Homeschooler's neighbor sparks social services case

A Colorado homeschooling mother has won a social-services case sparked by a neighbor’s complaint about the family that escalated when a social worker did a “drive-by” and concluded they were planning to flee.

A neighbor of the single mother, whose identity has been withheld to protect her family’s privacy, tipped off social services that the mother had been homeschooling several children, according to the Home School Legal Defense Association.

When an investigator arrived at her door in the fall of 2011, the mother immediately contacted the HSLDA, the nation’s premiere legal defense fund dedicated to parents’ right to home educate.

The mother was instructed by HSLDA attorney Mike Donnelly to ask the social worker to leave, and the social worker complied. But this was only the beginning of the mother’s ordeal.

The social worker did not close the case and continued to investigate the mother’s right to homeschool on the grounds that some of her children have learning disabilities that public schools would be better suited to handle.

Donnelly argued against social services’ assertion that a traditional school setting is better equipped to meet the needs of special-needs children.

“Many families homeschool their children who have learning disabilities because they find that the children’s needs are better met in a one-on-one homeschool .............

Dear Gabz,

“...the only jackals I have seen on these threads come from your side...”

Can't agree with that. There are a few “homeschoolers” who are over the top. Unfortunately, they're often the loudest and most prolific.

Many homeschoolers stay away from these threads (I know I do for the most part) because of the public school jackals who pollute these threads on a regular basis. Right here on FR. One of them in a recent thread actually said that the problems with public schools are in part laid at our (homeschoolers’) feet because we “abandoned” the public schools, and thus denied them of our... I don't know what it is of which we denied them, I guess our kids? Our involvement? As if public schools, the teachers, the administrators, the politicians, the industry, are going to welcome the input of homeschoolers with open arms. LOL! What an idiot! Most public schools won't even permit our children to be involved in extracurricular, after-school activities.

This was one of the single most stupid remarks I've ever read at FR.

I called the moron on his/her comment, but he/she ignored it and went on his/her merry way.

But back to my original comment, Gabz: Get back to me when you're threatened with social services coming to take your kids away because you sent your kids to public schools. Even here on this thread, there is one poster who seems to be intimating that how another poster chose to homeschool her kids was less than... legitimate.

Sickening and disgusting.

sitetest

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