Home-schooling parents face questions over methods

RIVERSIDE, Calif.(AP) - California's outgoing education chief is attempting to crack down on parents who home school their children on their own by exploiting a loophole in the state's education code. Under California law, students who do not attend public schools can only be educated three ways: by enrolling in a private school, learning at home from parents guided by a credentialed teacher, or being taught by a credentialed tutor.

Many home-schooling families, however, have found a way around those requirements. Knowing that private schools do not require their teachers to be credentialed, some parents have declared their homes to be private schools.

The state Department of Education is now warning that the longtime practice stretches the law to its breaking point.

Delaine Eastin, outgoing state schools superintendent, said children taught at home without guidance from a credentialed teacher are considered truant. Eastin, whose term expires in January, has asked state senators to consider reworking the law so it reads more clearly.

"The department does not believe that the Legislature intended this situation when they instituted this section of the education code," Eastin's spokeswoman, Nicole Winger, told The Riverside Press-Enterprise.

But parents who home school their children without help from a certified teacher insist they're not acting illegally and question the motives of state officials.

"Each student that's not in school, they don't get money for them," said Terry Hager, of Yucaipa, who teaches her three children under an umbrella private school called Cornerstone Christian School that enrolls 150 students, all of them home-schooled by parents. "We choose as parents to teach at home because we feel we do a better job."

Although attempts to regulate the growing number of home-schooled children nationwide have often resulted in controversy, the issue re-emerged in California in August when the Department of Education revised its private school registration procedures.

In a memo sent to private schools, including those made up of home-schoolers, the department said that the paperwork the schools used to file with their county education offices would need to be sent directly to the state instead.

The memo also reiterated the state's position that uncredentialed parents may only teach their children at home with a credentialed teacher's supervision.

In response, home-schooling advocates accused Eastin of harassing home-schoolers and trying to root out the practice.

"If the superintendent really cared about kids being well prepared, more kids would get home schooled," said Assemblyman Ray Haynes, R-Riverside. "Home-school kids consistently outperform public school kids."

California's outgoing education chief is attempting to crack down on parents who home school their children on their own by exploiting a loophole in the state's education code.

Two issues with this sentence: first, "exploiting a loophole" sounds like editorializing. Second, the sentence is sloppily written. My first impression was that the SUPERINTENDENT was exploiting the "loophole," rather than the parents.

This makes me puke...how long will this continue?

Forever I'm afraid, and I see no relief from pubs or dems...I want to take a break from FR for the CHRISTMAS season, but I can't. I will wait until after the season to go postal, because I know they're way too busy right now.

Merry Christmas everyone...We need to pray for each and everyone. Let His message flow out to all you greet and meet.

FMCDH

said guidance from a credentialed teacher guarantees that home-schooled students receive a well-rounded education.

~Snort.
All your children are belong to us.

As a HS mom, I plauge myself plenty with doubts and concern over how I'm educating my children. I don't need gobment jokers adding to that stress. One thing keeps me going; there is not ONE teacher ANYWHERE in the world who will be as concerned over these kids' education as I am. Where else is there another human being (other than their father) who will loose sleep over one of my kids not getting a math concept?

The government's concern for our children is nothing compared to parents' honest worries.

Liberals are evil.

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