FAMILY HANDBOOK
2026–2027
Homeschool Umbrella School
“Teachers of Good Things”
Titus 2:3
TENNESSEE • SOUTH CAROLINA
TN School #9233 | titus2academy.com
WELCOME TO
TITUS 2 ACADEMY
Dear Students, Parents, and Staff,
On behalf of the entire Titus 2 Academy community, it is with great pleasure that I extend a warm and heartfelt welcome to all our students, as well as their families and our dedicated staff members.
At Titus 2 Academy, we believe that education is not just about acquiring knowledge; it’s about nurturing the minds and hearts of our students to become responsible, compassionate, and lifelong learners. Our school is committed to providing a safe, inclusive, and inspiring learning environment where each student can flourish and reach their full potential.
As we embark on this new academic year, we are excited to continue our journey together, creating meaningful experiences and fostering a love for learning. We have an exceptional team of counselors and staff who are passionate about their work and dedicated to guiding our students on their educational paths.
Lani Carey
Principal and Counselor
| TN SCHOOL ID #9233 | ACADEMIC YEAR 2026–2027 | EMAIL info@titus2academy.com |
HANDBOOK AT A GLANCE
| SECTION 01 | About Titus 2 Academy Who we are, what we provide, mission, vision, and values |
| SECTION 02 | Getting Started Enrollment requirements and parent enrollment policy |
| SECTION 03 | Academics & Curriculum Curriculum, grade levels, reporting, and academic calendar |
| SECTION 04 | Policies & Conduct Grading, transfer credit, conduct, discipline, and withdrawal |
| SECTION 05 | Tennessee Families Transfer credit, graduation, and attendance policies |
| SECTION 06 | South Carolina Families Option 3 requirements, records, graduation, and attendance |
| SECTION 07 | Contact & Counseling School contact information and counseling team |
SECTION 01
ABOUT TITUS 2 ACADEMY
Who We Are
• We are the Church-Related Umbrella School associated with the non-profit charity “Words of Wisdom Family Ministry.”. As such, we are a TN non-public school, approved by the State of TN Board of Education, #9233. We are also an approved umbrella school in South Carolina, as an Option 3 Association.
• We are Christians who are not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We believe that he is the only begotten Son of God, that he died for the sins of the world, rose on the third day, and will come back to gather his church, as he has promised. Our mission field is the world, including Christians and families of every religion, race, and creed. We do not discriminate against anyone, and we believe that everyone is related through the first man and woman, Adam and Eve; therefore, we treat everyone as family!
What We Do
• We provide legal covering for Tennessee and South Carolina homeschooling families by reporting our students and their attendance to the Board of Education.
• We provide counseling through the Homeschool Counseling Team – Margie Abbitt, Lani Carey, Marta Weaver, and Pat Wesolowski are four veteran homeschool moms who are also experienced homeschool counselors with over 150 years of experience collectively. They are dedicated professionals who are passionate about counseling and committed to enabling parents and inspiring students to become lifelong learners. They provide curriculum counseling, career-path help, mentoring, and de-stressing parents and students. They can come alongside you to provide support and options that you did not know existed.
• We provide record-keeping services through our G.A.P. Academic Portal, where families submit and access student grades, attendance, portfolios, and other academic records.
• We keep it simple and affordable – no hidden costs.
• Tuition and Fees: $125 per family
What We Do Not Do
• We do not provide a curriculum.
• We do not use AI in our counseling advice. We are real homeschool moms with real experience, wisdom, and solutions that will work for you.
• We do not require or provide testing.
• We do not require a Statement of Faith.
• We do not require immunizations, in accordance with T.C.A. § 49-6-3050.
| BIBLICAL MANDATE Deuteronomy 4:9 Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren. |
Vision Statement
To be a beacon of educational excellence, where every student is inspired to reach their fullest potential and become responsible global citizens.
Our vision is to empower families across diverse communities with an accessible, flexible, and high-quality online homeschooling experience. We strive to create a supportive environment where each student’s unique gifts, talents, and learning styles are celebrated and nurtured.
Core Aspirations
• Personalized Learning: We strive to help every student receive an education tailored to their needs, interests, and pace, allowing them to reach their fullest potential.
• Academic Excellence: By helping parents integrate flexible teaching methods and quality, personalized curriculum, we help prepare students for success in higher education, careers, and as engaged citizens.
• Holistic Development: We prioritize the development of character, creativity, critical thinking, and emotional well-being alongside academic achievement.
• Parental Partnership: Parents are valued as essential partners and teachers of their children, actively involved in their children’s learning journey with support from dedicated educators and staff.
Mission Statement
To provide a stimulating and caring environment that ignites a love for learning and encourages curiosity and exploration.
The mission of Titus 2 Academy umbrella school is to provide a supportive, flexible, and nurturing educational environment that empowers families to pursue personalized learning journeys. We are committed to partnering with parents and guardians to ensure academic excellence, encourage curiosity and critical thinking, and foster the development of each student’s unique talents and interests.
Looking Ahead
We envision an online homeschool umbrella school that adapts to the evolving needs of families, leverages technology responsibly, and remains committed to student-centered education. By building a foundation of trust, respect, and innovation, our school seeks to inspire lifelong learners and compassionate leaders for tomorrow’s world.
Core Values
1. Excellence: Through our team of experienced counselors, we aim to empower our students to excel in their chosen fields and be leaders of tomorrow.
2. Respect: We celebrate individual differences and encourage an atmosphere of kindness and compassion.
3. Integrity: We encourage our students to uphold ethical values and take responsibility for their actions.
4. Innovation: We nurture creativity and critical thinking, preparing our students to adapt to a rapidly evolving world.
5. Community Engagement: We encourage students to be active participants in community service and make a positive impact on society.
SECTION 02
GETTING STARTED
What are the requirements to register a child for a church related umbrella school?
A parent may enroll their child in a church related school and participate as a parent teacher under the supervision of the school’s director for the purposes of home schooling their own children, under Tennessee code annotated 49-6-3050(a)(3) parent teachers are subject to the requirements established by the church related school for home school teachers. Parent teachers whose students are in grades 9 through 12, must possess at least a high school diploma or a high school equivalency credential approved by the State Board of Education as a nonpublic school. The church related umbrella school is responsible for student record keeping, attendance reporting and testing requirements. (per Sandy Couch, home.school@TN.Gov)
Who do I notify that my child is enrolled in the church-related umbrella school?
An intent to homeschool form is not required for students enrolled in the church related umbrella school or private school. Instead, upon withdrawal from a public school, parents or legal guardians may be required to provide proof of enrollment in the church related school to the local school district. Home school students enrolled in a church related umbrella school are subject to mandatory attendance under Tennessee Code annotated 49-6-3007. (per Sandy Couch, home.school@TN.Gov).
| PARENT ENROLLMENT POLICY Enrollment with Titus 2 Academy must be completed by the student’s parent or legal guardian. Titus 2 Academy requires direct confirmation from a parent or legal guardian before enrollment is accepted or records are submitted to a state or local agency. A co-op leader, tutorial director, teacher, family friend, or other third party may assist a family, but may not enroll a student in place of the parent or legal guardian, identify themselves as the parent or guardian, or combine unrelated students under one family registration. Each family must maintain its own registration and contact information. |
SECTION 03
ACADEMICS & CURRICULUM
The school does not provide curriculum, but our counselors can help parents choose resources that emphasize critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity. In the elementary grades, the core subjects of math and language arts are required every year, in addition to several electives such as social studies, science, P.E., art, music, sports, and other interests the student might have. In high school, English and math are required each year, along with one year of US History, one year of P.E. and one semester of personal finance. Three science credits are recommended, two additional social studies credits, and 2 foreign language credits if the student is planning on attending a 4-year college.
| HIGH SCHOOL PLANNING Planning Sheets for high school are available from the Homeschool Counseling Team and in G.A.P. at gap.titus2academy.com |
Grade Levels
Titus 2 Academy enrolls students from Kindergarten through Grade 12. A student must be 5 years old by August 15th in order to enroll as a Kindergartener. We leave it up to the parents to determine their students’ grade level, but we do not generally recommend skipping grades. Also, a student does not have to graduate in four years of high school but can graduate early or take one or even two additional years if needed. Our counselors are here to help with these decisions.
Grade Reporting
Titus 2 Academy requires Grades and Attendance totals to be reported twice per school year (in January and June) in the G.A.P. Academic Portal. Report Cards, Attendance, and Portfolios can be accessed by parents and printed. The Homeschool Counseling Team can provide Transcripts and Diplomas, as well as Letters of Recommendation and Scholarship forms upon request.
Academic Calendar
| PERIOD | DETAILS |
|---|---|
| Academic Year | 2026–2027 |
| Fall Semester | 2026 • 90 days |
| School Year Begins | August 3, 2026 |
| Classes Begin | At parent’s discretion, usually August or September |
| Spring Semester | 2027 • 90 days |
| Spring Classes Begin | 1st or 2nd week of January 2027 |
| Last Day of School Year | May or June 2027 |
| Summer Session | 2027 |
| YEAR-ROUND HOMESCHOOLING Some parents choose to homeschool year round, with vacations and breaks throughout the school year. This is acceptable as long as the required instructional days and applicable attendance requirements are met. |
SECTION 04
POLICIES & CONDUCT
Academic Policies
1. Grading Policy: A = 90–100, B = 80–89, C = 70–79, D = 60–69, F = below 60. Titus 2 Academy does not use plus/minus grades on official records. Honors courses receive +0.5 weighting; Dual Enrollment, CLEP, and AP courses receive +1.0 weighting when applicable. Elementary records may use Pass/Fail where appropriate.
2. Titus 2 Academy requires grades to be reported twice per school year (in January and June) in the G.A.P. Academic Portal of each family’s account.
3. Transfer Credit Policy: Transfer credits from other institutions or external programs are evaluated and accepted towards a student’s degree requirements. If a student attends a public school after homeschooling, they may be required to take placement tests.
Codes of Conduct
1. Respect and Civility: Counselors, Staff, Parents, and others will be treated with respect and civility, regardless of differences in background, beliefs, or abilities.
2. Anti-Bullying and Harassment: This code prohibits bullying, harassment, and any form of discrimination, promoting a safe and inclusive atmosphere.
3. Academic Integrity: This code emphasizes the value of honesty and integrity in all academic activities, forbidding cheating, plagiarism, and other forms of academic dishonesty.
4. Attendance and Recordkeeping: Families are responsible for regular participation in educational activities, maintaining required attendance records, and submitting required records to Titus 2 Academy. Learning may include traditional coursework as well as hands-on activities, projects, field trips, physical education, and other appropriate educational experiences. In compliance with applicable law, Titus 2 Academy will make required notifications when a registered student withdraws or is expelled.
| DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURES Titus 2 Academy seeks to resolve concerns fairly and proportionately. Depending on the nature and seriousness of a violation, the school may provide notice, request corrective action, place a family on administrative review, restrict access to school services, or withdraw a student or family. Serious misconduct, threats, harassment, falsification of records, repeated noncompliance, or conduct creating legal or safety concerns may result in immediate withdrawal. Tuition and fees are nonrefundable when withdrawal results from failure to comply with school policies. |
| FAMILY WITHDRAWAL PROCEDURE A parent or legal guardian who chooses to withdraw a student from Titus 2 Academy must notify the Records Department at records@titus2academy.com. Families are responsible for submitting outstanding grades, attendance, or other records needed to close the student file. Titus 2 Academy will complete required notifications and process record requests in accordance with school policy and applicable law. |
| Criminal Background Check Policy Titus 2 Academy complies with Tennessee requirements regarding criminal background checks for school personnel. Background checks are required for employees and other individuals when required by applicable law based on their duties or contact with students. Parents or legal guardians teaching their own children through Titus 2 Academy are not considered school employees and are not required to undergo a background check solely because of their participation as parent-teachers. All background check information is maintained confidentially in accordance with applicable law. |
SECTION 05
TENNESSEE
TN Transfer Credit
Do credits transfer for home school students if they return to public school?
The State Board of Education of TN has approved rules for the transfer of credits for students enrolled in non-public or home schools. Students enrolled in a Category IV church-related umbrella home school or registered as independent home school students may be required to take placement tests when transferring to a public or non-public school. Because they are not home school students, students enrolled in an approved Category II or III accredited online school will receive transfer credit for work completed when transferring to a public school or a Category I, II, or III private school if the school from which the student is transferring supplies an appropriately certified transcript to the enrolling school.
TN Homeschool Graduation Requirements
• In Tennessee, there are no specific graduation requirements for homeschooled students. It’s up to you, the parents, to determine when your child has completed their high school education.
• Many homeschooling parents opt to stick with their state’s public school graduation requirements. Usually, this means students need to earn around 22 credits in subjects like English, math, science, and social studies.
• But as a homeschooler, you have the flexibility to set your own graduation requirements based on your child’s individual goals and abilities.
TN Attendance Policies
1. Titus 2 Academy complies with the requirement of T.C.A. § 49-6-3007 that the names, ages, and addresses of all pupils in attendance will be reported by the school to the director of schools of the public school district in which the student resides.
a) Titus 2 Academy complies with T.C.A. § 49-6-3007(e)(1) by also providing this written notice to the parent, guardian, or person having control of a student subject to compulsory attendance that the parent, guardian, or other person having control of the student, that they must monitor the student’s school attendance and require the student to attend school.
b) T.C.A. § 49-6-3007(d) requires keeping daily reports of attendance, verified by the teacher making the record, which shall be open to inspection at all reasonable times by the director of schools of the LEA in which the school is located, or the director’s duly authorized representative. Titus 2 Academy requires Grades and Attendance totals to be reported twice per school year (in January and June) in the G.A.P. Academic Portal. The attendance is to be entered in the system’s daily calendar.
c) This written notice hereby informs the parent, guardian, or other person having control of a student that a student who accumulates five (5) days of unexcused absences during the school year is subject to the LEA’s progressive truancy interventions and that continued unexcused absences may result in a referral to juvenile court. (NOTE: Every day, including days when the homeschooled student is sick or on vacation, can be counted as school days if any type of educational activities are being engaged in).
2. Titus 2 Academy ensures students entering Kindergarten have reached five (5) years of age on or before August 15 pursuant to T.C.A. § 49-6-201(b)(3), unless the principal or head of school finds through evaluation and testing, at the request of the parent or legal guardian, that a child who is five (5) on or before September 30 is sufficiently mature emotionally and academically to enter Kindergarten and the school has a policy permitting testing by the principal or head of school to obtain early admission to Kindergarten.
3. Compulsory attendance law applies to home school students until they reach seventeen years of age or complete high school and hold a high school diploma.
4. Titus 2 Academy requires families to maintain and document an operating schedule of at least 180 instructional days during the academic year and a minimum of 6.5 hours per day, in accordance with Tennessee law. Educational activities may include books, workbooks, hands-on learning, projects, field trips, physical activities, practical life skills, and other appropriate learning experiences.
5. Titus 2 Academy complies with T.C.A § 49-6-3009(k) by hereby notifying parents that failure to comply with the State of TN’s and Titus 2 Academy’s attendance policies may result in being withdrawn from the school with no refund. Additionally, the director of schools or the attendance supervisor in the LEA where the student’s home of record is located will be notified in the event that a student at Titus 2 Academy is expelled or withdraws from school.
SECTION 06
SOUTH CAROLINA
SC Option 3 Association Requirements
SECTION 59-65-47. Associations for home schools; requirements. (OPTION 3)
In lieu of the requirements of Section 59-65-40 or Section 59-65-45, parents or guardians may teach their children at home if the instruction is conducted under the auspices of an association for home schools which has no fewer than fifty members and meets the requirements of this section. Bona fide membership and continuing compliance with the academic standards of the associations exempts the home school from the further requirements of Section 59-65-40 or Section 59-65-45.
The State Department of Education shall conduct annually a review of the association standards to ensure that requirements of the association, at a minimum, include:
(a) a parent must hold at least a high school diploma or the equivalent general educational development (GED) certificate;
(b) the instructional year is at least one hundred eighty days;
(c) the curriculum includes, but is not limited to, the basic instructional areas of reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies, and in grades seven through twelve, composition and literature; and
(d) educational records shall be maintained by the parent-teacher and include:
(1) a plan book, diary, or other record indicating subjects taught and activities in which the student and parent-teacher engage;
(2) a portfolio of samples of the student’s academic work; and
(3) a semiannual progress report including attendance records and individualized documentation of the student’s academic progress in each of the basic instructional areas specified in item (c) above. By January thirtieth of each year, all associations shall report the number and grade level of children home schooled through the association to the children’s respective school districts.
SC Recordkeeping
Option 3 requires the association to ensure the parent keeps three things: a plan book or diary of subjects taught and activities engaged in, a portfolio with samples of the student’s academic work, and a semiannual progress report including attendance records and individualized documentation of progress in each basic instructional area. Option 1 carries the same records but points them outward: the semiannual progress report goes to the school district, students must have access to library facilities, and students participate in the annual statewide testing program, administered by a certified school district employee.
SC Homeschool Graduation Requirements
The statutes prescribe subjects rather than credits: reading, writing, mathematics, science and social studies, with composition and literature added in grades 7 through 12. No option imposes a high school credit list, so completion is determined by the parent, or by the association’s graduation requirements where the family has joined a program. Families aiming at the state scholarships described below should grade on the South Carolina Uniform Grading Policy, because the scholarship rules calculate GPA on that scale.
SC Attendance Policies
Parents or guardians shall cause their children or wards to attend regularly a public or private school or kindergarten of this State which has been approved by the State Board of Education or a member school of the South Carolina Independent Schools’ Association or some similar organization, or a parochial, denominational, or church-related school, or other programs which have been approved by the State Board of Education from the school year in which the child or ward is five years of age before September first until the child or ward attains his seventeenth birthday or graduates from high school. A parent or guardian whose child or ward is not six years of age on or before the first day of September of a particular school year may elect for their child or ward not to attend kindergarten. For this purpose, the parent or guardian shall sign a written document making the election with the governing body of the school district in which the parent or guardian resides. The form of this written document must be prescribed by regulation of the Department of Education. Upon the written election being executed, that child or ward may not be required to attend kindergarten.
SECTION 07
HOW TO CONTACT US
Our website includes information about Titus 2 Academy, our counselors, enrollment, payments, forms, and family resources.
| WEBSITE | titus2academy.com |
| SCHOOL EMAIL | info@titus2academy.com |
| PHONE | 931-442-5026 |
If you would like to speak directly to one of our counselors, here are their email addresses and Calendly links for scheduled phone calls.
The Homeschool Counseling Team
| RECORDS & WITHDRAWAL For withdrawals and records-related requests, contact records@titus2academy.com. |
TITUS 2 ACADEMY
Supporting families. Keeping records. Making homeschooling simpler.