Ok, this one really gets my goat!

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California home-schoolers have been deeply rattled by a state appeals court ruling that says children whose parents don't send them to public or private schools must be taught by credentialed tutors.

Parents who don't comply can be criminally prosecuted, said Judge H. Walter Croskey in an opinion issued by the 2nd District Court of Appeal.

"It's shocking," said Brad Dacus, president of the Pacific Justice Institute, a conservative law firm that has agreed to appeal the ruling to the state Supreme Court. "This is without question the greatest affront to the rights of parents witnessed so far in the state of California."

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Luckily, Arnold Schwarzenegger is backing up homeschoolers! I homeschooled my children for two years, for very good reason: they were not safe at school! Now, they are back in public school, in a good school district, but if I needed to, I would go back to homeschooling.

Any thoughts on this out there?

Its insane.

dumbasses homeschooling by the parents is very good my sisters are 7 and 4 and they are homeschooled and their report cards are all A's

I have to disagree with homeschooling. A public schools main focus is to get children to learn new ideas and history about things, as well as placing them in a social enviroment to get them ready for the real world.
I'm not saying that homeschooling is bad, but I'd rather send my child to public school, or even pay to send him to private school than have him lose out on learning social skills.

thats crazy!!i was homeschooled for five years and it was the right thing for me to do i was being threatened at the public school i was at just because i was a christian and a republican and it wasnt just the kids it was the teachers as well i wont name names but i was scared for my life so i started homeschooling half way through my 1st year as a public school student and never had a problem with the other students i got to play for a homeschool basketball team and made lots of friends that i still talk to today

My kids were homeschooled too and those people who insist that children are in some way benefited by the societal impact of "Age Segregated Herding" need to study the facts, The proof is in the pudding. Home schooled kids invariably score higher on achievement tests than public school kids and they have higher social skills. WHY? They have one on one instruction. They are not distracted by their classmates. They usually are taught higher moral and ethical standards. They are taught to interact with adults rather than learning their communication skills from other (often misbehaved) children. Not even the State of California can pull this one off! There seems to be a limit on how smart legislators can be, but no limit at all how stupid they can become!

Ive seen both sides to homeschooling, and think certification is a good idea!

i have a friend that has 3 kids and for years she did home schooling.. her oldest is 18 and will be graduating this yr. she started going to reg school a few yrs ago, her 2nd child is now in public school and her 3rd is still at home for home schooling she is going to keep doing it for another 2yrs

I was homeschooled my whole life...up until my senior year because i wanted to get an accredited diploma. Well i took a placement test for the highschool and i scored higher than what they taught...so i went to college doing the 'running start' program and got my A.A. and my diploma at the same time....

Homeschooled kids normally place much higher and test and other exams. However, I don't disagree with public schools..I did miss out on a lot of 'social' skills but it should be up to the parent on how they want to teach their kids. Not the government.

Wow! How cool to hear everyone's opinions on this subject! I think the danger in this ruling is that it makes the assumption that schools are the watchdogs for what happens inside people's homes. This case came about because of suspicion of abuse in the home. Abuse can occur in any home, it is completely irrelevant to whether or not a family chooses to homeschool.

Most homeschoolers have many outlets for social interactions and the good thing is that they can pick and choose appropriate settings and people.

completly agree

my 3 children all get straight A's in public school...it does make sense though that the person doing the homeschooling have some training...i have a friend that home schools her children...i have to work to feed and house mine...and i have no patience so i would suck at it...whichever works best for the child(ren)... i do wonder about the development of their social skills though

is that the motivation for the ruling??? if so, that's f*ins scary...

Not sure if I'm using this quote thing correctly (I'm new here). Here's a blurb from the Sacramento Bee:

Repeatedly, the couple were reported to the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services for, among other charges, suspicion of child abuse. A lawyer representing two of the children filed suit, asking that the children be put in public or private school where other adults could monitor the children's safety.

Last month, a three-judge panel overturned the trial court's refusal to have the children ordered into a traditional school setting.

Judge Croskey wrote that under the state's Education Code, "parents do not have a constitutional right to home-school their children."

this may be true that they dont get the same amount of social interaction as a child in public school but it has been proven that children who are home schooled do better in there work.

My girlfriend in Texas, her daughter homeschools all five of her children. The oldest received a scholarhsip and is attending college. All of the kids are doing great with their school work and are well adjusted socially also.

I myself could not do it, but I highly praise the parents who home school their children. Takes a lot of time and dedication.

California courts are so left wing liberal. I do not know how anyone survives living in that crazy state.

Lindyy

it's always been my experience that most homeschooled kids were a little odd

smart, yes. odd, usually. slightly brainwashed by parents, most likely

I believe it is ultimatly the parents responsibilty to insure thier child's education. My daughter was in public school & I monitored them! I spoke to my daughter's teacher once a week when she was young.I do belive the state should test the children once in a while to be sure they are actually leaning something, but I bet most would ace the tests. I applaude parents that homeschool. I am sure in involves alot of sacrifice & hard work for them.

I think some form of certification is a great idea. Just giving birth to a child does not automatically give you the knowledge need to be their educator. JMO