It seems almost poetic that I should happen to be in California when the state’s appellate court ruled that a previous declaration that homeschooling was illegal was wrong. While I have not noticed hordes of homeschoolers dancing in the streets of Las Angeles, I can feel the proverbial sigh of relief.
California homeschoolers are victorious in the fight to keep homeschooling legal in California. Ever since a Judge declared that homeschooling was illegal in California last winter during a child abuse hearing California homeschoolers have been up in arms.
Homeschoolers had many allies in getting this decision reversed. The Homeschool Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), California Homeschool Network, Homeschool Association of California and Christian Home Education took part in vigorously fighting this ruling as did people like Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, the attorney general, and the superintendant of public education.
This means that parents in California can continue to teach without teaching credentials and that homeschools will be categorized as a type of private school.
“This is a victory for California’s students, parents and education community” proclaimed Arnold Schwarzenneger. This decision confirms the right every California child has to a quality education and the right parents have to decide what is best for their children,” he said. “I hope the ruling settles this matter for parents and home-schooled children once and for all in California, but assure them that we, as elected officials, will continue to defend parents’ rights.” (Los Angeles Times)
Of course, not everyone is happy. According to comments left on the aforementioned newspaper websites, many people feel that oversight is necessary, or that standardized testing needs to be administered. Fortunately the right to homeschool in California and the rest of the US does not hinge on the whim of the general public, but on the letter of the law.
Why What Happens in California Matters
Answering Questions About California’s Now Infamous Court Case
Update of California Homeschool Ruling
Has the California Verdict Affected Your View on Homeschooling?
California Homeschoolers Wait for Judgment