Homeschool benefits: Ewen-Trout Creek Consolidated School District
Ewen-Trout Creek School District's Seat Time Waiver program gives a homeschooled student in grades K-12 district online courses or electives, a loaned laptop, a certified Michigan teacher as mentor, and a place on district extracurricular and athletic teams, without daily attendance in the building. Your child enrolls in the district, keeps in touch with the mentor every week, and takes the grade-level state tests.
Who qualifies
Enrolls in the district
Seat time waiver students must be enrolled in Ewen-Trout Creek School District, so your child becomes a district student while learning at home.
Wants district online courses
Homeschool students who want district online courses or elective courses are one of the groups the program names, along with working students and students with medical needs.
Signs the application and contract
You complete the district's seat time waiver application and the seat time waiver contract.
Takes state tests
Your child participates in the grade-level state assessment exams.
What the program gives you
The terms come from Ewen-Trout Creek School District's Seat Time Waiver page; the district runs the program under Michigan Department of Education approval.
- Online courses
- Scheduled for the school year
- Laptop
- For the length of the program
- Mentor and teacher of record
- Certified Michigan teacher
- Mentor contact
- At least weekly, two-way
- Extracurriculars and athletics
- Open to participants
- Building attendance
- Not required
The page does not list deadlines, costs, the online course provider, or internet access, so ask the main office about each before you sign the contract.
How to enroll
- Before you apply
Call the main office
Ask the K-12 main office for the seat time waiver application and contract.
- To enroll
Sign the contract
Submit the application and contract to enroll your child in the district.
- Start of the year
Get the schedule and laptop
Your child receives a class schedule listing the credits to earn that year and a district laptop.
- Every week
Check in with the mentor
Your child has two-way contact with the on-site mentor, who monitors progress and helps when needed.
- Each school year
Take state tests
Your child sits for the grade-level state assessments like other district students.
What it includes
Included
- District online and elective courses
- A loaned laptop
- A certified teacher as mentor
- Extracurricular and athletic activities
Not included
- Exemption from state testing
- Learning without weekly mentor contact
Because your child enrolls in the district, the courses are district courses with a district teacher of record rather than part of your own homeschool.
Who to contact about the program
The K-12 main office provides the seat time waiver application and contract and answers questions about the program.
906-813-0620 Seat Time Waiver page
Homeschool rules and statewide help in Michigan
No state report under the parent-led homeschool exemption, MCL 380.1561(3)(f). The nonpublic-school route has separate reporting; an annual membership report is required for eligibility for auxiliary services.
Michigan sets these rules:
- Subjects: Under exemption (f), provide an organized program in reading, spelling, math, science, history, civics, literature, writing, and English grammar. The nonpublic-school route requires subjects comparable to local public schools.
- Testing: Michigan does not require standardized testing for homeschoolers.
- Records: No prescribed homeschool portfolio or attendance-record format under exemption (f). Keep progress records for transfers; the nonpublic-school route has separate reporting requirements.
- Teachers: Under exemption (f), the instructor must be the child’s parent or legal guardian; no degree or teaching credential is required. MDE requires a reporting nonpublic homeschool parent to have at least a bachelor’s degree unless a sincerely held religious objection applies.
Read the Michigan homeschooling guide See statewide programs in Michigan
Questions parents ask
- Is my child still homeschooled under the Seat Time Waiver?
- No. Your child must enroll in Ewen-Trout Creek School District to use the waiver, and a district teacher serves as teacher of record while your child learns at home.
- Does my child have to come to Ewen-Trout Creek school?
- No. The waiver removes the day, hour, and attendance requirements, though families may choose to have coursework monitored in the building.
- Can my child play on school teams?
- Yes. Students in the program can take part in district extracurricular and athletic activities.
- What does the mentor do?
- The on-site mentor is a certified Michigan teacher employed by the district who monitors your child's progress and gives help, with two-way contact every week.
Turn support into your child’s next lesson
Local classes cover the subjects they offer. We teach the remaining subjects, so a local class can stay part of the year without becoming the whole curriculum.
$149/month per child after the trial.
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