If a school districts in South Carolina requests your home school provide them with documentation of association membership, do not and callus A.S.A.P.! State law does not require this, and homeschoolers who are members of such associations are not obligated to comply with such requests.

South Carolina Private School

Registration/Licensing/Accreditation: Attendance at a non-sectarian private school satisfies South Carolina's compulsory school attendance statute if the school has been approved by the State Board of Education or is a member school of the South Carolina Independent School Association or a similar organization. Attendance at parochial, denominational, and church-related schools also satisfies this requirement. S.C. Code Ann. § 59-65-10(A). The Attorney General has determined that the State Board of Education has authority to establish minimum standards for private school approval under the Compulsory School Attendance Act. 1967-68 Ops. Att'y Gen., No. 2585, p. 291.

Recordkeeping/Reports: Private schools must report annually to the local superintendent of education the following information: 1) the number of students receiving instruction; 2) the number of students in regular attendance; 3) the number of teachers employed; and 4) such other facts demonstrating the grade and amount of educational work actually done in the private school. A private school failing to file the information within two weeks after the close of the regular session is subject to a fine not more than $25. S.C. Code Ann. § 59-13-130.

Discrimination: South Carolina school districts place handicapped students in private schools provided the school accepts children into the program regardless of color, race, sex, or religion. S.C. Code Ann. § 59-33-50.

Special Education: Handicapped students may be placed in private schools that maintain approved special education facilities if the school district cannot provide an appropriate education. S.C. Code Ann. § 59-33-50.

All private school administrators must report the names of visually handicapped students to the Commission for the Blind. The Commission may provide itinerant teachers to assist private school teachers who are responsible for teaching visually handicapped children. S.C. Code Ann. § 43-25-60.

Health: The Department of Health and Environmental Control has the authority to inspect private school lunchrooms and sanitary facilities. 1982 Op. Atty. Gen., No. 82-10, p. 12.

Potential staff members of a private school must be evaluated for tuberculosis prior to hiring. Applicants must present a health certificate certifying that they do not have tuberculosis in an active stage as a prerequisite to employment. S.C. Code Ann. § 44-29-150, 160.

Safety: The distribution of a controlled substance within a radius of one-half mile of a private elementary, middle, or secondary school is a criminal offense and punishable by fine and/or imprisonment. S.C. Code Ann. § 44-53-445. S.C. Code Ann § 16-17-420 (Disturbing Schools); S.C. Code Ann. § 16-11-110 (Arson).

Transportation: School buses owned and operated by private schools or under contract for a private school must conform to state laws and regulations of the State Board of Education. Buses failing to comply with the laws and regulations must be painted a color other than yellow and are not entitled to the privileges and protection of a school bus operating on the highways. S.C. Code Ann. § 59-67-40.

SC Fallen Heroes 2001-2010

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Revised: August 19, 2010 .