Cliff Brinson Joins Efforts to Redefine Home Education in North Carolina

Raleigh, N.C. - On May 30, 2013, Senate Bill 189 was signed into law by North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory, which redefined the meaning of “Home School” so that parents can, in their discretion, incorporate outside instruction as part of their child’s education.

Cliff Brinson, a partner in Smith Anderson’s Commercial Litigation practice, joined the North Carolinians for Home Education (NCHE) in their efforts to have the new legislation introduced. He worked behind the scenes to help draft the language of the new bill.

Cliff and his wife home school their three children and have found that outside instruction can be a very valuable part of their education, “Our children have benefited from live online classes in history and literature, and from software programs that teach foreign languages and logic,” he says. “The home school statute, however, was unclear regarding whether and when outside instruction is allowed for home education.”

Under the new law, the definition of "Home School" is a nonpublic school consisting of the children of not more than two families or households, where the parents or legal guardians or members of either household determine the scope and sequence of academic instruction, provide academic instruction, and determine additional sources of academic instruction.

The NCHE is a private, volunteer organization with a mission to promote, support and protect the rights of home educated families and children in North Carolina. For full details on the path to the new law, please visit the NCHE website.