Policies of Sacred Grove Academy

Church School (Cover School) for Pagan Families in Alabama
A Ministry of Church of the Spiral Tree

Enrollment Policies
Continued Enrollment Policies, Attendance
Re-Enrollment Policies
Withdrawal Policies
Records & Transcripts
General Policies

Enrollment Policies

  1. Enrollment is open to all families within the State of Alabama who have children between the ages of 5 and 18. You may enroll at any point in the year; however, *all* enrollments end July 1 (you must re-enroll by August 1).To enroll, you must submit 1) the Church School Enrollment Form (CSEF) with signatures in both sections, 2) the signed Admission Form, and 3) the complete fees. If you send the forms without the fees, or the fees without the forms, or one or both of the forms are not properly signed, you are NOT considered officially enrolled, and can face truancy charges if your child is not enrolled in another school.

  2. Be sure to sign the forms! There are TWO places for your signature on the CSEF, and ONE place on the Admission Form. If *all three* of these sections are not signed, your forms and fees will be returned to you for your signature. You will not be considered officially enrolled until all forms have been properly signed and submitted along with the full fees.

  3. Please note: we *cannot* "back-date" your enrollment to say you were enrolled before these were actually received. To do so constitutes fraud, and both of us can get in serious trouble with the state. Your child will be considered officially enrolled when your enrollment form and fees are *received* at Sacred Grove.

Policies for Continued Enrollment; Attendance

  1. Attendance Forms: As part of your enrollment contract, you agree to send in an attendance form for each child enrolled with Sacred Grove Academy, which must contain all months/days from when the child was initially enrolled, until July 1, when all enrollments end. These forms must be received by August 1 at the very latest, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER YOU ARE RE-ENROLLING for the next school year. These attendance forms (supplied in start-up packet and available on this website) are required BY THE STATE OF ALABAMA to be filled out for each enrolled child. We don't ever have to give these to anyone, but by law, must keep them for each student. (Keep a copy for yourself!) If, by AUGUST 1 of the following summer, which is the deadline for re-enrollment, you have not sent these attendance forms for each child, you will be dropped from enrollment with Sacred Grove, and an official letter to your local school superintendent will then be sent stating that you are no longer enrolled in Sacred Grove Academy, EVEN IF YOU HAVE PAID YOUR TUITION!!
    PLEASE NOTE: If you do NOT send in your child's attendance forms, even if you do not re-enroll by AUGUST 1, no records or information about that child will be released to you or to subsequent schools that may request such, nor will we provide diplomas, transcripts, letters giving date of withdrawal for purposes of GED, driver's license, or other reason, or any other information requested for that child, until these forms are received. Furthermore, if these forms are not received within 12 months of your withdrawal (for example, 2005-2006 forms sent in by August 1, 2007), all of the above will apply, *and* no one in your family will be allowed to enroll or re- enroll in Sacred Grove Academy at any point in the future for any reason.

  2. Once enrolled, you are considered to be enrolled until the following July 1, unless
    1. You notify us that you are withdrawing, and send in attendance forms
    2. We discover that you have enrolled your child in a different school when that school sends us a request for your child's records, and you have not officially withdrawn, or
    3. Your summer or winter newsletter is returned undeliverable because you have moved and not sent in a change of address, and we cannot then get in touch with you by phone or email; as we will have no way of knowing whether you are still in your original school district or even in the state (Note: if your newsletter comes back, we make a reasonable attempt to contact you before dropping you from the rolls)
    In all the above cases, an official letter to your local school superintendent will then be sent stating that you are no longer enrolled in Sacred Grove Academy.

  3. Inform us IMMEDIATELY if you move (or before you move, if possible). There are two reasons for this:
    1. If you move into a new school district in the state of Alabama, the only way the school board there has of knowing that you are legally enrolled in a cover school is if we send them a CSEF (Church School Enrollment Form). If they do not receive this form, but they discover that you are living there and your child is not legally enrolled somewhere, you will be subject to truancy laws. Therefore, a new CSEF must be filled out by you and mailed in to us, so we can fill out our part and send it to the new school board. Time is of the essence in this (do NOT wait until re-enrollment time!), and Sacred Grove will not be held responsible for truancy charges brought against families who fail to follow this requirement.
    2. If your winter newsletter is returned undeliverable because you have moved and not sent in a change of address, and we cannot then get in touch with you by phone or email, we will have no way of knowing whether you are still in your original school district or even in the state. In this case, you will be considered dropped, and an official letter to your local school superintendent will then be sent stating that you are no longer enrolled in Sacred Grove Academy. Also, you will not be allowed to re- enroll in Sacred Grove at any point in the future for any reason, and no records or information will be released to you or to subsequent schools that may request such, nor will we provide diplomas, transcripts, letters giving date of withdrawal for purposes of GED, driver's license, or other reason, or any other information requested, AT ALL. Again, Sacred Grove will not be held responsible for truancy charges brought against families who fail to follow this requirement and are subsequently dropped.

Re-Enrollment Policies

  1. All enrollments end July 1.

  2. Send in your attendance forms for the past school year BEFORE AUGUST 1.

    PLEASE SEE SECTION ON ATTENDANCE FORMS FOR MORE DETAILS

  3. You do not have to send in a new Enrollment Form when you re-enroll, as long as you are in the same public school district. However, IF YOU MOVE to a new residence *within* the state of Alabama, and you move into a different public school district, you MUST send in a new Enrollment Form for the new school district, immediately (don't wait for re-enrollment time!). You do not have to inform the previous school district that you have moved, but you do need to let the new one know that you are enrolled in a church school; otherwise you will be subject to truancy laws.

  4. Pay your tuition for the upcoming year BEFORE AUGUST 1 ($50 per year per family, no matter how many children).

  5. If your attendance forms and tuition are not received by August 1, you will be considered to be withdrawn, and a letter will be sent to your local school board stating this fact. You may enroll again at any point after that, however, as long as your previous year's attendance forms are also mailed in, and you will need to pay the $25.00 admission fee in addition to the $50 tuition, and fill out both the Enrollment Form (CSEF) and the Admission Form again. (See Withdrawal Policies for further information.)
  6. Please make checks out to CHURCH OF THE SPIRAL TREE, or send by PayPal to homeschool@sacredgroveacademy.org. Our mailing address is Sacred Grove Academy, P.O. Box 3338, Phenix City, Alabama 36868.

Withdrawal Policies

  1. How to Properly Withdraw From Sacred Grove:

    To officially withdraw during the school year:
    1. Send a notice to Sacred Grove by mail or by email, stating that you are withdrawing, AND
    2. Send in your child's attendance forms, from the time he/she was initially enrolled up till the time of withdrawal.
    An official letter to your local school superintendent will then be sent stating that you are no longer enrolled in Sacred Grove Academy (as required by state law).

    Please Note: It is the policy of Sacred Grove Academy that anyone whose child drops out during the school year without officially withdrawing (notifying Sacred Grove) will not be allowed to re-enroll at any point in the future for any reason, and no records or information will be released to you or to subsequent schools that may request such, nor will we provide diplomas, transcripts, letters giving date of withdrawal for purposes of GED, driver's license, or other reason, or any other information requested, AT ALL for that particular child.

    In other words... Please be considerate when you withdraw, and take a few minutes to drop us an email or a letter!

    A note about records and transcripts: Unless you have told us to keep your records for you when they are sent to Sacred Grove by your former school, we will always forward them on to you. Therefore, when you withdraw and place your child in a new school, please advise that school that Sacred Grove does NOT have your child's records (unless you have requested we keep them)! This will save a bit of time and frustration on everyone's part when you are trying to get your child enrolled in a new school.

  2. Removal from Rolls & Improper Withdrawals:

    NOTE: After *any* official or improper withdrawal or removal, an official letter to your local school superintendent will be sent stating that you are no longer enrolled in Sacred Grove Academy, and we will send a letter to your last known address stating the same. If you are not enrolled anywhere else, you will be subject to truancy laws.

    You will be removed from enrollment with Sacred Grove if:

    • You do not send your child's previous years' attendance forms in by August 1;
    • If you write a worthless check, and restitution is not made within 30 days (civil charges may apply); or if any other fees are in arrears and are not paid within 30 days.
    In the above cases, until your fees or forms are mailed in to us, no records or information will be released about your child to you or to subsequent schools that may request such, nor will we provide diplomas, transcripts, letters giving date of withdrawal for purposes of GED, driver's license, or other reason, or any other information requested about that child. Furthermore, if attendance forms are not received within 12 months of your withdrawal (for example, 2005-2006 forms sent in by August 1, 2007), all of the above will apply, *and* no one in your family will be allowed to enroll or re- enroll in Sacred Grove Academy at any point in the future for any reason.

    You will be considered to be improperly withdrawn if:

    • If your summer or winter newsletter is returned undeliverable because you have moved and not sent in a change of address, and we cannot then get in touch with you by phone or email; as we will have no way of knowing whether you are still in your original school district or even in the state (Note: if your newsletter comes back, we make a reasonable attempt to contact you before removing you from the rolls);
    • We discover that you have enrolled your child in a different school when that school sends us a request for your child's records, and you have not officially withdrawn (NOTE: We will NOT send any information without receiving an official withdrawal from you!)
    In the above cases, no one in your family will be allowed to enroll or re-enroll at any point in the future for any reason, and no records or information will be released to you or to subsequent schools that may request such, nor will we provide diplomas, transcripts, letters giving date of withdrawal for purposes of GED, driver's license, or other reason, or any other information requested, AT ALL for that child.

    Records & Transcripts

    Optional Records Transfer Form: -- You may fill out a Records Transfer Request form (NOTE - DO *NOT* MAIL THIS FORM TO SACRED GROVE!!) and mail it to the school from which your child is withdrawing. They will then send the records to Sacred Grove. This is an OPTIONAL step, and you can write your own letter, if you don't want to use ours with the Pagan Cover School in the header. Please note that if the former school mails us these records, we will automatically forward the records on to you when we receive them, unless you tell us otherwise! Please make a note of your wishes on your Admission Form.

    After Withdrawing: Unless you have told us to keep your records for you when they are sent to Sacred Grove by your former school, we will always forward them on to you. Therefore, when you withdraw and place your child in a new school, please advise that school that Sacred Grove does NOT have your child's records (unless you have requested we keep them)! This will save a bit of time and frustration on everyone's part when you are trying to get your child enrolled in a new school.

    General Policies

    About Us -- Sacred Grove Academy is a ministry of Church of the Spiral Tree, a legally incorporated tax-exempt pagan church (Section 501(a) organization under 501(c)(3)). Sacred Grove exists to serve Pagan families in Alabama who want to homeschool their children, but do not wish to do so under the auspices of a Christian or secular cover school. You do not have to be Pagan to be enrolled, however.

    Length of School Year -- You can homeschool as long or as little as you like, according to Alabama state laws. Standard is 140 days, which can be spread out over 9 or 12 months, but remember, this is just a guideline!

    Curriculum -- Each family is responsible for selection of its own educational method and components of curriculum. All educational methods are considered equally valuable and viable. No specific curriculum is required by the State of Alabama nor by Sacred Grove - you have complete freedom to choose the curriculum and teach in the manner that you feel is best for your child.

    Statement of Faith -- No statement of faith is required, nor is membership in any church. Families participating in Sacred Grove Academy are free to subscribe to whatever faith they so desire, without repercussion on their decision to homeschool.

    HSLDA membership is not required.

    Membership in Church of the Spiral Tree -- Not required, but does bring a discount in the tuition fees.

    Required Meeting and Participation -- No meetings or activities are required.

    Standardized Testing is not required. Testing can be coordinated for the convenience of families who wish to evaluate their children's education through standardized testing.

    Sacred Grove Academy is a church school operated under legal code 16-28-1, 16-28-3, 16-28-7, and 16-46-3 (church school law) of the State of Alabama.

    Sacred Grove Academy
    c/o Church of the Spiral Tree
    P.O. Box 3338
    Phenix City, Alabama 36868
    homeschool@sacredgroveacademy.org