0275.055.00  SATISFACTORY ATTENDANCE AT SECONDARY SCHOOL OR COURSE OF STUDY LEADING TO A GED WORK ACTIVITY (TA RECIPIENTS UP TO THE MONTH TURNS AGE 20)

Satisfactory Attendance at Secondary School or Course of Study leading to a General Educational Development (GED) certificate is a core activity for a Temporary Assistance (TA) recipient up to the month he or she turns 20, if they do not have a high school diploma or GED and are the custodial parent of a minor child or children.  TA recipients under the age of 20 are referred to as “teen parents” or “minor parents” for work participation purposes per the federal government.

NOTE:  In Missouri, only TA recipients under age 18 are referred to as teen parents. However, activities that are available to teen parents are also available to TA recipients under age 20.

All teen parents without a high school diploma or the equivalent are required to participate in education as their required work activity.  If the teen parent is not willing or is unable to attend any educational activity, and they are age 16 or over, place the teen parent in other work activities, such as unsubsidized or subsidized employment.  The primary goal is for teen parents to attend secondary school or enroll in a course of study leading to a GED certificate.

NOTE:  Missouri law states that children under the age of 16 must attend school, or be considered truant.

Participating in this activity meets the teen parent’s hourly participation rate, even if the actual attendance hours do not equal the required hours.  If the teen is enrolled in GED classes or other educational activities, the actual hours of attendance must equal the required participation hours.

Countable hours for Satisfactory Attendance at Secondary School or Course of Study Leading to a GED include:

• High school;
• GED preparatory classes and testing;
• LEP classes; and
• Home schooling (recorded as high school).

  NOTE:  The TA recipient must be the “student” and cannot be the teacher.

For home schooling, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) regulations are required to be followed by the Missouri Work Assistance (MWA) program.  They are:

1. Any parent may educate a child at home. The parent does not have to have a teaching certificate or meet any educational requirements.
2. According to Section 167.031 of the Missouri Revised Statutes, a parent or guardian of a child between seven and sixteen years of age shall cause the child to attend regularly some public, private, parochial, parish, home school or a combination of such schools.
3. If a parent decides to home school, he or she shall offer 1,000 hours of instruction during the school year, with at least 600 hours in the basics of reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science. At least 400 of the 600 hours shall occur in the home location.
4. The school year is defined as beginning July 1 and ending the next June 30.
5. A parent who is home schooling a child must maintain the following records:
   1. A plan book, diary, daily log, or other written record indicating the subjects taught and the activities engaged in with the student.
   2. A portfolio containing samples of each student's academic work.
   3. A record of evaluation of the student's academic progress.
   4. Other written or credible evidence equivalent to a, b, and c.
6. Handicapped children attending a home school program may receive special education services provided by the local school district in accordance with Section 162.996 of the Missouri Revised Statues and State Plan for Special Education.

For the Missouri Work Assistance (MWA) program, home schooling is defined as schooling that meets the academic definition of home schooling from Missouri law, but may be performed in the home of someone other than the child’s parent or guardian, such as the parent of another home-schooled child.

0275.055.05 Documentation Required

The MWA Attendance Log or statements that include information from the MWA Attendance Log from an instructor or other supervisory personnel are required documentation for the following Satisfactory Attendance at Secondary School or Course of Study Leading to General Educational Development (GED):

• High school;
• GED preparatory and testing;
• Limited English Proficiency (LEP) classes; and
• home schooling.

TA recipients provide a class schedule at the start of each term of the course of study or a statement from the instructor or other supervisory personnel.  A countable hour is equal to an hour of classroom time.  After documentation is obtained, the hours are entered under the respective MWA System service of High School, GED, GED Testing, and LEP on the Participation Hours Verification or the Mass Participation Hours Verification screen in the MWA System.

A teen parent who attends a full course of instruction of the secondary school can be “deemed” to be engaged in work.  Actual hours of attendance are tracked and reported.

Unsupervised, informal study time is not a countable component of this activity.

0275.055.10 Holidays/Excused Absences

Satisfactory Attendance at Secondary School allows for excused absences and holidays. Refer to Section 0270.030.00 Excused Absences and Section 0270.035.00 Holidays for more information.

0275.055.15 Supervision

The signed MWA Attendance Log, or other written or electronic methods of “check-in” containing daily monitoring of attendance completed by the instructor or other supervisory staff fulfills the daily supervision requirement for Satisfactory Attendance at Secondary School or Course of Study Leading to General Educational Development (GED) activities.

Grades, student evaluations, and daily journals from the instructor may also be used as documentation of daily supervision and guidance.