[Red Jones]

that is a very noble thing to be a part of the Home School Legal Defense Authority. Home schoolers are heroes too. It is so sad to read the stories of what the various state governments are now starting to do to the homeschoolers.

There are so many homeschoolers who are completely unqualified to do the job, some of them not even so smart, some of them not even working hard at it as they should, and yet even these parents are frequently getting better results with the kids than the local public schools. That's the shocking thing everyone should be concerned about.

Instead, they gather around like jackals and nip at these homeschoolers' heels. If the homeschool parent/teacher is marginal in her abilities, then the state should really offer help, such as curriculum and classes and coaching to help her to do better. It is far less expensive for the state to nurture this woman's efforts along than it is to fight her, throw her in jail and then put the kids in public schools. The state saves a ton of money every time someone homeschools their kid. You'd think they'd encourage this, especially since the evidence is that homeschool kids do better than public school kids.

Rather than nipping at this woman's heels the mob should be truly afraid of the jack-booted thugs in state government whose agenda is such that they see her as a threat and will attack her so.

[Truant Mom]

Amen to that!

Mrs. O'Dell is NOT illiterate. She has a high school diploma from the public high school in Bennington, Vermont (Mt. Anthony Union High School) and her husband didn't drop out until after 11th grade.

Mrs. O'Dell's children were taken BEFORE she was expected to give up her fingerprints and be photographed. Mrs. O'Dell was arrested and questioned extensively but was never read her Miranda rights. The police NEVER had a search warrant when they first arrived and took the youngest child.

No one in the state of Vermont can show me the law which Mrs. O'Dell broke concerning the so-called charge of 'educational neglect'--not even the VT DOE. Mrs. O'Dell has not been charged with truancy, abuse or neglect.

It took ABC/22 TV station in Burlington, Vermont, SIX days to get into the jail to interview Mrs. O'Dell. After placing several phone calls to state senators and getting the run-around from the jail since October 17, ABC/22 was finally told they could see Mrs. O'Dell for 45 minutes today (Oct.22).

Mrs. O'Dell's mother, Mrs. Stewart, finally heard from Mrs. O'Dell in jail on Monday, Oct. 21 for the first time since her arrest. Mrs. Stewart was informed by her daughter that she is still wearing the same clothes she was arrested in and the jail refuses to give her any clean clothing or hygiene items. Nice bunch of people!

The state of Vermont took Mrs. O'Dell's children, half her income (since now she must pay child support to the state) and prevented her from establishing her new home after her other home was completely destroyed by fire. Nothing like kicking someone when they are down and out.

Mrs. O'Dell's troubles with the schools in Vermont started when she took her four children out and depleted the school's budget by over $20,000.00. Mrs. O'Dell also sent the schools a letter withdrawing her permission for the schools to collect Medicaid funding for her children, thus shutting off the cash flow to the school in both directions.

Mrs. O'Dell was legally enrolled in the state's home study program for the three years prior to her arrest. All of sudden the state DOE has declared her 'unfit' to homeschool her children. Why now? Because she bucked the system, that's why.

Now that the state has taken back Mrs. O'Dell's children they are once again collecting the $20,000.00 that comes with them. Quite possibly 'double-dipping' into Medicaid funds as well since that is a popular procedure among Vermont's public schools. The VT DOE and the public school did the same thing to Karen Maple and she was eventually exonerated by the VT Supreme Court in May 2000.