CALL IN THE REINFORCEMENTS
CALL IN THE REINFORCEMENTS The CA DOE received so many angry letters and calls about their attack on HSing that they are punting it up to the Legislature.
“Over the last few weeks, the Department of Education has been characterized in some circles as being engaged in a campaign to harass home-schoolers and to root out home-schooling in California. My staff and I have received dozens of angry telephone calls and written communications that unfairly assume that the department is misapplying the state’s compulsory education law in derogation of the rights of parents, and a handful of conservative publications have attacked our application of the law. None of these charges is true, of course, but the amount of misinformation, and passion, in these communications does make me believe that the situation cries out for a legislative solution. [emphasis added]”
Yes, the charges are true. Here’s a copy of a letter Ms. Eastin sent to the Orange Co. Register.
In recent days, the Department of Education has been portrayed in some
circles as the enemy of California home-schoolers. Be assured that the
department has not changed its position or embarked on a “campaign” to root
out home-schoolers. Instead, the department has merely provided material,
including its long-standing interpretation of applicable California law, to
all persons who have requested information about home-schooling.California does not currently recognize home-schooling as a way to comply
with the law that all children between the ages of 6 and 18 must attend
school. To comply with that law, a child must be attending a public school or
a private school, or be taught by a credentialed tutor.The classic “home school” – where children are taught by their parent who
does not have a teaching credential – is not a legal means of complying with
the compulsory education law, which means that home-schooled children are
truant.I am always encouraged when there is high public interest in the education of
our children. The Legislature is the lawmaking authority in California and if
it wishes to authorize home schooling, the department certainly will respect
and administer that new law. In the meantime, the department and I must
adhere to and enforce the compulsory education laws currently on the books.Delaine Eastin
Sacramento
Ms. Eastin is California superintendent of public instruction
I have read (though have not seen personally) that the CA Legislature amended the private school legislation in 1998 to specifically include parent-operated private schools. The dispute is over this 1998 amendment.