California law says homeschooling parents better listen up or head to prison.
Homeschooling your kids in California? How do you feel about teaching times tables at San Quentin? A state appellate court has ruled that parents must have teaching credentials or risk facing criminal charges.
The ruling caught most homeschoolers off-guard, and now people are freaking out. Homeschool Association of California advised parents not to panic and The Homeschool Legal Defense Association called it "the most regressive law in the nation" and promised to appeal. Do you think the new law is absurd or important to the education of homeschooled students?
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Yes, I think it is terrible! Parents have the right to raise their children the way they see fit. What else are they planning on legislating? Teaching credentials from a specific school? Unusual subjects? Pro-gay certification? Requiring teaching on evolution? Ridiculous.
- J. Minnesota
Homeschooling is being challenged for faulty reasons. The need for certification has never been established, particularly in light of the almost universal success by home educators. The rare problem or deviant can easily be addressed through existing Family Services regulation and agencies in any state. This decision,in its broad application, is clearly outside the public charge. It speaks of personal vindictive reaction and special interest, not from evidence and justice. Fix, I say, the existing problems of public education, as good as it certainly is, and leave the parents who choose to educate their children outside the public system to their work.
- B DiGennaro
Absurd! What is this - a police state? What happened to freedom?
- Stacy Campbell
I disagree. Why should teachers have to have credentials but any parent can do whatever they want in the name of “homeschooling.” We should protect kids and give them the best education we can. Not every homeschooling parent is doing the best for their child.
- Anonymous
This law is about one family (maybe). If you have children in the school system you realize a degree does not make you a good or effective teacher. I don’t home school but want to keep my options open. If your child falls through the cracks or is in danger at school it is imiportant to be able to home school. California’s don’t have faith in the public school system. Most of their kids are in private schools. I’d like to see the drop out rate for homeschooler opposed to the local high school.
- Susan
That new law is an insult to parents. Parents should be allowed to educate their children in any manner seen fit. I have been looking into homeschooling my children, because they are falling thru the cracks in public school. I believe that as long as you have a diploma from a high school, then you should be able to teach your own children. Not everyone has the resources or time to go out and get a teaching degree. The gov’t. needs to stay out of it. They should fix problems w/ public schools instead so that so many parents like me wouldn’t have to pull our children out of school to begin w/.
- melwagner
That new law is an insult to parents. Parents should be allowed to educate their children in any manner seen fit. I have been looking into homeschooling my children, because they are falling thru the cracks in public school. I believe that as long as you have a diploma from a high school, then you should be able to teach your own children. Not everyone has the resources or time to go out and get a teaching degree. The gov’t. needs to stay out of it. They should fix problems w/ public schools instead so that so many parents like me wouldn’t have to pull our children out of school to begin w/.
- melwagner
That new law is an insult to parents. Parents should be allowed to educate their children in any manner seen fit. I have been looking into homeschooling my children, because they are falling thru the cracks in public school. I believe that as long as you have a diploma from a high school, then you should be able to teach your own children. Not everyone has the resources or time to go out and get a teaching degree. The gov’t. needs to stay out of it. They should fix problems w/ public schools instead so that so many parents like me wouldn’t have to pull our children out of school to begin w/.
- melwagner
I cannot believe that 3 liberal judges made this sweeping decision that will affect so many people!! The case was about ONE family and not about all the other CA. homeschoolers. They should of stuck to the facts of the case and decided it based on that family FOR that family! Homeschooling is a very viable option and has been around longer then the public school system. If you look back in history you will see many great men and women who were, in fact, homeschooled. Public school does not hold the trump card on how to educate children.
- Lesley
Every homeschooling family I know have been part of a homeschooling organization that holds them accountable for the school work the kids work on. They have to send in worksheets, reports, and tests, and have a required amount of hours they have to spend doing school/work. Maybe it’s just in my state, but I assume that other states are the same when it comes to these requirements. My best friend homeschooled both of her kids all the way through high school. They received a far better education than I did when I was their age going to public schools. (I also might mention that they are both now college grads, who graduated with honors.) Is homeschooling for everyone, no. Are all families who do it good at it, no. (my question would be, who is holding them accountable?) We need to protect our children and their futures, but there are just some things that should stay moral issues, and not legal ones. I’ve known a lot of terrible teachers who’ve been teaching for years with a degree (who hasn’t?). I’ve also known a lot of amazing teachers, who did not have a degree in education at all (and have seen them change lives). Should we hold these families accountable? Yes. But making them have a degree, doesn’t make them a good teacher.
- Ginny
This is not a law. This is a ruling in one case. The way most of us homeschool in CA is to create a private school following the education code for California. Nothing is new.
- Amy
Wow…worksheets, reports and tests? Who is teaching these parents what “best practice” is? I would definitely say that this ruling is over more than one case. I am admittedly not a fan of homeschool but this does make sense.
- MGaddis
This ruling goes beyond homeschooling. It is about control. For every child not enrolled in the public system, the districts do not receive money from the state for that student. There are many who feel that the government should dictate the education of each child. And what is high on the list of issues to teach? Homosexuality is a good option…we all evolved from the ooze and have no meaning in life, etc. As our freedoms to educate our children shrink, so also is the threat of what we are allowed to teach or not teach. Can you imagine private Christian or other religious schools being told that they cannot teach their own doctrines because that constitute a hate crime?
- diana
Parents should have the right to educate their children as they see fit. This ruling is simply about control, gross misinterpretation of the law, and dicta on the part of the judge. Deplorable.
- Tammy
I don’t agree with California’s new law. We completely homeschooled our child from beginning to graduation. College’s aggresively saught his attendance and the college he choose gave him a fabulous scholarship. There are parents both homeschooling and non-homeschooling, that do their best for their children and that don’t do their best for their children. This is legal control not an interest in what’s best for the children affected.
- Regina
