All this anti-homeschooling rot is depressing me. And it’s not just about the dissolution of educational freedoms, it’s also an example of religious oppression. “All sides agree the children have thrived with home school,” but “[the mother's] lessons also have a religious slant, which the judge said was the root of the problem.” Mainstream science has an atheistic slant (although it is entirely unnecessary). How is it the right of the courts, or the government, to dictate a child’s education?

Before you start blaming our new president for this trend on the basis of supposed socialist tendencies, consider that Obama has remained relatively silent on the issue of homeschooling, except in his book, “The Audacity of Hope,” where he acknowledges that the decision to homeschool should be left up to families, and should be honored.

Of course, this situation is more complicated than just The Courts vs. The Family: it is the father, during divorce proceedings, who is objecting to the children’s homeschooling. And I’m not saying that he should not have a say in his children’s education — but the judge should rule on the basis of what is best for the children, not on the basis of perceived religious slant. If the father wants them to be taught something else, he should homeschool the kids himself when he has them (if he has joint custody), or hire a tutor if he can’t do it. If the kids are really testing “two years above their grade levels,” then it seems clear that that is a system which is working better than the public schools would.

To those, in positions of authority, who are remaking educational policies in this country: flight from religious persecution is how this country got started in the first place. Now, with a failing economy, an overseas war, and a low-level civil war raging over the issue of abortion, we have enough challenges here already. We don’t need a Handicapper General.

I don’t know how many of you out-there reading this blog will even care about this, but I feel that it is necessary nonetheless to bring it to anyone’s attention who hasn’t already seen it. I urge you please, please, to go sign the Petition to Request Depublishing of California Court Case In Re Rachel L.

From Wikipedia’s lovely article on the Legality of homeschooling:

“In California, homeschoolers must either a) be part of a public homeschooling program through independent study or a charter school, b) use a credentialed tutor, or c) enroll their children in a qualified private school (Such private schools may be formed by the parents in their own home, or parents may utilize a number of private schools which offer some kind of independent study or distance learning options). All persons who operate private schools in California, including parents forming schools just for their own children, must file an annual affidavit with the Department of Education. They must offer certain courses of study (generally similar to the content required in public schools, but described in one page rather than the hundreds of pages of scope and sequence requirements that public schools must follow) and must keep attendance records, but are otherwise not subject to any state oversight. There is no requirement in California that any private school teachers, whether the school is large or small, must have state credentials, although all teachers must be “capable of teaching”. On Feb. 28, 2008, the California Court of Appeals issued a ruling that effectively makes homeschooling (except for tutoring by certified teachers) illegal in the state of California. The ruling is being appealed to the Supreme Court of California, and the Home School Legal Defense Association is seeking to have the decision depublished.”

As both an ex-Californian and also someone who was home-schooled my entire life (’cept college, duhrrr), I’m taking this one pretty personally. I’d be the first to admit that home-schooling has serious challenges, but then, so does public schooling.

The driving force behind the case concerns a family where allegations of physical abuse of children was somehow linked to home-schooling. Because, as we all know, physical abuse can’t happen to children who attend public school. It certainly couldn’t affect children *at* public school. There are just drugs, gangs, shootings…

I’m not making the case that one option’s better than the other, because I’ve seen some bad effects of homeschooling, too. Criticism about religious indoctrination, poor socialization, and unbalanced emphasis on various subjects are not totally off the mark — but there are a lot of parents who are doing a bang-up job, and they shouldn’t be punished, and have their children’s education jeopardized or hindered by short-sighted legislation.

So please check out the info, sign the petition. If you have more questions, ask me. Objections? Let’s argue! But please, let people know that this is going on, because it is going to have a serious impact on thousands of parents and children in the state of California, and I think that this particular bit of legislation is trending in a dangerous, Brave New World kind of direction..