Guidelines

Guidelines for SOCCO Events, Classes & Group Activities

In keeping with SOCCO’s purpose as stated above of supporting families as they homeschool and recognizing that some collective principles in a group setting are necessary, we provide the following guidelines for our group.

Parental Responsibility Guidelines

At least one parent is required to be with their children at every SOCCO event. Parents are responsible for their children at all times and are expected to keep their children in sight at all times. Parents are responsible for supervising and correcting their children’s behavior and for their child’s safety upon arrival and for the duration of the event. If a parent cannot directly supervise each of their children at an event, they are expected to ask another adult to assist them in supervising their child. Responsible mature high school students may be allowed to attend classes and events without their parent present with permission of the teacher or event coordinator. We desire to foster an environment where each of us has an attitude of consideration of others, humility, and cooperation in how we choose to behave.

Membership Requirements

Members are required to read through this handbook each year and will be asked to sign documents stating they agree with our statement of faith and agree to follow the membership guidelines. Members are required to privately home educate all of their school age children. If your family has an extenuating circumstance, please contact SOCCO leadership prior to completing the membership application.

Guidelines for Bringing Guests and Group Activities

Members who have agreed to and signed the statement form are allowed to lead, coordinate, or host a SOCCO sponsored event or group activity. SOCCO sponsored events (including but not limited to field trips, park days, classes and group activities) are ones that are reserved exclusively for its members. Grandparents, relatives, & out-of-town friends are welcome at SOCCO events as long as they are included in the head count as appropriate. The behavior and safety of any guest who accompanies a SOCCO member are the sole responsibility of that member. Members who invite any guests to a SOCCO event should inform them of the guidelines in advance.

Any event posted by a SOCCO member that is open to non-members must be posted as such on the community website. Any event that is not SOCCO exclusive is the liability of the person coordinating, posting, and/or hosting it.

Guidelines for Phone/Electronic Use

One of the benefits of our group events is the wonderful face to face interactions we get to have with one another away from usual distractions. In addition, we recognize the challenge of monitoring content that all families deem appropriate. With that in mind, we ask that parents do not allow their teens and children to use electronics, phones, or ear buds at classes, park days, and other SOCCO events. It is preferred for electronics, phones, and ear buds to be stowed either in cars or with a parent/guardian. However, parents may allow their teen or child to keep a phone on their person for emergency use.

Electronics may be used in a class at the teacher’s request or when assistive technology is part of the student’s educational requirements. Parents are responsible for ensuring their children are in compliance with these guidelines. Concerns regarding electronic use should be brought to the attention of the Board to be addressed. A board member will kindly remind the parent of our guidelines and families are asked to graciously comply. If a student/family persists in violating these guidelines then they may be asked to leave an event or their membership may be cancelled at the board’s discretion.

Facility Guidelines

Members are expected to respect the facilities we use for our group event. All equipment (i.e. playground, tables, etc) should be used properly and all litter should be properly disposed of before leaving the facility. Members will be asked to assist in the clean-up of the location at every event. Members are asked to be thoughtful of other groups who are sharing the use of a facility such as a public park. Older kids should be cautious when they are playing on a playground near younger children. Members are asked to remind their kids of the importance of respectful conversation in group situations.

In addition to SOCCO’s dress code guidelines, members are expected to abide by any additional guidelines provided by a facility we are using including a member’s church or private residence.

Dress Code Guidelines

Rather than dictate inches and specific types of clothing, we ask that all members consider what they and their children wear from the viewpoint of being a positive witness for Christ and for homeschooling. While attending SOCCO classes, park days, and other events, parents, students, and guests should follow these guidelines:

-No clothing that exposes underwear, bra, midriff, or cleavage

-Shorts, skirts, and dresses should completely cover bottom and remain appropriate when engaging in physical activity

-No violent, grotesque, obscene, or anti-Christian images or text

Although no personal judgment is placed upon members with different convictions and liberties, we ask all families to set aside personal preferences, when necessary, to commit to the above guidelines. Parents are responsible for ensuring their children follow these guidelines. Concerns regarding attire should be brought to the attention of the Board to be addressed. A board member will kindly remind the parent of our guidelines and families are asked to graciously comply. If a student/family persists in violating these guidelines then they may be asked to leave an event or their membership may be cancelled at the board’s discretion.

Class Guidelines

Members may register their students for classes through SOCCO. Class payments are given directly to the teacher and SOCCO does not collect class payments. Please be respectful of the teacher’s time and energy. Please notify the teacher as soon as you can if you know your student will not be in attendance for a particular week. Parents and students are expected to be respectful of the household rules when we are meeting at another member’s home for classes.

Anyone who is not a member of SOCCO will be asked to read and sign a teacher’s application available from the SOCCO board. Teachers are responsible for collecting class payments.

Health Guidelines

If you or your child is ill, please refrain from attending any SOCCO event, class, or field trip. Do not attend if you or your child has a fever, or another contagious symptom. Refrain from attending until your family has been fever free for at least 24 hours without fever reducing medicine and free from any diarrhea for at least 24 hours. Please use your best judgment and consider that others may have compromised health.

To protect families who have food allergies, please do not offer food directly to a child without the parent’s permission. For potlucks, please be prepared to share the ingredients in your dish.

Field Trip & Event Guidelines

All field trip and event reservations will be filled on a first-pay, first space available basis. Payment is due on or before the designated deadline and secures the reservation. Members are not allowed to just show up at an event that requires an RSVP. Failure to attend an event or field trip (a “no-show”) will forfeit that member’s payment. All field trip or group activity attendees should be punctual and strive to arrive early. A family that arrives more than 9 minutes after the stated time risks losing entrance into the event and the group may proceed without them. Upon arrival, members should proceed immediately to the event or field trip coordinator in order to sign in. Members should not assume the coordinator knows they are there. Attendees are to let the event coordinator know ASAP of the need to cancel a reservation so that someone on the waiting list can be informed. If the event coordinators know far enough in advance, payment may be able to be refunded upon the cancellation (assuming the coordinator and SOCCO will not be charged for the reservation).

Parents and their children will follow the directives of the docent or authority in charge of an event. If the event coordinators, SOCCO host (ess), or event authority asks a member to change behavior, they will do so graciously. If anyone is asked a second time, the request would be for that family to leave the event and to graciously comply.

As a group of Christians interacting with the community, SOCCO is a witness of our Lord Jesus Christ. Members behavior, obedience, order, and respect for others and property should be exemplary.

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6