A Homeschool Success Story! A Refusal, a Reversal – And a Reward

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By Bob Kellogg, OneNewsNow, May 17, 2018

 

An art school in New York not-so-artfully waited until close to the deadline to tell a Mississippi homeschooler that she wouldn’t be accepted – then the Home School Legal Defense Association got involved.

Erikka Leazer was more than qualified to enter the School for Visual Arts in New York with a high ACT score and her portfolio of art samples. But less than two weeks before the deadline for priority enrollment, the school informed her she was ineligible for admission unless she submitted a GED. Erikka’s mother then contacted HSLDA for guidance.

Dan Beasley, a staff attorney with HSLDA, tells OneNewsNow that school admissions personnel are often perplexed trying to align homeschool applicants with policies not designed to handle homeschool graduates.

Beasley

“So you have a student who’s educated by their parents, who has a diploma and a transcript – plus the diploma is signed by the parent,” he explains. “And the transcript is signed by the parent – as it should be – because the parent was the one providing the instruction. But some admission representatives don’t really know what to do with that.”

On the student’s behalf, the attorney – after reviewing SVA’s admissions policy – contacted the school and pointed out that homeschooling is legal in all 50 states, that the school’s policy was discriminatory, and that Erikka would not need a GED. Beasley says the school not only reversed its decision and admitted her, but also added a huge surprise.

“… Not only did they accept her into the school, they offered her a scholarship that is valued at, over four years, $50,000,” the attorney shares. “And so I think what this really highlights and underscores is that Erikka was well qualified to study at the School for Visual Arts.” And, says HSLDA, hopefully opens the door for future homeschool graduates to study the visual arts at SVA.

Beasley says Erikka is proficient at drawing and painting and hopes to become a professional artist upon graduation.

onenewsnow.com/education/2018/05/17/a-refusal-a-reversal-and-a-reward