Home Schooling Threatened in California; Update: Did L.A. Times Misinterpret the Ruling?

A California appeals court (via MM) has held that parents who lack teaching credentials cannot educate their children at home.

Advocates for the families vowed to appeal the decision to the state Supreme Court. Enforcement until then appears unlikely, but if the ruling stands, home-schooling supporters say California will have the most regressive law in the nation.

“This decision is a direct hit against every home schooler in California,” said Brad Dacus, president of the Pacific Justice Institute, which represents the Sunland Christian School, which specializes in religious home schooling. “If the state Supreme Court does not reverse this . . . there will be nothing to prevent home-school witch hunts from being implemented in every corner of the state of California.”

The ruling is here.

Key graph:

• “Parents do not have a constitutional right to home school their children,” wrote Justice H. Walter Croskey in a Feb. 28 opinion signed by the two other members of the district court. “Parents who fail to [comply with school enrollment laws] may be subject to a criminal complaint against them, found guilty of an infraction, and subject to imposition of fines or an order to complete a parent education and counseling program.”

So, if you home school your child a California parent can be subject to a CRIMINAL complaint.

This absurd ruling WILL be appealed to the California Supreme Court.

In the meantime, will the left-wing Democrat controlled California legislature pass legislation clarifying this issue, like thirty other states?

NO WAY – why aggravate the public school monopoly behemoth and teacher’s unions that feed their campaigns? Keep the kids and parents captive.

Update:

Ace says not so fast with saying homeschooling is imperiled.

Read it all.