Home Schooling in California

Well, it seems that all of California's home schoolers are in an uproar over this decision. The decision bans all homeschooling, even the school district sponsored ISP program that my children are involved in.

"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." (Read the whole SF Chronicle story here.)

Here is a link to the Court of Appeals decision.


Below is the letter I sent to the Governor today:

Dear Governor,

On Feb 28 the California Court of Appeals in Los Angeles banned homeschooling. This is of great concern to me because I was home schooled, as is one of my sons (as part of my local school district's ISP).

Specifically, the following items in the opinion are very grievous to me:

1. The opinion says "...parents do not have a constitutional right to home school their children." I hold that it is a natural right to educate my children. California didn't give them to me. God did. The state should not attempt to abridge it.

2. Three of the reasons the court gave for saying home schooling should not be allowed are three of the four reason I choose to home school my kids.

3. There is in the decision a bias in favor of state credentialed teachers. It is my firm belief that schools of education, where teachers earn their certification are enemies of morality and incubators of Marxist and atheist thought. I do not want my children exposed to teachers produced by those schools.

4. "Parents who [do not enroll their children in schools with credentialed teachers, or hire credentialed tutors] may be subject to a criminal complaint against them, found guilty of an infraction, and subject to imposition of fines or an order to complete a parent education and counseling program." Of the entire disgusting and reprehensible and vile decision it is this last part that makes me tremble with anger. The very idea of the state daring to instruct parents in the subject of raising children is so over the top that I can barely contain my vitriol. Not only is it abhorrent and beyond any semblance of right government, but is stinks of Communist re-education efforts. Who is the state to tell me what I can think? May God damn that court and its judges.

I will not comply.

Respectfully.

Matt Karnes