[Elspode]

Private school is definitely *not* an option. My income was cut in half this past year. Living indoors is almost a luxury. Changing schools, at least in this part of the country, would require a change of residence. Schools in the KC area actively prevent students from attending across boundaries, specifically because so many families would send their kids away from bad environments into better ones.

I am most definitely *not* going to make him change his appearance. Okay, dieting isn't such a bad idea, but the boy really isn't what normal people would call "fat". He simply isn't a muscleboy, or a heroin waif. He is, however, a full head taller than most of the kids who screw with him, and he outweighs them by 50 pounds, so it is kind of too bad that this isn't 50 years ago, when you *could* settle things by kicking someone's ass and thereby earning, if not their respect, their avoidance.

Wolf, we are already dialed into the Pagan homeschooling network. We have a good Pagan friend here locally who homeschooled three children all the way up to college. All were accepted at major universities, BTW. She is even writing a book about it, and is probably well-known on that list you mentioned. She is an invaluable resource to us right now.

I appreciate all of the input, folks. Believe me, we've thought of all of the things you've mentioned, and we are a bit leery of the path we are choosing at the moment (that of keeping him in school with some sort of accomodation for his safety), but in the meantime, we are creating a curriculum for his homeschooling. My wife homeschooled his older brother for two years, and so she knows what to do. She has also served as a teacher in a children's residential psych care center, as well as being an honors graduate from her university, so we can do the job.

It is finding the time to do a *good* job that will be challenging.