California Homeschooling Ruling: Teaching Credential Required

Justice H. Walter Croskey found that parents do not have a constitutional right to homeschool their children. "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."

The only way parents may now legally homeschool in CA is if the teaching parent has a valid teaching credential or hires a tutor with a valid teaching credential.

This is a somewhat messy case, as it originated from several reports of physical and emotional abuse by the father against two or more of his eight children.  All eight of the children were enrolled in an independent-study program, and homeschooled by the mother, who doesn't even have a high school diploma.  Through  Children and Family Services, two of the children were assigned an attorney, who asked the court to rule that the children must be enrolled in a public or private school.  The lower court denied that ruling, and the attorney appealed the ruling.  The appeals court made the findings reported above.

The news reports have been casting homeschoolers as primarily fundamentalist Christians.  Most of the homeschoolers I know do it because their public school doesn't fit their children's needs (gifted, 2e, or heavily involved in music or sport, etc.)

Read more at the LA Times

I wonder what effect this will have on private schools who hire non-credentialed teachers

Tags:  homeschooling, legal