"Those kids still need to get some kind of education and they aren't going to get it at home (or they wouldn't be a problem in the first place)."
And here's the politically incorrect reality: most of these kids simply aren't going to get much of an education. Hopefully they will decide later on to finish school. Most will simply go on to join the 20-30% of our adult population that is illiterate and innumerate.
Freedom to succeed also means freedom to fail. It's sad that parents allow their children to fail, but absent the imposition of a nanny state that would make socialists weep for joy, there isn't a whole lot to be done about it. And I doubt that would work, either. You can't force people, especially adults, to not be willfully ignorant.
I couldn't agree with you more.