make knowledgeable decisions. Online reviews and apps are doing the job of a government inspector.

In reality, the current limitations just serve to limit competition for established businesses. By eliminating restrictions in Mississippi, we can give consumers new options, grow the economy, and encourage entrepreneurship. 

As we outlined in High Road to Freedom, providing more freedom to cottage food operators, particularly in the new economy, is a good thing. This is a step in the right direction for a path to food freedom in Mississippi.

The government mandated shutdowns that decimated the economy in the spring may return if the number of coronavirus cases does not decrease in Mississippi warned Gov. Tate Reeves. 

During his daily press conference, Reeves pleaded with Mississippians to wear face masks, saying this is our best option.

“We’ve looked at every available tool and I promise you this this is the best weapon that we have,” Reeves said. “It’s not fun, but it’s a hell of a lot better than widespread shutdowns and if we don’t do something, that’s where we're headed.”

At the end of March, Reeves issued a shelter in place order that closed non-essential businesses in the state. To many this was an unfair move that left most big box retailers open, while shutting the doors at most small businesses. Over the next two months, Reeves slowly allowed the economy to reopen, and by June 1 the entire state was reopened.

This was a similar path to many other states, who like Mississippi have since seen a similar spike in cases and have had to pause reopenings. 

Yesterday, a new order from Reeves went into effect, requiring face masks when you are in public. The order impacts the following counties: Hinds, Desoto, Madison, Harrison, Rankin, Jackson, Washington, Sunflower, Grenada, Claiborne, Jefferson, Wayne, Quitman. 

Violators of the order face fines of up to $500 and up to six months in jail. 

Also, in those counties no more than 10 people can gather indoors, and no more than 20 people can gather outdoors. 

A new executive order requires face masks in retail establishments and in all public settings.

The order goes into effect July 13, and lasts at least one week. The order impacts residents and businesses of Hinds, Desoto, Madison, Harrison, Rankin, Jackson, Washington, Sunflower, Grenada, Claiborne, Jefferson, Wayne, and Quitman counties.

Tell us what you think.