Three Immediate Dangers to Home Education

1. Virtual Schools
2. Charter Schools
3. Our Boundryless Courts

Virtual School - Electronic connection between the teacher and student

Charter School - A public school operated by a private board. All rules of public schools must be followed, including teacher certification, text book rules, and mandated testing.

Our Boundryless Courts - Today our courts ignore USA historical precedents, support their rulings citing the laws and constitutions of other countries, ignore the US Constitution, ignore the Constitutional limitations placed on the courts.

Kansas passed a Virtual School bill. In that bill they did not differentiate on the money between students enrolled in a Charter School with desks, books, teachers, buildings, etc. and those students, who remained at home. The cost for the student in the classroom in their Charter school was similar to the costs for a public school student. The cost for the student in the Virtual school was much less. Let's say they were paid $5,000/ year for each student. Assume the Charter school student costs them $4,200 per year. They make $800 for the year. Now let's assume that a Virtual school student costs them $1,200/ year. For that student they make $3,800 per student per year. How many of those students do you want? How much can you spend advertising to get those students?

In Alaska we have seen the impact of Charter Schools. Initially they were not called Charter schools, but in fact that is increasingly how they are operated. Families that initially were allowed to purchase any curriculum with their state supplied money today must only buy state approved curriculum. The word Bible, Christian or God in the name of the publisher or on the book means those books are not acceptable. When an Alaskan home schooler accepted State money, their home became an extension of the public school. They must operate under their "Charter."

Our Boundryless Courts stray from our Constitution increasingly. Robert Reisch, the Secretary of Education under Clinton, in his work at Stanford has developed a new theory of educational rights. Understand that historical cases about home schooling before the courts have been frequently decided by referring to "parental rights." Now the Constitution does not specifically name parental rights, but these rights are deduced from concepts in the Constitution. But now Mr. Reisch has published a theory of the three legged educational rights stool, parental rights, the child's rights, and the state's rights. As cases work their way through the courts of today addressing parental rights to control the education of their children, it is not far fetched to believe that some judge will cite Reisch's "Three Legged Stool" approach to educational rights.

Should this happen and an appeal be made to our highest court in the land, what will our current Supreme Court find? In Germany they will find there is no home education. If caught parents are fined and their children are taken away. All who live in Germany and want to home school move out of the country. Will they cite that European model?

It is entirely possible that 3 justices will reject parental rights in education because of their liberal bent and 2 may reject it because of their conservative bent. The liberals because "it takes a village." The conservatives because "parental rights" are not specifically enumerated in the Constitution. The words are not there. So on a 5-4 vote parental rights in education, which is the basis of many of the victories of home schoolers could be lost.

Are you paying attention?

Don't let your rights to control the education of your children be taken from you.

Personally I believe that God created everything that exists in 6 evening and morning type days; that God assigned for me to love my wife; that our children are a gift from this Creator God; that they are no accident, but a perfect gift for our situation; that all men need a Savior; and that only Jesus Christ can possibly save anyone.

You may not wish to teach your children such things. I do. In a free country we should both be able to teach the children under our care as we desire. We should be able to direct our children's education.

When they are mature, let's say at age 12, they begin to make their own choices, decide on their own values, and choose their direction in life. From birth to adulthood they move from being 100% dependent on their parents to being 100% independent of their parents. Parents can then enjoy an adult to adult relationship with their children. Much wisdom is required as the child moves from dependency to being independent.

We'll talk more about that later.