States Begin Crack Down on Home Schooling

Icehouse ^ | 01/03 | unknown

[hsmomx3]

H ome schoolers have long held the belief that if they received exemptions from the education laws being put in place at the state and federal level, they could safely teach their children at home without government interference. A good example of this is the exemption home schoolers achieved to HR 6 in 1994 and ESSHB 1209 bringing education reform to Washington State in 1993.

What home schoolers did not know, however, is that education reform was instituted to bring education into coalescence with systems governance, and under systems governance, all really does mean all ? no one can be exempted from inclusion in the system. That includes home schoolers.

Home schoolers believed the exemptions would protect them. A good example is the home schoolers in California. For years they have existed under the private schooling laws. Now, California is cracking down on home schoolers in order to bring them into the system. In other states that have home school laws, the matter of bringing home schoolers under the umbrella of systems education and government control will be as easy as requiring a certificate of mastery in order for the child to get a job, a drivers license, or go on to higher education. We are already seeing signs of that happening in Washington State. No doubt it is, or will, happen in other states with home school laws as well.

Home schoolers have not been exempted from the system, they have only been exempted from the laws putting the system in place.

[hsmomx3]

I originally found this a few days ago at www.educationnews.org and clicked on the link to this story which took me to "icehouse." I'm not for certain who wrote it but thought I would post it anyway.

[Free the USA]

http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/bump-list

[twyn1]

We have been hearing about the "certificates" or "diploma seals" in PA for a couple of years now -- there will be 2 "levels" of certification (possibly called "mastery" and "proficiency") -- rumor is that only if they "achieve" the higher level, will children be considered eligible for college learning and "elite" jobs (lawyer, doctor, engineer, politician) -- and it will be a very small group that gets this higher certificate. 66%-75% of students are expected to be "tracked" onto the lower level. Parents here were outraged when the PASS tests came out with just these results -- they couldn't believe that two-thirds of the students in high school are considered "below mastery", and were asking the school boards to look into it.

What the parents don't understand (but what cynical homeschoolers like me have already figured out) is that the districts are following a social plan that will provide "the state" with dumbed down but compliant "workers" who will never aspire to greatness (the "elite" group will, of course, include all children of the present educators and other "leaders")

The "wrench in the works" is the Homeschooling community. These "mavericks" are already refusing to follow the lock-step norm of government schooling and tend to be well-informed and strong-willed, but worse than that, those "unsocialized" home-schooled kids have the gall to perform well above expectations and are scoring highly on standardized tests and college entry exams. Yes....homeschoolers could be completely left in the cold if these certificates are made mandatory -- but there will be plenty of us fighting against it tooth and nail...

[PedroDaGr8]

"Do we really think that a government-dominated education is going to produce citizens capable of dominating their government, as the education of a truly vigilant self-governing people requires?"

-- Alan Keyes

Here is your reasoning behind this trend right here. Not just does it create a gamma class (I think that is the right class name ala Brave New World) but also it continues to help push the liberal agenda as most public schools are a breeding ground for now a days. Having been a recent (within the past 3 yrs) convert from liberalism, no suprise coming from when I graduated from high school and started listening to talk radio, I can tell you there is nothing more true than that quote.

[CholeraJoe]

Now, California is cracking down on home schoolers in order to bring them into the system.

About time. If private citizens wish to assume the functions of government, let them meet government standards. If I want to build my own house, I still need to comply with the applicable building codes.

[savedbygrace]

We have been hearing about the "certificates" or "diploma seals" in PA for a couple of years now

We first heard about this nearly 15 years ago. It's been in the planning stage longer than that.

[savedbygrace]

If private citizens wish to assume the functions of government, let them meet government standards.

You've got it backwards, Joe. It's the government that's taken on the role of parents.

[bc2]

since when is compulsary education a legitimate function of government? maybe provide an example or two.

thanks in advance

[sam_paine]

It does not help make their point when there is a spelling error in the title of the Home Schooling article:

"States Begin Crack Down..." should be "States Begin Crackdown..."

I'm a product of public schools and even I knew that.

[hsmomx3]

I should have caught that!! I copied and pasted exactly the way it was at the website.

[CholeraJoe]

since when is compulsary education a legitimate function of government?

Your profile doesn't indicate your state, so I picked Texas' Constitution as an example:

The Texas Constitution

Article 7 - EDUCATION

Section 1 - SUPPORT AND MAINTENANCE OF SYSTEM OF PUBLIC FREE SCHOOLS

A general diffusion of knowledge being essential to the preservation of the liberties and rights of the people, it shall be the duty of the Legislature of the State to establish and make suitable provision for the support and maintenance of an efficient system of public free schools.

You can disagee with the premise but you cannot dispute that public education has constitutional authority in nearly every state and is thereby a legitimate function of government.

[LikeLight]

If private citizens wish to assume the functions of government

Listen to yourself! How did you come to define the education of our children as a function of government? Perhaps it's in the Constitution? Oh wait a minute, can't seem to find it there.

Well, the government's been doing it for a while, so it must be a government function. Yeah, that's it. If the government starts doing it, it becomes a government function and anyone who would dare to do it on their own, well they must be in need of some serious regulation.

[LikeLight]

Posted before reading your last . . . obviously, I refer to the U.S. Constitution.

[Coto]

Great Quote !!

This Nation's educational system (powered for and by the N.E.A.) simply cannot sit idly by and let the 'Homeschoolers' actually learn more then the future-robots in the Public School System(s) across this nation

[aruanan]

"... is that education reform was instituted to bring education into coalescence with systems governance..."

Well, we can all hope that some kind of education, somewhere, will help this person write English.

[LiteKeeper]

bump

[FreeTally]

However, no State requires public education(because they constitutionally cant), so thus your claim that those seeking non-public education should also have to "follow the same rules" is quite specious.

If private citizens wish to assume the functions of government, let them meet government standards. If I want to build my own house, I still need to comply with the applicable building codes.

This doesn't even make sense. The State or county doesn't build you a home if you ask them to. You seem to imply that the "function of government" is to provide housing.

Here is a more valid comparison. When a governmental body buys property, whether its the federal, state or local governments, there are sertain procedures that they must take. When A private citizen buys property, they are not required the same.

[ZULU]

The article should read "States, at the behest of politicians who are puppets of the educational trade unions and atheists, attack Americans' right to educate their children to be patriotic, moral, God-fearing, and historically well-informed about western society and culture."

[LikeLight]

As a conservative (I'm assuming you are, since you're here), in what other areas of life do you choose to avail yourself of substandard government services when you are capable of providing a higher quality alternative at your own expense? Do you choose a top notch doctor, or drop in down at the free community health clinic? Do you choose to ride the bus to work, or drive in the safety and comfort of your own SUV? Etc.

[CholeraJoe]

Perhaps it's in the Constitution? Oh wait a minute, can't seem to find it there.

You're in Pennsylvania. Here's what your Constitution says about Public Education.

Article II Legislature
Public School System
Section 14.

The General Assembly shall provide for the maintenance and support of a thorough and efficient system of public education to serve the needs of the Commonwealth.