NEWSFLASH March 26, 2008
From: Roy Hanson’s Private and Home Educators of California
For many years we have worked together with all of the statewide private homeschool organizations in California on homeschool issues. In the aftermath of the February 28th Appellate Court’s decision in Southern California, we have stayed in close communication with these organizations. Our goal has been to share critical information with each other and find common ground on the best strategy to protect our right to continue homeschooling under the private school option. Private and Home Educators of California is a program division of Family Protection Ministries. We continue with our full-time presence at the State Legislature in Sacramento, monitoring and advocating for private homeschool freedoms.
The leaders of the five statewide private homeschool organizations are issuing the following statement.
JOINT STATEMENT REGARDING HOMESCHOOLING IN CALIFORNIA
Download Joint Statement PDF
The following organizations, California Homeschool Network, Christian Home Educators Association of California, Private and Home Educators of California and HomeSchool Association of California, represent the major California-based organizations working on a statewide basis to support private homeschooling. They, together with the Home School Legal Defense Association, which also works in California to support private homeschooling and which has members in California, jointly issue the following statement:
1. We are united in the goal of protecting the right of parents to teach their children privately at home without additional governmental interference.
2. We believe that children deserve to learn in the environment that best meets their individual needs. We support the right of parents to direct their children’s education including, if they desire, teaching their children privately at home apart from any public school program and without a teaching credential.
3. We believe that the opinion rendered by the Second District Court of Appeals in the case titled “In re Rachel L.” on February 28, 2008 is excessively broad in its scope and incorrectly states the law as applied to home education in California.
4. We believe that the interpretation of California law, as understood by our organizations and by the California Department of Education prior to the issuance of this decision, is correct, that the interests of both the State of California in ensuring that children are educated adequately and of parents in directing their children’s education are well met by this prior interpretation of law, and that no change in California law regarding the teaching of children privately at home is needed.
For further information, please contact these organizations as follows:
California Homeschool Network
Loren Mavromati, President
Christian Home Educators Association of California
Mary Schofield, Esq., Vice President
Private and Home Educators of California
Roy Hanson, Director
HomeSchool Association of California
Debbie Schwarzer, Esq., Legislative Chair
Home School Legal Defense Association
J. Michael Smith, Esq.