Woman abandons home to escape public schools

WorldNetDaily.com ^ | December 20, 2007 | Bob Unruh

[Man50D]

A Utah woman who was ordered by a juvenile court judge to enroll her children in public school or lose custody of them has abandoned her home, furniture and other possessions to escape the order.

Denise Mafi, a nine-year veteran of homeschooling, has confirmed to WND she and her children packed up their essentials – clothes and homeschool materials – and fled Utah over the weekend, spending more than 50 hours on a bus trip to another undisclosed part of the country.

There she has obtained an empty home, and is spending the Christmas break trying to find beds for her children and herself, and after the New Year, will involve the children in a local homeschooling process.

"We're shampooing carpets right now. We have no furniture. We have no beds," she said. "But my kids are not going to public school. They are not going where Jesus isn't welcome."

Her home, furniture and other possessions left behind in Utah? "I'm not going back unless the judge removes the threat of arrest," she said. "I'll fight for the cause but I'm not going to be a martyr."

The case erupted for Mafi because of an apparent paperwork glitch that could very well be the fault of her local school district. Now Utah home school officials say they have asked the state Legislature to review actions by the judge, whose office has declined comment to WND.

[mtbopfuyn]

I’m still not buying all this was over a misplaced piece of paper. There’s more to the story.

[Thermalseeker]

that (Judge) Johansen told her homeschooling fails 100 percent of the time and he would not allow it.

Really, Judge? So the lady down the road from me who home schooled her boys, one of which just got accepted at MIT on a full academic scholarship, is a failure? Interesting......

[rockinqsranch]

“It seems to me that there is much more to this story than we are seeing...”

Agreed. I’ve searched and found everything is either reference to WND, or Bio of the Judge.

Need more information.

[Former Proud Canadian]

Could you translate the poster in post 8? Thanks.

[rstrahan]

We taught our granddaughter until she reached the 1st grade. By then, she was reading at a 5th grade level, and was working on multiplication. For the next two years, she essentially occupied a desk, not learning anything in public school. They moved out of the district to another city where she is finally being challenged in school, but is still well above her grade level.

Having seen what happens, I can truly say that public schooling is being destroyed due to multi-lingual instruction, and a focus on the lowest common denominator, rather than pushing for excellence.

[magslinger]

Children, what do you know of the leader? I machine translated to double check my very rusty high school German.

[magslinger]

My #26 was intended for Former Proud Canadian.

Caffeine, meet my brain. Brain, Caffeine.

[Afronaut]

"This is an idea that anyone who lives in New Jersey has at least considered briefly. Best of luck to her and her kids."

You should do it! I FLED NJ and cannot believe that I waited so long to do it. Life is so much better.

[Wonder Warthog]

"(Judge) Johansen told her homeschooling fails 100 percent of the time"

If the judge actually said this, then he is too bloody ignorant to BE a judge, and should forfeit that office immediately.

Even a cursory study shows that, more often than not, home-schooled kids actually perform BETTER than those "public-schooled".

[freemike]

Good for her! I’d send her money if there was a fund! I am sick of these judges! They are acting like they are a king! We are nothing but serfs to be controlled or disciplined! She is showing courage and backbone! Good for her!

[stefanbatory]

It means: “Children, what do you want from der Fuhrer?”

Kinda like Hitlery’s message. What do you want from government? baby bonds? earned income tax credit without earning any income? 401k match? free health care? Every time I hear about her latest offering, it makes me think of a dairy farm back in Wisconsin. The cows are fed everything they could possibly eat, but in return they give the farmer their milk and their children. With today’s methods of farming, the cow also ends up losing a much shorter life than would normally be the case. Isn’t selling your freedom great?

[stefanbatory]

Der Fuhrer is, of course, the what the German people called Hitler. It literally means “the Leader.”

[668 - Neighbor of the Beast]

Brave woman!
I actually know someone who went through a similar experience, only the discord was not over homeschooling. Local authorities out to get her, threatened her with Child Protective Services intervention. She up and left. Within two weeks her home and business had been cleaned out by burglars, right under the noses of local police. She lost almost everything she had ever owned, but not her child. She always said she had no regrets.
Remembering that, I hope this homeschooling mother has someone she trusts, minding the house she left behind.
Otherwise her first clue that something’s wrong might be, that there’s no doorknob on her front door anymore.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

Good luck to this woman.

[668 - Neighbor of the Beast]

And news reports telling the world she has fled the state leaving her home and possessions behind, that isn't helpful.

[bigjoesaddle]

Our Gestapo wear black robes.

That should be your tagline, since you don't have one.

[Fletcher J]

Bingo, you’ve got it. There’s obviously more to this than just a homeschooling issue.

If it’s really just a simple “paperwork issue” regarding her homeshooling documentation, then it shouldn’t take more than a few days to clear it up. It’s almost Christmas break, so the kiddies wouldn’t likely be in public school more than a few days. Hardly the end of the world.

So instead of staying and resolving the issue, she flees the state, abandons her home and contacts WND with her story?

The mom says she “doesn’t want to be a martyr”, but I bet she really likes the attention...

Fletcher J

[MaestroLC]

This is what it has come to. Citizens have to flee their homes in order to school their own children. That judge is an absolute disgrace. He needs to be thrown off the bench immediately. The school system and these judges need to be held accountable for their behavior. I am disgusted.

[donna]

Maybe the kid had steak for lunch and got caught cutting it.

[Sopater]

From HSLDA -

---

Below is brief summary of the homeschooling law in Utah. For a detailed analysis of homeschooling in Utah, see:

Utah—A Legal Analysis
(Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

Compulsory School Age
"a minor who is at least six years old, but younger than 18 years old."

Utah Legal Home Schooling Options:  1  2
	Option: 1	Option: 2
Legal Option:	File affidavit with local school district	Establish a group of home school families as a regular private school
Attendance:	Same as the public schools	None
Subjects:	Same as public school core curriculum	None
Qualifications:	None	None
Notice:	Yes	None
Recordkeeping:	None	None
Testing:	None	None

© 2007, HSLDA
NOTE: This summary is not intended to be, and does not constitute, the giving of legal advice. Many states have unclear compulsory attendance statutes, and the courts of those states vary in their interpretation of the statutes. Therefore, there is no guarantee any state will accept all of the options for compliance listed under each state. This summary is not intended to be a substitute for individual reliance on privately retained legal counsel such as that provided by Home School Legal Defense Association.