Rosewood Academy does not require:

• you to sign a statement of faith
• you to join HSLDA membership (but we encourage this)
• attend monthly meetings 
• you to provide a certain curriculum for our approval 
• you to be immunized or physicals
• Pre-determined hours of study (suggested 3 to 4 hours daily)
• Pre-determined days or times of study (suggested all year / as suited)

Rosewood Academy does require:

• All homeschooling families to complete 140 days of attendance annually.

• Please contact Rosewood Academy to inform us you are intending to return your student(s) to public school upon registration.

• All homeschooling families to turn in the CSEF to your local Board of Education and the RFR (if needed) to the school the student(s) are leaving.

• All homeschooling families to notify us immediately of any change of address and contact information, which includes email and phone numbers.  

• Notification if you are unable to complete 140 days of attendance annually.

• Notification of un-enrollment/withdrawal within 3 days.
• All homeschool families are responsible to obtain all books, curriculums or online course works that are necessary for each grade level as they determine suitable.

• All homeschool families to maintain thorough records of: end of the year grades, test scores, days educated, course of study, books read, extracurricular activates, interests, hobbies, volunteer work and any honors or awards.  Also that you keep portions of essays written, book reports, completed assignments.

• All homeschooling families to turn in, upon completion of all completed High School courses, a graduation transcript.
• All homeschooling families to turn in a new CSEF if you have moved to a new school district in order to notity the BOE.

Rosewood Academy Ministry:

• A ministry to your family based education for homeschooling in Alabama
• Administrative support
• Help with transcripts of graduating seniors
• Help with the types of diplomas
• Information and resources on this website to help with the home education process

"Nurture your mind with great thoughts, for you will never go
any higher than you think."
-Benjamin Disraeli

Rosewood Academy & High School

Providing a church school cover for families homeschooling in Alabama

updated 06/2023

Rosewood Academy is a ministry of Life Connected Ministries: A Church of the living God.   Alabama, Alabama traveling residents, and overseas.

Eligibility:  You must have guardianship of a child to enroll them.  You can not add children to your enrollment whom you do not have guardianship.  

Rosewood Academy requires a minimum of 140 days.  Enrollment is a gift of $85.00 per family for all new enrollee's and a gift of $85.00 each year after that for re-enrollment.  Our School year is from August 1st to August 1st. late Re-enrollment is a gift of $95.00  You can choose your own curriculum.  Rosewood Academy does not provide curriculum.  We require you to have four references from people you know who are or have been in frequent contact with your family during the last year up to the date of your enrollment.   These references can be friends, neighbors and if you can, at least one family member.  Please notify us if you are unable to gather references.  We require notification of any changes in your contact information - phone number, email address and home address throughout your enrollment with Rosewood Academy.  It is required that you have a viable email account (at the very least through a library) that you check regularly.  Rosewood Academy does not provide any on-site campus classes.                                                               

 
Rosewood Academy is a ministry of Life Connected Ministries a church school covering statewide that allows families to learn in a natural and flexible manner, regardless of race, economic standing, teaching methods, or religious beliefs. 

We list information on parent-administered tests and high school SAT/ACT/PSAT. You may request a student I.D. &/or a Teacher I.D. (fees apply by way of 3rd party) 

If you do not have internet access, we suggest using a G-mail web address at the library.  Our web-site gives access to support on teaching methods including but not limited to eclectic, traditional, and unschooling.   

We have standing agreements with many colleges for dual enrollment, please ask if you are not sure if your college is with our cover. 

Our web-site carries resources to aid families in their home education journey.  We believe it is the parents responsibility for their children's academic, emotional, and spiritual growth - to provide quality social and educational activities, field trips, co-ops, and gatherings that are avalible throughout the homeschooling community via web-sites and social media groups.  Which your donations support.

We administer three levels of diploma, official transcript for graduating seniors, official diploma for graduating seniors, and a Graduation Ceremony with Everest Academy (if they are having one the year your student is graduating).

 
On Attendance - State law requires that the principal teacher (you) keep up with attendance and report to Rosewood Academy every unexcused absence of each enrolled child from school for a half day or more during each school day of the year.  Alabama State Law does not say how many days or how many hours per day you should school.  Because Rosewood Academy requires a minimum of 140 days of learning out of 365 possible days, there should not be any unexcused absences.  If you are approaching the August 1st deadline and see you will have a problem meeting the minimum 140 days, please contact us so we can come up with a plan of action.  You do not have to send in an attendance record unless you are unable to meet the 140 day requirement.  If you are coming from another school mid year, you would count the days already attended towards your yearly attendance to Rosewood Acadmey for the school year as part of the total min 140 days.  Rosewood Academy reserves the right to request the Attendance Record at any time, so please keep it up to date.  

Grading - No yearly reporting.  You only turn in grades when you are requesting a transcript to be generated - which is generally when withdrawing from Rosewood Academy, applying for college/scholarships or graduating.  We require that you keep records for your student's academic standing and progress as a resource for college application or in the case your child wants to return to the public school setting.  How you keep up with grades is a personal choice. Rosewood Academy generates official transcripts as needed from the forms you fill out from your records.

 
Rosewood Academy requires all new enrollment and those who are already enrolled to reveal  any legal issues concerning the following but not limited to, custody issues, DHR involvement, truancy issues, criminal issues.  We require this not in the spirit of judgment.  Nor do we want to cause pain to the sensitive nature of your struggles but rather out of respect to our enrollment determination process.  Failure to do so will result in dismissal on a case by case basis.  

School records sent to Rosewood Academy from your last attended school are the property of the parent/guardian of the child and will be forwarded to the parents immediately upon receipt.  Please file these in a safe place for future reference. 

Student I.D. & Teacher I.D. These can be used for different discounts in a variety of stores and venues.  If you would like a student/teacher I.D., please fill out the request form online.

Graduation Ceremony is not every year due to curcumstances beyond our control.  Typically it includes a framed-diploma and a copy of the final transcript.  Which you pre-purchase 3rd party.  Colleges are now actively recruiting homeschoolers. They will need to fulfill credit requirements and take the ACT or SAT test just like any other graduating high schooler.  Until such methods are changed.

Military -   Military bound homeschoolers are now recruited at Tier 1 just like any other high schooler.  Homeschool graduates are free to enlist in the military on the same terms as any other high school graduate.  For more information, please look here:  

Rosewood Acadmey is not accredited.   The act of accrediting or the state of being accredited, especially the granting of approval to an institution of learning by an official review board after the school has met specific requirements. These requirements include but are not limited to class size, subjects taught by certain experts, number of fire exits, and a lot of things home educators do not encounter since we are not in a classroom setting.

Code of Alabama 1975, §16-28-24 states that Church schools are exempt from regulations or state laws governing public and private schools.  The Attorney General Opinion on Regulating Homeschooling:  There is no statutory authority authorizing or requiring any state or local authority to regulate church schools, which may conduct classes in any manner they see fit. There is no requirement that church school teachers be certified or that a church school be accredited by the state or any private agency. No state or governmental agency has the authority to regulate a church school.  You are welcome to use an online school option as your curriculum.

 
Please note that most homeschool programs are not accredited.  If accreditation is very important to you, then you can opt to use an accredited curriculum of your choice.  

College - State Bill-38 - An Alabama state-ran college cannot decline a homeschooling student simply because they homeschooled if they meet all other requirements* set forth by the college.  To date we have not had any problems with students being accepted into colleges and earning scholarships.  College Anti-discrimination Provisions: “Any provision of law to the contrary notwithstanding, no public two-year or four-year institution of higher education in the state may deny admission to or otherwise discriminate against an otherwise qualified student based on the consideration, whether in whole or in part, that the student attended, graduated from, or is enrolled in a nonpublic school, including private, church, parochial, and religious schools, or was home schooled.” Ala. Code § 16-1-11.4.  *You will want to check with the college of your choice to find out their specific requirements. 

((Q&A's))

When should I withdraw my child from his/her current school?  As soon as you fill out the paperwork and submit it.   Paperwork will not normally be processed Friday - Sunday.  If you are mailing in the Enrollment Packet, we will date the paperwork whatever is postmarked on the envelope.   


How do I notify the public/private school that I am homeschooling?  Part of the enrollment packet is a Church School Enrollment Form.  Once you complete and submit your enrollment packet to Rosewood Academy, we will sign off on it and return it to you.  Once the signed packet is returned to you, you will turn in the Church School Enrollment Form to your local Board of Education Superintendent http://www.alabamahomeschooling.com/2011/02/feb-10-bham-proof-of-my-life.html (not to the school). 

Why do I have to turn in this form to the BOE?  Many church school coverings will take care of this requirement for you; however, Alabama State Law specifically states that the parent is supposed to handle this procedure http://www.legislature.state.al.us/CodeofAlabama/1975/16-28-7.htm . Turning in the Church School Enrollment Form to your local Board of Education Superintendent satisfies the requirement of reporting your enrollment in a church school.

What do I give the school?  You may also choose to turn in a copy of the Church School Enrollment Form along with a Request for School Records form (also included in the enrollment packet) to your child's last school of attendance if you would like to have those school records.  This is an optional form and not a requirement by law.  Rosewood Academy does not hold any school records (as of 01/17/2018) sent by another school.  If Rosewood Academy receives any such records, they will immediately be forwarded to the parent.  Be sure to file these away for future reference. 

The school year ends every year on August 1st regardless to your date of enrollment. Each year a family must fill out and send in the re-enrollment form before August 1st, for the upcoming school year. 

WITHDRAWAL PROCEDURE
It is up to each parent to research requirements and regulations of other schools including public schools, private schools, church schools, and colleges when considering enrollment in these institutions. 

  
If a child transfers from Rosewood Academy before graduation, official transcripts will be made and sent to the parent along with all previous records.   A transcript Request Forms is needed.  If a Transcript Request Form is not filled out,  report of "Incompletion" will be forwarded to the requesting school. 

Can my child return to a school setting after homeschooling?  Yes. Typically the new school will require a copy of a transcript for the work completed while enrolled with Rosewood Academy. 

      
Will the new school test my child for grade placement?  Not normally for an elementary or middle school student, but it is up to the new school.  As a high schooler reentering the public school, the school may require the student to take semester exams  Please note that there is not a law that dictates what the public/private school may require from a homeschooler entering their school. They could request samples of work, testing, etc. It is completely up to them as to what they may require and what they will accept.  I strongly recommend that you, as the parent/guardian, administer a CAT (California Achievement Test). The CAT is a standardized test for grades k-12. I can not guarantee the school will accept the test and promote your student, but it would be a very responsible action. Scores are mailed to you within 2 weeks of the date they receive your returned testing materials. 

Please note that there is no regulation on what a public/private school may require from a homeschooler enrolling in their school.  They may/may not accept a homeschooling transcript and may require testing, work samples, etc. 

It is up to each parent to research requirements and regulations of other schools including public schools, private schools, church schools, and colleges when considering enrollment in these institutions. 

VERY IMPORTANT:  When you enroll in another school, you legally withdrew yourself from Rosewood Academy.  If you wish to return to Rosewood Academy, you will need to go back through the new enrollment procedure.

DISMISSAL FROM ROSEWOOD ACADEMY:
Rosewood Academy reserves the right to dismiss any family for any reason without explanation or prior notice including any behavior deemed to be inappropriate by Rosewood Academy including (but not limited to) poor conduct and/or illegal activities,  endangering the safety of a child, policy noncompliance, and/or dishonesty in matters that could potentially affect Rosewood Academy. 

Requesting Transcripts
Make sure to give a two-week notice on all transcripts.  If it is during a busy time of the year (beginning or end of traditional school year), it could take longer. You can request to have your transcript moved to the top of the pile (under emergencies).  A student must be enrolled with Rosewood Academy and complete a full nine weeks of work.  If the student withdraws from Rosewood and we receive a Request for School Records Form from the new school and the student has less than this amount of time with Rosewood Academy or does not turn in the required reports, we will send a letter stating no work can be verified. Transcripts are provided for grades earned while at Rosewood Academy.  We can generate a transcript for you reflecting grades earned at another school.  Please note that there is no guarantee that the school you are entering will accept your homeschooling transcript.  
Please note that there is no regulation on what a public/private school may require from a homeschooler enrolling in their school.  They may/may not accept a homeschooling transcript and may require testing, work samples, etc.  Important Note:  Please keep a copy of your finished transcript on file.  Rosewood Academy  will keep a copy on file for a duration of three years from the date of issue.  If you need a copy mailed to a college or other school, please notify us in writing (email is fine) and include the correct and complete mailing address.

 
 

Updated: 06/2023