ADHDFamilies

On February 28th 2008 Judge H. Walter Croskey of the Second District Court of Appeals ruled that children from the ages of 6 to 18 may be taught only by credentialed teachers in public or private schools - or by parents at home if, and only if, those parents are accredited instructors.

Judge Croskey cited a California state law which goes back to the 1950’s in his decision.

The ruling has enraged many parents, home school advocacy groups and notable politicians, such as California State Superintendent of instruction Jack O’Connell and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, both of whom are calling for this ruling to be overturned.

Governor Schwarzenegger has gone as afar as to state that “Parents should not be penalized for acting in the best interests of their children’s education. This outrageous ruling must be overturned by the courts and if the courts don’t protect parents’ rights then, as elected officials, we will.”

All of this stems from a child abuse and neglect accusation in which one of 8 children of a Los Angeles Couple filed a complaint of neglect and abuse with the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services, who asked the court to order the children to attend a certified scholl so that they could be evaluated for signs of abuse. the first court denied the request, citing that the parents had a constitutional right to home school their children. Judge Croskey disagreed with this ruling as stated in California State Law.

At the end of all of this there is going to be a massive change in home school legislation. I honestly believe that if the Superior Court of California upholds this ruling it will be tried next in the U.S. Supreme court.

While I do not home school my kids, I do believe every parent has a right to do so if he or she chooses to do so and is willing to follow the regulations. As a parent who has dealt with California schools over issues with special needs children, I can fully understand the need for some parents to go the route of home schooling. This ruling stands to undermine the opportunity to give these kids the best education that their parents can provide.

Simply put, it’s wrong.

For more information on this subject, or to sign the petition to have this ruling overturned, please visit Reverse The Ruling - Homeschoolers Unite.