Homeschoolers' setback sends shock waves through state
FLOW
A California appeals court ruling clamping down on homeschooling by parents without teaching credentials sent shock waves across the state this week, leaving an estimated 166,000 children as possible truants and their parents at risk of prosecution.
The homeschooling movement never saw the case coming.
"At first, there was a sense of, 'No way,' " said homeschool parent Loren Mavromati, a resident of Redondo Beach (Los Angeles County) who is active with a homeschool association. "Then there was a little bit of fear. I think it has moved now into indignation."
The ruling arose from a child welfare dispute between the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services and Philip and Mary Long of Lynwood, who have been homeschooling their eight children. Mary Long is their teacher, but holds no teaching credential.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/07/MNJDVF0F1.DTL
In Germany homeschoolers are routinely imprisoned.See here as well.
Access: Public
education
May 2008
Thank you for posting this. Can you imagine? Homeschooling is here to stay. There are too many conscious parents with gifted kids who just can't get all their needs met in the public schools.
We home school our kids and I couldn't imagine the state deciding that we were not qualified to teach our children. I know many home schooling families and children. ALL the children I know are bright lights that learn in more creative ways than the 'big system' schools are willing to provide. The kids I know would suffer in a school environment that would hold them back.
There are so many children who are not getting what they need to grow; and homeschooling gives them opportunities they would not get otherwise.
where did this come from?