Testing the Homeschooling System
Many homeschooling proponents consider Missouri to be one of the best states in which to homeschool children, because state regulations do not require mandatory testing or teaching credentials. This has brought to the state many independent-minded people, who want to exercise their right to school choice freely.
The state’s homeschooling system is now being tested in divorce court. The wife in this case has homeschooled her children for eight years, having become disillusioned with the public school system after spending a year on the school board. Homeschooling parents have leapt to her support. She has given her kids standardized testing, even though this was not mandatory, and engaged them in activities like co-ops and scouting to help ensure they are socialized and well-rounded. Her husband, however, now wants to enroll the children in a private school.
Without speculating about the details of this particular case, this highlights the potential for vulnerabilities in the system. Parents should have the right to determine how their children are educated, and it is unfortunate that these particular parents cannot agree about what is best for their children. If the children are thriving in a homeschool situation, should the court take that into account when trying to arbitrate between their parents’ contrary wishes?
Homeschooling does not fit into the government’s Prussian education system to indoctrinate children and make them good little products of the state. That’s why they don’t like it. This should come as no suprise.
Comment by Joe Nonnenkamp — July 15, 2009 @ 9:33 a.m.
To me, this case looks more like a typical divorce battle and not a test of Missouri’s homeschool policy. (I’m not sure what you mean by “system,” since homeschoolers are free to do their own thing and aren’t necessarily organized, except when they voluntarily work together.) If one parent wanted the kids in private school and the other wanted them in public school, we wouldn’t call that a test of private education, just a disagreement between the parents.
I don’t mean to dismiss the threats to homeschooling that are out there, but I think we should focus on policy issues that affect everyone rather than on conflicts within families. The Home School Legal Defense Association is wise not to get involved in divorce cases.
I would be more alarmed if courts always sided with the parent who opposes homeschooling. I don’t think that happens in homeschool-friendly states, though.
Comment by Sarah Brodsky — July 15, 2009 @ 9:55 a.m.
I have to agree with Sarah above. This is a simple divorce case and will have little to do with the homeschooling laws in Missouri.
Comment by Summer — July 17, 2009 @ 6:56 p.m.
Just a couple of days ago, a case was decided in New Hampshire over the educational decisions of the daughter of a divorced couple. They had a custody arrangement with the court that involved a court appointed mediator to step in when the parents could not come to a decision on an issue regarding their child. In this case, the father wanted his daughter to go to PS even though she had been homeschooled by her mother for years and was doing very well. The mediator felt that the child was too staunch in her religious beliefs and that she needed to be exposed to other ideas. The court ruled that the girl had to attend public school. You see, situations like this will provide precedent for other homeschooling families who end up in court for whatever reason. Now, this really frightens me because it had nothing to do with her academic achievement or her social disposition as she was described as well-rounded by other teachers that she had. It had only to do with her religious convictions and the judge came to the conclusion that the girl spent too much time with her mother. Wow.
Comment by Susan Smith — August 29, 2009 @ 9:32 p.m.