California Homeschool
Legal Challenge
Homefires Legal News
Here are the latest news stories provided by sources other than Homefires to help
you stay up-to-date on this important case that challenges the legality of homeschooling
in California.
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California court ruling about home schooling worries families
The appellate court in Los Angeles has ruled that people who teach children in private must have credentials, according to the Los Angeles Times Thursday.
The Wednesday ruling, if not reversed, would make California to have the most regressive law in the United States, said supporters of home schooling.
by Mu Xuequan
Home is not where the school is
While the ruling will be appealed, parents who homeschool their children are reacting to their uncertain future.
Even though I'm the daughter of a stellar public school teacher, I can't be alone in thinking that last line deserves a worthy retort. How many of the world's worst teachers have been credentialed by governing bodies? If credentials are all that matters, why do so many students in public schools fare so poorly?
Should homeschool teachers have credentials?
Homeschooling families are up in arms over a ruling last week by the California appellate court requiring homeschool teachers to have credentials.
Homeschoolers often choose to keep their children out of the public school system because they believe their religious values are not taught or respected there. Parents of children with learning disabilities sometimes find the traditional public school classroom ill-suited to their child's needs.
by Lois Kazakoff
California Court Decision on Homeschooling - No need to panic yet
The judges passed down their ruling based upon the California Constitution, not the United States Constitution.
Currently, the California education laws require that children between the ages of six and eighteen attend a state approved educational facility. However, this ruling does not ban homeschooling altogether.
by Nick Poma
Homeschoolers' setback in appeals court ruling
A California appeals court ruling clamping down on homeschooling by parents without teaching credentials sent shock waves across the state this week.
The homeschooling movement never saw the case coming. "At first, there was a sense of, 'No way,' " said homeschool parent Loren Mavromati, a resident of Redondo Beach (Los Angeles County) who is active with a homeschool association. "Then there was a little bit of fear. I think it has moved now into indignation."
by Bob Egelko and Jill Tucker
Dr. Dobson Outraged by California Ruling Banning Home Schooling
Focus chairman calls it an 'all-out assault on the family.' The 2nd District Court of Appeals ruling could affect up to 200,000 home-schooled students in the state.
"The court is guilty of an imperious assault on the rights of parents," said Dr. James Dobson, founder and chairman of Focus on the Family. "How dare these judges have the audacity to label tens of thousands of parents criminals - the equivalent to drug dealers or pickpockets - because they want to raise and educate their children according to their deeply held values?
by Jennifer Mesko
Religious Claim Doesn't Grant Homeschooling Right
Smith said California is the most restrictive state in the country.
"Ten percent or less would be able to homeschool under this interpretation," Smith said. "If a school district got hold of this opinion, they could attempt to drag a family into court."
by Sarah Pulliam
California court ruling limits some Barstow home school programs
BARSTOW -- A recent ruling by a California court might make it more difficult for Barstow parents to pursue education outside of the traditional school setting. Many programs are not affected by new credential requirement.
According to Ronda Sheffield, who tutors children in home school programs at Barstow Community College, a new requirement of parents to have teaching credentials to home school will create hardship for parents who teach their children at home. Other groups decried the ruling as a maneuver for the government to force home school students into public education. Loren Mavromati, spokeswoman for the California Homeschool Network, said that she doubts the ruling will stand if brought to the California Supreme Court.
by Jason Smith
California court: Home school parents must have teaching credential
A state appellate court ruling that says parents must have a teaching credential to home school their children has rocked home schoolers throughout the Golden State, and many expect the decision to be appealed to the California Supreme Court.
The controversial unanimous ruling by a three-judge panel in Los Angeles was triggered by a dependency court proceeding. Mary and Philip Long homeschooled their eight children through the Sunland Christian School, a private school that supports homeschooling through its independent study program.
by Dana Hull
Homeschooling Families Threatened by Court Ruling
Tens of thousands of parents could be subject to criminal sanctions after a California appeals court ruled parents do not have a constitutional right to homeschool their children.
"Are you kidding me?" said Kevin McCullough, conservative radio talk show host, on Thursday. Advocates for homeschooling families vowed to appeal the decision to the state Supreme Court.
by Nathan Black
Hey Teacher! Don't Leave Those Kids at Home.
California's 166,000 homeschoolers woke up last Friday to discover they were leading a life of crime:
California's home school policy was blurry and essentially unwritten until now, since the law simply states that all school age kids must attend a full time private or public school, or have a tutor with an formal teaching degree.
by Katherine Mangu-Ward
Petition to Request Depublishing of California Court Case In re Rachel L.
Please Sign this Petition to Support Homeschool Freedom in California
HSLDA will be formally petitioning the California Supreme Court to depublish the opinion. We would like to show that many other people, both in California and across the country, care deeply about homeschool freedom in California.
Children as the Tools of the State: Educational Bait-and-Switch
When parents object to political indoctrination aimed at their children by public school officials, the courts insist that they have no right to object because they "voluntarily" sent their kids to the public schools.
But when parents respond to such rulings by exercising their choice not to send their kids to a public school, but rather home-school them, the courts then switch arguments to claim that there really is no such choice, claiming that the State can prevent anyone who lacks State-approved teaching "credentials" from teaching children.
by Hans Bader
State Appellate Ruling, Parents That Home School Must Be Credentialed
In what promises to be a very controversial court ruling, the California State Appellate Court has issued a ruling that says that parents that wish to home school their children must have teaching credentials.
The appellate court ruling stems from a case involving Lynwood parents Phillip and Mary Long, who were repeatedly referred to the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services over various allegations, including claims of physical abuse, involving some of their eight children.
Homeschooling is NOT Imperiled in California
A recent California Court of Appeals case has been making some waves as the precursor to the end of homeschooling in this state.
Michelle Malkin, Susan Duclos of Wake up America, and Darleen Click at Protein Wisdom have all noted it and discussed the implications of the case with some degree of outrage. I admit, it sounds pretty bad the way the LA Times writes:
by Gabriel Malor
Are you kidding me, California is back to this? Really?
166,000 sets of parents in the state of California may be considered lawbreakers shortly. An appeals court has overturned lower court findings that empower parents to educate their children according to their sets of values, choices, and faith.
The judge in this case is likely to be a very sympathetic public education advocate, perhaps a former teacher or married to one. But good old fashioned "truancy" laws have not been even thought about being put back into place in recent years - and for good reason.
by Kevin McCullough
Court: Parents Must Have Teaching Credentials to Home School Kids
Noncompliance could lead to a criminal complaint against the parents.
Credentialing requirements in the state vary. To earn a five-year preliminary teaching credential, for example, requirements include earning a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university and completing multiple examinations.
Ruling seen as a threat to many home-schooling families
Parents who lack teaching credentials cannot educate their children at home, according to a state appellate court ruling that is sending waves of fear through California's home schooling families.
"This decision is a direct hit against every home schooler in California," said Brad Dacus, president of the Pacific Justice Institute, which represents the Sunland Christian School, which specializes in religious home schooling. "If the state Supreme Court does not reverse this . . . there will be nothing to prevent home-school witch hunts from being implemented in every corner of the state of California."
by Seema Mehta and Mitchell Landsberg
Parents of 166,000 students could face criminal charges
Brad Dacus of the Pacific Justice Institute said, "If not reversed, the parents of the more than 166,000 students currently receiving an education at home will be subject to criminal sanctions."
The decision from the 2nd Appellate Court in Los Angeles granted a special petition brought by lawyers appointed to represent the two youngest children after the family's homeschooling was brought to the attention of child advocates. The lawyers appointed by the state were unhappy with a lower court's ruling that allowed the family to continue homeschooling, and specifically challenged that on appeal.
by Bob Unruh
Home Schooling Found Unlawful by California Court of Appeal
In a stunning decision affecting thousands of families in California, the California Court of Appeal has issued an opinion finding no legal right to home school.
"Parents who fail to [comply with school enrollment laws] 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," wrote Justice H. Walter Croskey whose opinion was joined by the other two members of the appellate panel.
Follow Up -- Bad Decision by Second Appellate District of California
As many of you know, the Second Appellate District Court of Los Angeles handed down a very bad decision regarding a case involving a homeschool family.
California is now on the path to being the only state to deny the vast majority of homeschooling parents their fundamental right to teach their own children at home.
Court: No Constitutional Right to Educate Children at Home
Parents do not have a right to home-school their children under the California Constitution, and must comply with the state's compulsory education law even if they profess religious objections, this district's Court of Appeal has ruled.
Holding that a couple who had "enrolled" their children in name only in a private school while keeping them at home to be instructed by a parent who was not a credentialed teacher had violated the compulsory education law.
by Steven M. Ellis
Judges Want to Terminate Family's Homeschooling Rights
Phillip Long told NewsWithViews that he and his wife will probably appeal the decision to California's Supreme Court, since they've homeschooled all of their children, the oldest now 29, because of various anti-Christian influences in California's public
This latest court decision granted a petition brought by attorneys retained by so-called "child advocates" to represent the two youngest Long children after the family's homeschooling was brought to their attention. However, the Long's children did not have any say in their representation by these attorneys. While the lawyers claimed to be representing the interests of the children, they actually were representing the California education establishment.
by Jim Kouri
Fascist America - CA Judges Orders NO Homeschooling!
In a case that's almost guaranteed to have repercussions throughout the country, California appellate judges ruled that one family's children could not be homeschooled and must attend a government school or accredited private school.
One step closer to Nazi Germany is here ! With our Oligarchy system judges tell us how our children will be raised and educated, as judges are just an extended arm of the Federal Government. All are so corrupted now there is no hope of ever seeing any real justice or moral rulings.
by Jim Kouri
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Homefires will continue to monitor this situation and provide updates. For a
complete chronological list of updates to this case click here.
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