Posted on 01/27/2011 5:20:12 PM PST by metmom
Brenda Voydatch leafs through her daughter’s school books inside her single-story home in Meredith, New Hampshire.
“These are her math and science books,” she says.
Like many parents who home-school, Voydatch believes in the importance of teaching the basics of reading and writing. But she also believes in the importance of a religious education.
“I believe it’s a parents fundamental right to teach a child the beliefs within their home,” she says as she looks up at the painting of Jesus holding a child. “I believe that’s every parent’s right.”
It was that religious education that led to her ex-husband’s objections. It also led to a New Hampshire judge to order Brenda’s 11 year-old daughter Amanda to attend public school.
It’s an order her attorney, John Anthony Simmons, calls a clear Constitutional violation.
(Excerpt) Read more at liveshots.blogs.foxnews.com ...
The keyword for the FREE REPUBLIC HOMESCHOOLERS’ FORUM is frhf.
THIS HAD BETTER GET MONKEY STOMPED TO THE GROUND.
That judges order should have been null and void, its unconstitutional on its face.
So according to libs the Constitution can not only tell you what you have to spend your money on...But how to raise your Children??? Ughh what a bunch of numbskulls..
Similar case in NJ — Social Services brought a case against a family, trumped up charges dismissed, but Social Services are still upset because the family is Christian and they think that the parents have too much religious influence over their kids’ lives. They don’t want them to homeschool.
It would be very easy to just “fall in line” with the other posters here.... but.... what about the father’s rights as to how his child is to be raised? Just becuase the couple is divorced does not mean Dad must just sign the support checks and keep his mouth shut.
This is a difficult case; I am not sure I agree with the judge, but then I an not sure I disagree with him.
The mother’s faith is not mentioned... what if she is a Muslim??
“but.... what about the father’s rights...”
Sorry, you lose - this is America...and things have changed (for the worse).
As I advise EVERY GUY that I know, either don’t get married, or at least marry someone not born here - hopefully from a family and country where marriage is looked at something more than a piggy bank.
Feminism has won...so let our American women have each other.
DYFS almost always trumps up the charges...I know from personal experience. They are a crooked organization.
Been there, done that. This whole thing gets messy and the one with the most Money wins. And through it all the kids are the real Losers. Sad World We live in.
Any homeschooled child whose parents separate who has a parent petition the courts to stop homeschooling has been in my experience, sent to school. The homeschooling parent has no rights or real say. Homeschooling is seen as a privilige by the courts and easy to revoke.
Yes thats usually the case.
Sorry, but the father has standing in this issue even if his views aren’t popular around here. This is a case of two count’em two parents who have a fundamental disagreement on child rearing, so it had to be settled in court. This is not a constitutional issue or a matter of the state pushing an agenda, but a simple matter of the judge having to side with one parent or the other, and this rare case, it was the father.
“One wants the child very isolated and cloistered and the other wants the child to be worldly and be exposed to all the experiences one ought to have as an adolescent.”
What a crock. He apparently didn't have any problem with the homeschooling previously. The debate is over the religious upbringing, not the homeschooling issue.
Besides, do you realize what " all the experiences one ought to have as an adolescent" entails these days????
Please, spare her.
Laura Ingalls Wilder grew up just fine with a religious upbringing in relative isolation, as did millions like her. They turned out fine. What makes you think this present generation's social life is one you'd want to inflict on any child? Let her have her childhood and enjoy it. Life is bad enough these days and she'll be better equipped to handle it when she's ready to if she doesn't have the emotional baggage of a public school education hanging around her neck.
Not only that, there's the matter of her actual education. The father's objection is not that the girl won't be educated. He's worried about her "social life".
Read the article.
Do you homeschool, just out of curiosity?
You’re missing the point entirely. Even if this is a case of religious upbringing, it’s far from the first to land in court. When separated parents of different faiths can’t agree on religious issues, sometimes the only redress can be found in court.
If the father is not involved in the day to day raising of the child, he has essentially little to complain about.
The mother who has custody is the one who will have to deal with the school district if there’s a problem, will have to deal with the fall out of the abuse that the other public school kids WILL inflict on her, will have to sit up with her and dry the tears and nurse her back to health from all the sickness that she will be exposed to.
The parent with custody SHOULD have the deciding say in a situation like that. THEY’RE the one actually raising the child.
If he doesn’t like paying child support, he should have considered that before getting married and having children.
and that is why She should pack up and move to another State, No She does not need permission, regardless of what the Judge or any Lawyer says. If She just Moves and establishes residency in another State, there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ANYONE CAN DO.. This happens ALL THE TIME, and the Custodial Parent ALWAYS gets Away with it. I feel sorry for the Father but he brought this on himself, he should of manned up and did what is best for the Child instead of his EGO. It is better to ask for forgiveness than permission
I agree when you get to the root it is usually the objection of the Religious study or Religion in general. Then sometimes it cost the father more for the Mom to stay at home and School them. Its was fine until it hit the pocket book.
Fine. If men with your kind of attitude want to stay away from American women, that’s fine by me. It increases the quality of the prospective pool my daughters will have to choose from.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.