Tag Archives: homeschool

Injustice for Homeschools

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Author: R. Alan Harrop, Ph.D

Recently, the NC General Assembly passed significant additional funding of taxpayer money for the Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP) which provides stipends to parents who send their children to private schools. Some of the funding for this program comes from the budget for public schools, but most comes from new taxpayer money. The funding for the OSP has expanded significantly in the past couple of years and is justified as part of expanding school choice for parents. The scholarships vary from $3,300 to $7,400 per student each year. There is a serious problem with this program, and that is that parents who choose to home-school their children receive not one penny of assistance. How can our elected representatives claim to support school choice when they ignore homeschooled children who actually represent the highest number of non-public school students in North Carolina?

As someone who has had my own children in public schools, private schools and homeschooled, I can assure you that the sacrifice and commitment to the education of a child is greatest when homeschooling. According to the state Division of Non-Public Education, there are at least 158,000 home school students in North Carolina which is significantly more than the number of students in private schools. At the current rate of spending for each student in public schools of approximately $10,000 per year, theoretically, by homeschooling their children, parents are reducing the public school budget of $18 billion by over $ 1 billion per year. Home school parents not only have the expenses of typical school supplies, but also spend significant sums on home-school books and instructional material. They also have to pay for field trips and other educational activities that are free for public and private school students. Of course, the largest financial burden is foregoing employment so they can provide the home-school instruction.

Now it should be recognized that all families pay taxes that support the public school system which includes federal, state and local taxes regardless of which educational option they choose for their children. Home-school parents are the only ones who do not receive any of this taxpayer money to support their children’s education. I have been told that some home-school parents would be reluctant to accept state funds for fear of having educational requirements imposed. However, this objection could be easily handled by limiting/prohibiting the state from imposing such requirements and ultimately by making the reception of any funds voluntary. As far as student performance goes, Parentscience.com reports that homeschoolers score at least one grade level above public school students on 5 of 7 academic subjects tests.

It is past time that the General Assembly include home-schoolers in the OSP and correct this obvious injustice. They should also limit the issuing of scholarships to citizens only which is currently not the case. Failure to correct this situation will ultimately lead to a class action lawsuit by the parents of home-schoolers against the state. Seems well deserved. What is more American than allowing parents to educate their own children instead of exposing them to the woke agenda in most public schools. Freedom requires free choice.

Taking Away Religious Freedom And Parent’s Rights

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On September 13th, CBN News reported that the New York Department of Education is moving to force all private schools in the state to perform as public schools. The department is reevaluating a 125-year-old law that would require private schools to offer the equivalent instruction to students as required in public schools.

The article reports:

This means all private schools’ curriculum, scheduling, lesson plans, hiring standards, and reporting requirements would have to follow all regulations as required by the state for public schools. The new regulations would also give the power to local school districts to oversee and inspect private and parochial schools. If a school was found lacking in compliance with the proposed regulations, the school could be closed. 

The Pacific Justice Institute (PJI), a non-profit legal defense organization, represents Parents Union for Religious Integrity of Torah Education (PURITE). The parents and rabbis who sought PJI’s assistance practice ultra-Orthodox Hasidic Judaism. They have been training their youth in small religious schools known as yeshivas for thousands of years. The schools instruct in subjects such as math and English language while focusing primarily on the Torah and Talmud. 

PURITE notes that the proposed regulations would essentially outlaw their way of life and education. Parochial school leaders and homeschool families are also concerned about the suggested rules. 

PJI attorney Kevin Snider sent a letter last week to the New York Department of Education, which had been accepting public comment. Snider’s letter explains in some detail the conflict between Torah-based education and the goals of NY public schools.

This is the precursor to a move against homeschooling. Unfortunately the American public education system is failing the students. Many students who go to college are having to take remedial courses in English and mathematics before they can actually take a college course. Our children are graduating high school with no marketable skills and no practical life skills. The have been schooled in what to think, but not schooled in how to think. As parents realize that the public schools are failing their children, they are turning to other ways to educate their children.

The following chart shows the growth of homeschooling in America since 1970. People taking their children out of public school is a threat to the education establishment. We already know that children in Charter Schools, private schools and homeschooling do better than children in public school.  That is the reason the State of New York is going after private education.

Ultimately parents are responsible for raising and educating their children. That is a responsibility and right that the government is slowly infringing on.

Are They Being Denied Asylum Because They Might Vote Republican?

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PLEASE SEE THE UPDATE AT THE END OF THIS STORY!!!!!

America has allowed millions of illegal immigrants to stay in this country. The Obama Administration has made it easy for children who were brought here to get tuition breaks, temporary visas, and many things to allow them to remain in America. However, one family seeking asylum because they fear having their children taken away from them has been denied asylum by the Obama Administration. The family was originally granted asylum, but the Obama Administration then denied that asylum, and the family began a court battle to remain in America. The odd thing here is that the Obama Administration has spent a lot of resources fighting the original asylum decision, while at the same time loosening immigration laws for thousands of other people. It makes no sense. However, here is the story.

The Washington Post reported the story yesterday:

The Supreme Court on Monday (March 3) declined to hear an appeal from a family seeking asylum in the United States because home schooling is not allowed in their native Germany.

…HSLDA helped the Romeikes leave Germany in 2008 after they were threatened with jail time and losing custody of their children. The Romeikes are evangelical Christians, and say they should be allowed to keep their children home to teach them Christian values.

An immigration judge in Tennessee granted the Romeikes’ bid in 2010, but the Board of Immigration Appeals overturned the ruling in 2012, arguing that religious home-schoolers don’t face any special threats.

The family lost their appeal in federal court in May 2013. The U.S. grants safe haven to people who have a well-founded fear of persecution, but not necessarily to those under governments with laws that differ from those in the U.S., Judge Jeffrey Sutton wrote in the court’s decision.

“The German authorities have not singled out the Romeikes in particular or homeschoolers in general for persecution,” Sutton wrote.

We need to remember that parents should have the last word in the education of their children.

From the Home School Legal Defense Association Facebook (HSLDA)  page:

Today, a Supervisor with the Department of Homeland Security called a member of our legal team to inform us that the Romeike family has been granted “indefinite deferred status”. This means that the Romeikes can stay in the United States permanently (unless they are convicted of a crime, etc.)

This is an incredible victory that can only be credited to our Almighty God.

We also want to thank those of who spoke up on this issue–including that long ago White House petition. We believe that the public outcry made this possible while God delivered the victory.

This is an amazing turnaround in 24 hours. Praise the Lord.

Proverbs 21: 1 “The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord, He guides it wherever He pleases.”
~~Michael Farris

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Horrible Situations Should Not Result In Bad Laws

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The Democrats have been known to exploit the death of a child (or children) for political purposes, and what is currently happening in Ohio is the most recent example of that. A young man named Teddy was removed from public school by his mother to be home schooled and was later killed by his mother’s boyfriend. Now an Ohio Democrat is attempting to pass a law that would severely restrict home schooling.

The bill, Senate Bill 248 (SB 248), is nicknamed Teddy’s bill.

An article posted at a website called Media Trackers sheds a little light on what is going on–it lists the donors of Sen. Capri Cafaro‘s (D-Hubbard) campaign.

The article reports:

Sen. Cafaro is strongly supported by public employee unions, whose business model depends on government spending and especially on education spending. In 2012 alone, Cafaro’s campaign committee received:

SB 248 has not yet been assigned to committee. Both the Ohio Senate and Ohio House are controlled by Republicans.

This bill is a blatant example of money in politics used to encourage favorable legislation for the donators.

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