What do you think of the California Judge Ruling that parents do not have the right to home-school ?

Question

According to Judge Walter Croski, parents do not have the constitutional right to home school their children. In the state of California there are about 160,000 children home schooled. Califonia teaching requirements say you must have a Bachlors Degree and pass a battery of test given by the state in order to be a teacher. The Judge also wants anyone who is not Califonia Certified teacher and homeschools their children to face stiff penalties.

Answer 1

As the education reporter for The Oakland Tribune, I'd also like to know what East Bay home schoolers think about the ruling, and how it will affect them.

I posted an entry about the issue this morning on the Tribune's education blog, and you are welcome to weigh in:

http://www.ibabuzz.com/education/2008/03...

Answer 2

Just more encroachment by the govt. to control your lives from the cradle to the grave.

They don't want your kids to have all those ideas about freedom and inalienable rights and stuff so send them to state sponsored education camp.

Funny how you can have a Masters Degree and are not "qualified" to teach first grade. WTH?

Answer 3

I have school age kids and the outside influence is hard. But I choose to send my kids to public schools. Education is a valuable and personal thing. It is the parent right and responsiblity to ensure that their children have the best education possible. So if a parent chooses to homeschool, that is their right.

Answer 4

I think that this is getting abit blown out of proportion, however, all it takes is one legal precedent to stand and we'll see all kinds of laws making it harder to hs or taking it away entirely.

I have a few family members that don't like the fact that I hs my kids, but this is what I tell them.

If I told you that everyday I put my children in an environment that is:

1)Teaching them things contrary to the upbringing I have for them at home, even going so far as to undermine my authority entirely as a parent..

2)Exposing them to violence either against themselves or others on a regular basis...

3)Exposing them to pornographic conversations and materials even at the elementary level (and this actually happened when my 1st grader came home asking what a certain part of the female anatomy was)

4)Detrimental to their safety because they are NOT properly supervised at all times



And yet they want me to put them in public schools where I've witnessed every single one of these things with my own eyes.

Answer 5

I think its ignorant.Anyone should have the right to homeschool diploma or not.

Answer 6

I defiantly do not agree with the ruling. Parents should be allowed to home school. It doesn't take a degree to have the ability to teach. It's not for everyone, but certainly they have the sense to know if they can or cannot home school. It should be up to the parents.

Answer 7

I agree with it 100%. I do not agree with homeschooling at all.

Answer 8

It only applies to one family right now.  Don't incite panic that is unmerited.  Schools in California are freaking out right now at the loss of students to alternative educational programs, that is anything that pulls money from the public payrolls of the institutions.  Last year our local district started charging parents for lost days of school and taking students to court who missed more than 3 days!!   Enrollment was down 20% this year due to homeschool and charter schools so they had to give pink slips to some teachers and they are feeling the crunch and want our kids back!  It will never happen.

Consult hslda.org for more info.

The fact remains that there are many school districts that have waived the requirement that substitutes pass the CBEST, and have waived the minimum hours of college credit requirement!

Combine this with the fact that uncredentialed, high school only graduates can substitute 29 consecutive days in

the same classroom, miss day thirty and come back for 29 successive days--which they do regularly for maternity leaves and you realize that the public schools are not providing credentialed teachers.

You should pass this information on to the appropriate people--if the state is not enforcing the rule within public schools, it cannot enforce it in private schools. In essence, the lack of compliance and non-enforcement in the public schools means that it is not actually a law.

Answer 9

I think it's great! About time! And now all the other states will have similar laws. Kids need to have a decent education and you know many parents are not qualified to teach anything.

Answer 10

I think it is bullsh*t

I do not home school my own children but, I believe parents should have that option and with the new restrictions it will be impossible for a lot of people to continue to homeschool.

I have never met a kid that was homeschooled that was not very intelligent.

Why coundn't they just leave it alone..................

Answer 11

Nonsense, sheer nonsense.  This one is on it's way to the Supremem Court if need be, and especially since the HSLDA - Homeschool Legal Denfense Association is on it.

BTW, I do homeschool, am a certified teacher, and while working in the Public Schools decided to get out and wanted to homeschool.  But, as another person said in a previous question about this, certified is basically traffic control.  (I can't remember who or which question this came from, but I sure liked it.)  Certified does not equal learning.  Period.  If it did, the kids that are homeschooled that were taught by their uncertified parents would not score better than the public school kids who are taught by the professionals on standardized tests, right?

Answer 12

I am not an anti-government person.  I think there are rules and regulations that we must all follow.  However,  every time I am  watching the news and reading the paper I see the government slowly taking away our rights as a person.  It is being done little by little.  They start on the stuff that the population as a whole doesn't need to address. The minority of a group gets hurt first.  But little by little they slowly are taking our rights away.  Before long we will have to register what church we go to.  Or get permission to buy a new car or home.  I think that as an American we have the right to teach our children the way we want them taught.  It is just another way of creeping in an controlling our rights.  Once this California law takes hold if it does, it won't be long before it sweeps into other states.

Answer 13

This is probably the sixth time this has been posted here in Y!A HS'ing forum in the last 24 hrs.

I mentioned in another reply that I have a HS'ing friend in CA whose father is a state judge in CA.  Here is his take on the case:

Subject:  Second appellate court decision (from Dad)

Date:  Thu, 6 Mar 2008 15:14:40 -0800 (PST)

My quick take on scanning this decision is that it is not that

critical. As I see it, the decision is a remand back to the lower court to do some additional fact finding. My interpretation (although not my area of expertise) was that the appellate level simply didn't like the Juvenile Court simply taking a hands off approach by saying that home schooling was a constitutional right. In my opinion the court in this decision  is simply saying that it is within the jurisdictional ability of the Juvenile Court to disallow home schooling under certain circumstances. I will admit it seems to give  broad brush to the case authority but procedurally it is also a result of a Writ. Although some sentences are troubling I think that the best way to read this is that the lower court said "we can not decide this case as a matter of law" and the Appellate court is sending it back saying "yes you can decide this as a matter of law".  Just my thoughts.

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I also said this is another case of HSLDA doing their "Chicken Little" thing they are so famous for.  I know I'll get thumbs down for saying HSLDA isn't a HS'ers hero, but it's my opinion.  Here's a good site for info about HSLDA:

http://hsislegal.com/

HSLDA is NOT HS'ing "insurance".

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Answer 14

I'm a little conflicted about this. I believe that home-schooling children is doing a real disservice both to them (in quality of education and socialization) and to society (by raising a generation of people with an unhealthily narrow and one-sided view of life). But I also dislike the idea of government being involved in the personal lives of people to that degree.

But I think I have to say that I feel better about the government involvement than I do about a disproportionately large number of David Koreshes and Ted Kaczinskys infesting society in 15-20 years.

Answer 15

Then this judge is an idiot. He obviously cannot see the failures behind "some" public schools and enjoy infringing on the rights of others. If this is true than he should be fired as a judge.

Have him watch Jaywalking with Jay Leno and see how smart those kids are that try to answer Jay's questions but fail 95% of the time. Yep, public schools are sure working.

Let's not forget about the principal in Los Angeles a few days ago that kidnapped a 13 year old student and took her home to molest her. Yep, this moron judge must feel that public schools are also safe as well.

I am a home schooling parent and my education and safety record is far better than any public schools. If this law took effect in my state I would resort to packing up and running before I turn our children over to the hands of public schools or accredited idiots.