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| Homeschooling Parents |
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http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?pageId=57679
hey gals,
this is sending shockwaves through our homeschooling community.
elaine |
| Posted by mom on 03/04/2008 12:52 PM
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| This is NOT good and certainly a matter for prayer! |
| posted by Kelly on 03/06/2008 09:17 AM
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Yes, this is indeed a matter of prayer. It also contradicts itself if you ask me. In the first paragraph of the article, it states:
"We find no reason to strike down the Legislature's evaluation of what constitutes an adequate education scheme sufficient to promote the 'general diffusion of knowledge and intelligence,'" the court said in the case. "We agree … 'the educational program of the State of California was designed to promote the general welfare of all the people and was not designed to accommodate the personal ideas of any individual in the field of education.'"
Then, the article explains this:
"It's because the California Legislature and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger worked together to establish Senate Bill 777 and Assembly Bill 394 as law, plans that institutionalize the promotion of homosexuality, bisexuality, transgenderism and other alternative lifestyle choices."
Okay, first off, I want to state that I have nothing against ppl with a different sexuality than I do. That is there business & not mine. However, which of these statements are correct? California does not accommodate the personal ideas of any individual in the field of education or does it institutionalize the promotion of homosexuality, bisexuality, transgenderism and other alternative lifestyle choices ? Surely, the state can't think it can do both. Why, that doesn't even make sense!
From what I understand, Christians are of the population in California as well ppl of other beliefs. This is a religious issue as well as a homeschoooling issue. I can see this going to the supreme courts on religious grounds alone, & I hope the Long Family wins.
I believe this is a totally unconstitutional ruling & I hope the appeals process works like it should.
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| posted by Cassandra on 03/09/2008 09:17 AM
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| This may just be my depression talking but I'm thinking this is going to turn into a nightmare for California homeschoolers, and in turn, for the homeschoolers of the nation. Christians are in a time of persecution and this may just be another stone thrown at us. |
| posted by Kelly on 03/09/2008 10:42 AM
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kelly,
it is not your depression but mine! i am going to wait and see and keep my girls in regular (private) school for now. i don't want to go to jail or have my kids taken away! this is very frightening.
as for the other questions. from what i have read on all the homeschooler sites i recieve is that the JUDICIAL branch OVERTURNED what the legislative branch said. the governor is defending it because he homeschools his kids, BUT he may not be governor again.
there are so many rough areas of town that i cannot believe that they would enforce that all kids must go to be set up as target practice.
this is very scary but in the end i think people, especially in dangerous areas, are going to be ok. i just don't want to be made an example of while the ruling is on the side of the legislative branch (who by the way have not been in school themselves in years and if they have kids can surely afford private school).
this and other reasons, i think one day i want to move out of this state. i have had enough already. |
| posted by mom on 03/10/2008 06:28 AM
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Well, Mom, I hope everything works out for you. Just to put a bug in your ear though, if you do move to another state, come towards the Midwest, the homeschooling laws are a whole lot easier to deal with in this part of the country. (LOL) Take care & if you need help, give a yell. Take care.
~Cassandra |
| posted by Cassandra on 03/10/2008 10:41 AM
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cass,
believe me i have thought about it, and not just for that reason. it is so expensive here. but moving is so stressful.
elaine |
| posted by mom on 03/10/2008 11:52 PM
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I'm sorry but worldnetdaily isn't exactly known for giving a non-bias opinion.
I've been following this case with interest and what worldnetdaily "forgets" to mention is that the CHILDREN in this case had called CPS because their father was abusing them. The children's lawyer asked that they be put in a traditional classroom for their own protection. The family in question did *not* follow california law with regards to homeschooling.
The laws in California aren’t complicated at all. The law states that you have the following options:
1. Register with the state (meaning fill out the paperwork) to have your home school be declared a private school. Private school teachers are not required to be licensed with the state, as such, most homeschoolers choose this route.
2. Have a licensed tutor come into your home and educate your children.
3. Have your child enrolled in a California school’s satellite program where they work at home.
The family wasn't following any of these required methods.
What this family did was register their children with an online Christian curriculum that is NOT recognized as a “legal” California option. Instead of taking the time to fill out the paperwork to have the home be declared a valid private homeschool, they chose to stand their ground and say that homeschooling is a constitutional right, the judge disagreed.
The family in this case has given various reasons as to why they are homeschooling, saying things like they don’t believe in the policies of the public school system and now they are trying to make it a religious thing. Although the father has recently been in court saying that educating children outside the home exposes them to “snitches”. Snitches? What are they afraid of "snitches" for if he's not abusing them?
I don’t really care why they homeschool but it’s annoying to me that the press has taken what really is a private case (and really, an abuse case) and said it threatens all of California homeschooling law. The plain fact is: it doesn’t! The families who follow the law are in no danger of anything. And honestly, I would bet most of the people who don’t follow the law are also not really in danger because they aren’t going to be able to have a witch-hunt to find “illegal homeschoolers”. |
| posted by Talisman on 03/11/2008 01:37 PM
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tallisman,
a three judge panel made this ruling in general. it is all over the calif. homeschooling network, hsla etc. i did not repost the ruling due to copyright laws.
representatives as well as the gov. are seeking to overturn the ruling.
in a nutshell it states that unless you have a teaching credential (i have my cbest so i may be able to get away with it, i subsituted) you cannot teach your kids at home.
wnd actually did give proper info. they just opined in their own way.
and you are correct about phillip long as well. he has a history with child services (called something else, not cps in this area, can't remember the name) and the kids did tell on him. but for some reason the three panel judicial review board has applied this to all families FOR NOW.... |
| posted by mom on 03/11/2008 03:05 PM
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There are no privacy laws with regards to the ruling. The ruling is public domain and the court documents can be read here:
http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/opinions/documents/B192878.PDF
Here’s also part of the statement from the one of the homeschooling associations in California's legal team chairman:
I have been astonished about the hype about this case. So many have been making sensational claims that parents will be criminally prosecuted, etc.
Please rest assured about a number of things. First, the law, other than this court's interpretation, hasn't changed. Parents involved in a truancy prosecution might face criminal charges, but only after a rather lengthy series of hearings and court orders, and only if the parents failed to comply with the orders. It would be a criminal contempt charge, which isn't nothing but doesn't land you in Pelican Bay.
We have never known conscientious parents ever to be prosecuted under truancy laws to the point of contempt charges. It's highly unlikely.
The media also appear to be saying that no one can teach their children without a credential. I am not certain that the holding is that broad, and I also doubt it would survive legal challenge.
The holding really applied to private ISPs (there are persistent mistatements, that began with fact statements in the case, that the family was enrolled in a charter. Obviously a school with the name "Christian" in it wouldn't be a public charter. It was a private ISP). It could be read by someone reading broadly as applying to any situation where the child is not continuously in the presence of a credentialed teacher.
The court started on a very slippery path of appearing to think that some situations were OK and others weren't, effectively trying to enact an entire code of regulations for governing this situation from the bench. He hasn't been given the constitutional authority, of course, to do this.
--End Statement--
It is scary to me that a judge feels he can make this sort of statement regarding state law over what is, really, an abuse case. However, even the California Homeschooling "higher ups" are saying that people need to not panic and that what has happened is being blown out of proportion. |
| posted by Talisman on 03/11/2008 03:14 PM
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Homeschooling parents SHOULD be outraged but not for the reason everyone thinks. We all know the saying "one bad apple ruins the bunch", well this is a case of the apple ruining the bunch! It doesn't happen often but once in a while someone uses homeschooling as a guise to abuse their children. Most of us are true, real homeschoolers who follow the law (regarding home education and abuse) and love our children dearly and DO NOT abuse them.
If the state hadn't become involved and hadn't stepped in I would have been far more concerned.
Talisman is correct, this is not a homeschooling case it's an abuse case that involves a homeschooling family. Furthermore, while I'm all for one's right to live and educate as freely as they wish, a person cannot call foul when they are caught violating the law. If you don't like the law where you live fight to change it, move, be smart enough to stay off the radar (which would mean not abusing your kids)...but don't start crying to the HSLDA when you're not following the law.
By the way, have you ever read the HSLDA's application? Chances are they wouldn't take 80% of the people who read this board as members. By their own admission they represent 5% or less of the estimated 1 million homeschooling families in the USA. WHY do we allow them to have such power when they represent so few? They're great about raising the flag but by their own application rules they wouldn't have represented this family. |
| posted by Meg - HandsNotFull! on 03/11/2008 03:44 PM
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| from what i have read hslda is NOT getting involved in this case (for the long family) but is only involved on behalf of the homeschoolers in california who this affects. i am monitoring the boards pretty closely. everyone agrees, inclusing hsdla that this is an abuse case. |
| posted by mom on 03/14/2008 04:05 AM
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