How state system works in th US?

[Primohastat]

I want to ask american users about something I simply cannot google. But first some really nasty context:

http://www.riversidesheriff.org/press/per18-0114.asp

Story is worse than this simple police report. Words "system" and "closest environment" are often repeated in this case as factors that failed to prevent this. Here is my question: if they moved from Texas to California - which are 2 different states obviously - the education system (or whatever you call it in US) follows registered children from school to school? Or moving to another state is like moving to a different country, records about students are no longer forwarded or visible in country wide register?

[Machismo]

They were home schooled, end of story.

[Ghostpanther]

I want to ask american users about something I simply cannot google. But first some really nasty context:

http://www.riversidesheriff.org/press/per18-0114.asp

Story is worse than this simple police report. Words "system" and "closest environment" are often repeated in this case as factors that failed to prevent this. Here is my question: if they moved from Texas to California - which are 2 different states obviously - the education system (or whatever you call it in US) follows registered children from school to school? Or moving to another state is like moving to a different country, records about students are no longer forwarded or visible in country wide register?

It can feel like it is a different country. The laws can vary a lot in some cases. This case could happen however in every state. Not sure of the educational records going from state to state, pre college years I mean. The United States of America, is a union of sovereign states. Each to some extent, is free to make laws they want, as long as they do not violate federal laws and the US Constitution. In theory. However, with the sanctuary city and cannabis laws lately, that is not always enforced as it should be.

[Low Hanging Fruit]

When I was a kid I actually moved from California to Texas so good example from me here. Although it was well over 30 years ago now. Yes, the federal government has certain "standards" for each grade/year and they are recognized nation wide. Now weather they actually meet those standards or just "report" they do is a different story. Also, yes, each state has its own classes and such. The most obvious example is state history. When I was in California it was obviously California's and in Texas it was obviously Texas (I think this was in like 3rd, 5th, and 7th grade but I cannot remember exactly). Also I didn't learn about creationism in California schools but did in Texas schools. So yeah, you certainly have difference. Some big ones. But it isn't like you just have to start over. State history is just "state history" and transfers clean over. I just didn't have the benefit of being board as shit though it in 7th grade because it was all new to me for the most part (minus the parts that made it to US history). The creationism stuff was just a couple questions on.. lol.. a biology test in what I think was 10th grade (2nd year high school).

[McFuu]

I want to ask american users about something I simply cannot google. But first some really nasty context:

http://www.riversidesheriff.org/press/per18-0114.asp

Story is worse than this simple police report. Words "system" and "closest environment" are often repeated in this case as factors that failed to prevent this. Here is my question: if they moved from Texas to California - which are 2 different states obviously - the education system (or whatever you call it in US) follows registered children from school to school? Or moving to another state is like moving to a different country, records about students are no longer forwarded or visible in country wide register?

The link goes to some nastyness about parents who kept their children locked up.

On to your question, schools keep records but those records generally don't "follow" a student unless they are specifically requested. Many schools will request at registration, but usually whatever the parents bring in is what gets filed, so usually just transcripts.

[Independent voter]

12 of the 50 states have common law marriages. What this means is if the community thinks you're married, you're married. This can wind up as a big surprise for some men.

I just point this out to show how different some states can be.

[cuafpr]

as someone that grew up on east coast then moved to cali, it was like a different country. As for schools yes they very greatly from state to state.

[Slybak]

On to your question, schools keep records but those records generally don't "follow" a student unless they are specifically requested. Many schools will request at registration, but usually whatever the parents bring in is what gets filed, so usually just transcripts.

True, and also true for many records of students migrating within a state. The important thing to know about education in the United States is that the overwhelming majority of this stuff is handled at the municipal level.

They were home schooled, end of story.

Irrelevant to (what I assume) is the intent of the OP's question, since California has compulsory school attendance laws that require parents to sign a private school affidavit if they intend to homeschool. This is pretty much true for all states that don't have specific homeschooling statutes; the students are treated as private school enrollees and are subject to the laws thereof. And ~80% of the states, even the ones that have specific homeschooling statutes, require notification be sent either to the district or to the state's Department of Education.

[Sunseeker]

Records are available, but transferring them can be difficult. It depends on the previous agency's willingness to pull their head out of their ass and the new agency to give two fucks.

But the kids were homeschooled.

[Machismo]

True, and also true for many records of students migrating within a state. The important thing to know about education in the United States is that the overwhelming majority of this stuff is handled at the municipal level.


Irrelevant to (what I assume) is the intent of the OP's question, since California has compulsory school attendance laws that require parents to sign a private school affidavit if they intend to homeschool. This is pretty much true for all states that don't have specific homeschooling statutes; the students are treated as private school enrollees and are subject to the laws thereof. And ~80% of the states, even the ones that have specific homeschooling statutes, require notification be sent either to the district or to the state's Department of Education.

And the parents formed their own "schools" and were allowed to tech their kids. It's not irrelevant at all. The father was deemed the "principal" of the school, and the mother was the teacher. They did the same in their last place of residence.

[Slybak]

And the parents formed their own "schools" and were allowed to tech their kids. It's not irrelevant at all. The father was deemed the "principal" of the school, and the mother was the teacher. They did the same in their last place of residence.

The matter for the OP, I'm assuming, is "Why didn't the education authorities know all these kids were in the house?"

The answer isn't "they didn't know because they were homeschooled," the answer is "they did know, and they knew because they were homeschooled." What makes the fact of homeschooling irrelevant is that the California DOE would have had a record of those kids existing no matter where they were.

The genuine relevance of homsechooling, and its problem, is that, as required under the law in every single state, public school teachers are classified as mandatory reporters with respect to child abuse and neglect as part of their certification. This means that a child suffering abuse at home has a higher chance of having that abuse be discovered and reported by a third party if they attend a school with state-licensed staff.

[Machismo]

The matter for the OP, I'm assuming, is "Why didn't the education authorities know all these kids were in the house?"

The answer isn't "they didn't know because they were homeschooled," the answer is "they did know, and they knew because they were homeschooled." What makes the fact of homeschooling irrelevant is that the California DOE would have had a record of those kids existing no matter where they were.

The answer is that it's really not the state's business, because the kids were homeschooled. We don't know for sure if the parents told the school exactly how many kids they had. They may have stated they had 13, or maybe they did not.

[Cronovey]

I want to ask american users about something I simply cannot google. But first some really nasty context:

http://www.riversidesheriff.org/press/per18-0114.asp

Story is worse than this simple police report. Words "system" and "closest environment" are often repeated in this case as factors that failed to prevent this. Here is my question: if they moved from Texas to California - which are 2 different states obviously - the education system (or whatever you call it in US) follows registered children from school to school? Or moving to another state is like moving to a different country, records about students are no longer forwarded or visible in country wide register?

Generally student records can be transferred in between states but it does little for the student other than to identify what grade number they were currently in. Different states have different requirements for graduation as well as completely different standardized testing because the states are allowed to set the rules for their educational standards there.

This story in particular was an interesting one because I already knew about it beforehand since it's fairly close to where I live. From what I've come to understand from friends that lived fairly close, most of their neighbors and such didn't even know that they had children at all because they were contained within the house for so long under terrifying conditions. If the people living just a little bit down the road or around the corner didn't even know that they had children, I'd imagine that most of them were never registered for school at all in the state so the Department of Education probably has no paperwork for the children on record at all.

[Slybak]

The answer is that it's really not the state's business, because the kids were homeschooled.

Except the people of California, through their elected representatives, have made it the state's business. CA is one of the many states that require yearly state notification from parents as to why they are not complying with the state's compulsory education laws by sending their kids to public school. This applies to parents who send their kids to private schools (accredited or not) or homeschool them.

[Sunseeker]

The answer is that it's really not the state's business, because the kids were homeschooled. We don't know for sure if the parents told the school exactly how many kids they had. They may have stated they had 13, or maybe they did not.

Suggesting that it's not the state's business when 13 children were chained to their beds and abused for over 20 years is probably a bad arguing strategy here.

[Rexosaurus]

Yeah stuff like that usually falls through the cracks in my experience. Agencies have a hard enough time communicating with each other within their own state. Cross-state stuff can be an absolute nightmare. People REALLY suck at communicating.

[Machismo]

Except the people of California, through their elected representatives, have made it the state's business. CA is one of the many states that require yearly state notification from parents as to why they are not complying with the state's compulsory education laws by sending their kids to public school. This applies to parents who send their kids to private schools (accredited or not) or homeschool them.

Parents are allowed to homeschool children.

- - - Updated - - -

Suggesting that it's not the state's business when 13 children were chained to their beds and abused for over 20 years is probably a bad arguing strategy here.

You are arguing against something that I did not say.

I'm saying that plenty of people homeschool their children.

[Slybak]

Parents are allowed to homeschool children.

Why do you think this is a contested point?

[Machismo]

Why do you think this is a contested point?

I don't. People are pissed that the state somehow did not know that these kids were abused, when it is patently unfair to blame them.