One would hope that things could never go that far in the U.S. Yet many are fighting to remove — or at the very least, seriously curtail — the right of American parents to homeschool their children.

Hopefully, the situation in Germany will be turned around soon, as well. I empathize with these dedicated German parents and pray that the German authorities will come to their senses in the very near future — perhaps through international pressure — and stop persecuting the families whose parents work hardest to provide a quality educational experience for their children.

Jeanne

What a shame that homeschooling is outlawed in Germany! This sad fact has resulted in the “legal” harrassment and break-up of close-knit, caring families through fines and imprisonment of homeschooling parents (whose only crime is the desire to do what’s best for their children) and forced removal of children from their homes. That’s an abuse of these families’ basic human rights.

The plight of the Gorber family is a case-in-point. Six of the Gorbers’ eight children (their ninth is on the way) were removed from their home in January and placed in foster care and youth homes as a result of homeschooling, and they’ve only just regained custody of their three-year-old son this week after a chaotic six-hour Family Court hearing. At that hearing, the judge refused to return the other five Gorber children to their parents until the parents undergo a psychological evaluation–despite the fact that the children have already been evaluated and found to be well-adjusted. (These children have been in state custody in excess of six months.)

Another German couple, the Dudeks, were each sentenced to three months in jail for homeschooling. (Read the details of these distressing stories at the HSLDA website: German Court Keeps Five Kids Because Parents are Homeschoolers.)

In light of the varying degrees of persecution of homeschoolers around the globe, Ulla, your question about whether or not parents are executing their educational duties is a powerful and timely one. It’s certainly true that many parents ignore their children’s educational needs in the home environment. Yet, as long as they dutifully send their children off to school each day, everything is fine — with the authorities, at least. Yet, in cases such as the German ones mentioned above, homeschooling parents are being harrassed precisely because they are willing to execute their educational duties to their children. Homeschooling is no easy task; it takes real dedication and self-sacrifice — particularly for parents of families with multiple children, such as the Gorbers. What a terrible shame it is that any government would persecute parents for giving their all to educate their children.

Jeanne

Alina

Activist judges in California are attempting to rewrite the CA Education Code by reading more into it than it actually states. Since no provision is made in the Code for homeschooling, per se, it falls under the purview of Private School regulations — and, in fact, homeschooling families are required to file a Private School Affidavit each year they intend to homeschool.

As such, the state has no say in the specific minimum skills, credentials, etc., that homeschooling parents must possess other than the single, broad requirement the Code allows for private schools, which states that the instructor must be “a person capable of teaching.”

California families have other options for meeting the state’s compulsory education laws, such as hiring a private tutor (who must be certified), enrolling in an independent study program offered by the Public School system, or enrolling in a satellite program offered by a private school. However, none of these options — including registering as a private school — requires that the parent possess a teaching credential.

Anyone interested in further information on this topic — or anyone who would like to keep up with the California case — will find a great deal of information at the Homeschool Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) website.

You’re right that homeschooling parents everywhere should be concerned, because legal precedents can have far-reaching effects, even on those whom they don’t directly affect at the time they are set.

Thanks for letting me sound off on behalf of homeschoolers!

Jeanne