Homeschooling ban?
I became aware of this via an Overlawyered post, but many others have written about it as well. According to the Los Angeles Times, a recent ruling by a California state appeals court holds that parents, unless they have teaching credentials, cannot home-school their children; a result that could make criminals of the parents of as many as 166,000 children.
Here are links to comments on this by Michelle Malkin; by Katherine Mangu-Ward in Reason online; by the Pacific Justice Institute, who are defending the parents in the case in question; by Darleen Click at “protein wisdom“; and by Hans Bader at OpenMarket.org.
I personally support the option of homeschooling (even if it allows creationist fundies to raise another generation in appalling ignorance), because of the frequent failures of the American public school system (see here), the Left’s ideological hegemony over the education schools that produce the teachers, the tendency to leftist political indoctrination that I’ve seen, and my own (unpleasant) public school experiences. Thus, I find this ruling rather worrying. Will we be going the way of Germany?
Tags: Appeals Court, ban, California, Home schooling, ruling
March 7, 2008 at 10:00 am
CA law makes no allowance for homeschooling. The law requires kids to attend daily at a private school or public school. Your home can be a private school, which is how you “homeschool” in CA. Private schools do not have to follow any state accreditation rules for the teachers. This family had not registered as a private school, thus they do not get the benefit of how the law is written. The law may suck, but the law is the law. It’s really not that hard to homeschool in CA. They chose not to follow rules, and now they are paying the consequences.
The family in question has a long and documented history of problems with child & family services. Their 14 year daughter ran away TO A POLICE STATION 2 years ago seeking protection from her abusive father. The facts are well documented online.
The family tried to hide behind homeschool laws that don’t exist in CA and got called on it, so now they are crying religious persecution. There is no threat to homeschooling in CA. This is mostly a child welfare case being blown out of proportion by right wing interest groups with an axe to grind.
March 7, 2008 at 8:58 pm
California Court Criminalizes Home Schoolers.
This is a direct attack on parents God given right to direct the education and welfare of their own children. California has effectively taken ownership of every child in the state and told parents they have no say whatsoever in how their children are …
March 7, 2008 at 9:31 pm
[...] Links–Michelle Malkin; Right Voices; FullosseousFlap;Dan Lee Report; PoliGazette; Sierra FaithTwisted One 151; Oblogatory Anecdotes - Because Everyone Is Entitled To My [...]
April 4, 2008 at 7:31 am
[...] to the state” John Stossel has an editorial on the California homeschooling issue, in which he points out some chilling elements to the decision: A California appellate court, [...]