Homeschooling and Parental Rights Under Attack in California

Homeschooling and Parental Rights Under Attack in Californiaby Chris Banescu –

Declaring that “parents do not have a constitutional right to home school their children,” the Second District Court of Appeal for the state of California recently issued a ruling that effectively bans families from homeschooling their children and threatens parents with criminal penalties for daring to do so. According to the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) this court decision has made “almost all forms of homeschooling in California” a violation of state law. Once again our judicial system moves to restrict religious and personal liberties, severely limit parental rights, and significantly increase the power, scope, and control of the state over our lives.

There are approximately 166,000 homeschooled children in California. With the stroke of a pen the appellate court criminalized the lawful educational choices of tens of thousands of innocent families across the state, subjected them to possible fines, and labeled their children as potential truants. This activist court chose to bypass the will of the people and legislated from the bench based on anecdotal evidence and its own clearly biased and subjective opinions about the constitutionality of parental rights and the quality of a homeschooled education. [Read more…]

A Hard Lesson on Home Schools

Homeschool your children, better education for themby Chris Banescu
This June, my wife and I had the privilege of attending the high school graduation ceremonies of several home-schooled youngsters. These events not only impressed us with references to Christian traditions, family values, and heavenly music; they opened our eyes and hearts to the possibility of home schooling. Student after student spoke with such eloquence, maturity, and depth of spirit, that many times tears flowed freely both on stage and in the audience.

Like most parents, my wife and I want to provide our daughter with the best possible education. So despite the fact that she is still too young for elementary school, we have given considerable thought to the various choices. While originally home schooling was not our favored option, the graduation ceremonies piqued our interest. [Read more…]