The Home School Legal Defense website has information on each state regarding charges made against homeschooling parents. It is a very good idea to read these cases, although it is very frightening and it may make you a bit scared to proceed with the homeschooling process. Being informed and following your state laws are the best way to protect you and your family.

Guidelines for keeping a Daily Log

Here are some suggestions for the practice of Keeping a Daily Log:

Keep a separate log for each child aged 7 through 16. You may want to keep a copy of the relevant state laws in the front of the folder you keep each log in to demonstrate your intention to comply with the law. Mark down the number of hours spent on each subject daily. Keep your records up-to-date!

Begin each log with the beginning date of your school year and end with the last day of your school year. Some states consider the beginning July 1st and end June 30th, but it is according to how the school year is defined by law.

The Missouri Court of Appeals' interpretation of "school term" for home school families stands:

Although "school term" is statutorily defined, the definition is not applicable in the home school context. … We hold that, in the context of a homeschool, a "school term" is a period not greater than twelve months during which instruction is regularly given to students. "In the homeschool setting," held the Court of Appeals, "there is no logical reason to hold that the school term is restricted to a single [public] school year." Home schooling parents in Missouri, therefore, are free to set their own school "term." It may be twelve months or less, but no longer. Parents must offer 1000 hours of instruction within the school term they set.

Again, check with your own state laws for record keeping requirements. You can find your state laws by clicking "here"

Record the information daily so as to avoid the possibility of losing track of what has been done (or else keep a detailed daily diary and then transfer the hours to your log daily or once a week).

Create your own code or label for topics outside the core subjects (such as art, music, physical education, religion, etc.). One class session on a topic is equivalent to an "hour of instruction." The actual time to complete the same lesson may vary from student to student, but don't abuse the flexibility of the law at this point. Remember, the goal is to give our children an excellent education.

Create columns to total hours in each subject by day, month, and school year. In Missouri, for each school year, you must have a total of 1000 hours of instruction - 600 hours under core academic subjects of reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies, science, or other courses directly related to these subjects (400 hours of which must be at the regular home school location), and the remaining 400 hours in elective subjects.