Can’t Win the Game? Change the Rules

A California appellate court has ruled that it is not legal for parents who lack official government teaching credentials to home-school their kids. This ruling is freaking out the parents of about 166,000 kids who are home schooled in the state.

There is little doubt that the public school system is not doing a good job of educating our kids, you might say there is a consensus on the issue 😉

Anyway, you can find many studies on the Web that provide us with academic statistics comparing student results. Here, here and here are some examples. Yes, I know, some of these studies may be biased, but find me some facts that say public schools do a better job overall; other than in affluent areas like Avon, Conn.

Malkin has more, and the full LA Times article can be found here.

The appellate court ruling stems from a case involving Lynwood parents Phillip and Mary Long, who were repeatedly referred to the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services over various allegations, including claims of physical abuse, involving some of their eight children.

All of the children are currently or had been enrolled in Sunland Christian School, where they would occasionally take tests, but were educated in their home by their mother, Phillip Long said.

A lawyer appointed to represent two of the Long’s young children requested that the court require them to physically attend a public or private school where adults could monitor their well-being. A trial court disagreed, but the children’s lawyer appealed to the 2nd District Court of Appeal, which has jurisdiction over Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.

The appellate panel ruled that Sunland officials’ occasional monitoring of the Longs’ home schooling — with the children taking some tests at the school — is insufficient to qualify as being enrolled in a private school. Since Mary Long does not have a teaching credential, the family is violating state laws, the ruling said.

What it comes down to is this.

Teachers union officials will also be closely monitoring the appeal. A.J. Duffy, president of United Teachers Los Angeles, said he agrees with the ruling.

“What’s best for a child is to be taught by a credentialed teacher,” he said.

Yeah, right. This is just another reason for me not to move to California.

My analysis? Since the union hacks know they can not win the game – better educated students is the desired results ya know – they are happy to sit by, or contribute, to judicial influence that would attack home schooling from any angle possible.