10-18-2010, 02:57 PM
both parents liars. i can't wait to see the father locked up.
HICKORY --
There is a hole in the statutory school attendance safety net for North Carolina's school children, and Zahra Clare Baker seems to have dropped through that hole.
There is no record that Zahra was home schooled, as her parents claimed, or that either parent applied for home school certification.
The Hickory Daily Record looked at home school registrations in Catawba, Caldwell and Burke counties and did not find any reference where Adam or Elisa Baker received certification for home schooling.
The N.C. Department of Non-Public Education, a part of the state Department of Administration, requires all home schools to be registered.
Zahra, who has been missing since Saturday, attended Granite Falls and Hudson public schools last school year.
The Baker family lived in Caldwell County when she attended public schools there in 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 school years.
She was never enrolled in Hickory Public Schools.
The Bakers moved to Hickory approximately six weeks before Zahra was reported missing, after the start of this school year.
North Carolina law says public school officials must be notified if a child is to be home schooled and will no longer attend public school.
Libby Brown, public information officer for Caldwell County Schools, said school personnel try to find a child who does not show for school within the first 10 days of a school year.
"We did contact the family," Brown said about Zahra's parents, Adam and Elisa.
Brown could not divulge a lot of information, but said, "a parent withdrew the child and said the family had moved to a different district."
Brown said the parent indicated Zahra would be home schooled.
That's when the Caldwell County school system's jurisdiction ended.
However, Brown said the system did review elements of home schooling with the parent.
"I am proud that we went above and beyond what is required and took so many additional steps," she said.
School personnel attempted followup calls to the telephone number on file, but there was no response.
"We used every resource for the welfare of Zahra," Brown said.
A parent is not required to tell the former school system where the child will be enrolled, even if it's another public school system.
In North Carolina, a child's new school district will seek records from the previous district, Brown said.
The declaration that Zahra would be home schooled and was officially withdrawn from Caldwell County schools satisfied that district's responsibility and ended the district's authority.
But, according to statute, without certification of home schooling, the public school connection is not severed.
HICKORY --
There is a hole in the statutory school attendance safety net for North Carolina's school children, and Zahra Clare Baker seems to have dropped through that hole.
There is no record that Zahra was home schooled, as her parents claimed, or that either parent applied for home school certification.
The Hickory Daily Record looked at home school registrations in Catawba, Caldwell and Burke counties and did not find any reference where Adam or Elisa Baker received certification for home schooling.
The N.C. Department of Non-Public Education, a part of the state Department of Administration, requires all home schools to be registered.
Zahra, who has been missing since Saturday, attended Granite Falls and Hudson public schools last school year.
The Baker family lived in Caldwell County when she attended public schools there in 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 school years.
She was never enrolled in Hickory Public Schools.
The Bakers moved to Hickory approximately six weeks before Zahra was reported missing, after the start of this school year.
North Carolina law says public school officials must be notified if a child is to be home schooled and will no longer attend public school.
Libby Brown, public information officer for Caldwell County Schools, said school personnel try to find a child who does not show for school within the first 10 days of a school year.
"We did contact the family," Brown said about Zahra's parents, Adam and Elisa.
Brown could not divulge a lot of information, but said, "a parent withdrew the child and said the family had moved to a different district."
Brown said the parent indicated Zahra would be home schooled.
That's when the Caldwell County school system's jurisdiction ended.
However, Brown said the system did review elements of home schooling with the parent.
"I am proud that we went above and beyond what is required and took so many additional steps," she said.
School personnel attempted followup calls to the telephone number on file, but there was no response.
"We used every resource for the welfare of Zahra," Brown said.
A parent is not required to tell the former school system where the child will be enrolled, even if it's another public school system.
In North Carolina, a child's new school district will seek records from the previous district, Brown said.
The declaration that Zahra would be home schooled and was officially withdrawn from Caldwell County schools satisfied that district's responsibility and ended the district's authority.
But, according to statute, without certification of home schooling, the public school connection is not severed.