In Iowa (and I’m sure other states as well) Parents are able to pull their kids out of school and homeschool no questions asked. Which is great for the parents, but not always so great for the kids. Parents can have felonies, prior cases of DHS/CPS cases, suspicion of abuse/neglect, etc. and still are allowed to pull kids from school to homeschool. There is then zero follow up to ensure the safety of the children or continuing of education. In some cases school is a safe place for children from their parents, and it’s very sad that it can be so easily taken away. I personally do not believe that parents always know best, it takes a villiage. In the case of homeschooling I think there needs to be background checks, home checks, follow up visits, and testing to ensure that the child is receiving proper care and education throughtout the homeschooling. And while I think it’s great that there is talk of giving homeschooling parents more money- I do foresee that becoming an issue of unfit parents pulling kids from school just for the money if Homeschooling isn’t better regulated in some states.
I was homeschooled in the 1980s at a time when government officials tried to take kids from families for homeschooling. Homeschooling is a great option for parents when our school systems are failing, corrupt, unprotected, and teaching things the parents disagree with.
I don’t like too much government oversight over parental rights. Especially when the government is often corrupt and wrong.
I agree. I homeschooled one of my two kids due to bullying. I do believe parents know best what their kids need. A good accreditation program is helpful as well as teaming up with other parents. I was a single Mom and still managed my child’s curriculum and she thrived. It’s easier to manage now with other families working together. Rotating parents who teach also works. All the problems around schools dictating curriculum is a problem for me but all that goes away by giving responsibility back to the parents.
I would like to clarify that I am not against homeschooling, and that most parents do know what’s best for their kids and have their best interest at heart. Unfortunately, in smaller towns like where I live drugs are a very prominent issue, and those parents do not take care of their children. Them having the freedom to remove their children from school and not having any sort of system in place to make sure their not being abused or neglected is not good. I do not believe the government needs to be heavily involved ,but I also do not believe that a parent that has CPS cases, recent drug charges etc should have the freedom to pull their children from schools without some sort of system to ensure the child’s safety.
The whole idea for me now would be to get away from indoctrination I may not agree with. The CPS involvement is actually a different problem altogether and belongs in another section in my opinion. Let’s not mix issues.
CPS isn’t the basis of my observation. Unchecked homeschooling is.
While we all want to believe the best in people- Unfortunately, a lot of parents are lazy or drug addicts or just awful people and it allows them to continue abusing/neglecting/etc their children with even more privacy. Leaving no one to advocate for those kids. That needs to be regulated somehow, and it’s not. You can be a terrible parent and then take your kid home to continue to be terrible to them no questions asked. And while I know it’s never going to be a “one size fits all” solution or it might upset people to be more regulated- wouldn’t it be worth it for parents to maybe have to take some courses or a background check or jump through a few hoops in order to save some of those children from suffering?
And in small town IA where a lot of these terrible parents already are struggling to get their kids to school a 10k incentive with no hoops to jump through except for not taking your kids to public school anymore will unfortunately create more issues like this.
I am also open to hearing other opinions and ideas that would specifically help those children
Considering CPS’s involvement in child trafficking I wouldn’t trust this solution. You must be a teacher of the belief that only teachers know best. I couldn’t disagree more. If you think your small town has lots of drug and parent neglect issues they could benefit from support, like training, counseling, reeducation, etc. I don’t think it’s healthy for any family to live under supervised surveillance. That’s communism and perhaps that’s your preference but it certainly isn’t mine.
I don’t have a formulated idea for a solution but I understand your concern. Balancing the rights of a parent with the well-being and rights of a child isn’t easy. One thing I 100% agree with though is that if parents want financial support for homeschooling, they better be willing to prove their kids are at least happy, healthy and alive.
Teri I never said I want CPS involvement or really even gave a solution? - I stated there are parents that have CPS cases out against them that are allowed to homeschool and I don’t think that’s right. I also never said anything about surveillance of anyone? And I never said only teachers know best. I think there needs to be a balance in their lives. Obviously most parents can handle homeschooling fine but It’s the children whose parents don’t care about their well being that I worry about. I do think in general children would benefit from their parents maybe needing to do a background check and/or drug test (or something doesn’t need to be those things specifically) before being able to pull them from society. IMO parents with suspected child abuse shouldn’t be rewarded with being able to pull that child from school no questions asked and then handed 10k. And any parent who loves their child and is going to do right by them anyways probably shouldn’t have an issue with doing that but it might deter the ones who aren’t. I think you are completely missing my point and the issue bringing communism into this? That is not what I want. I simply want find a way to protect children that can’t advocate for themselves against abusive and neglectful parents who use homeschooling as a way to hide it. I don’t see how that makes me a communist lol.
Thank you Hailey I agree completely!
I don’t think we’re necessarily going to find a solution on this forum, just hoping to bring some awareness. I just don’t think it’s something people think about a lot since you never really see the kids that are homeschooled, so abuse is much easier to hide.
We should probably start with the groomers and pedos that are already ‘teaching’ our kids in the schools, and then we can worry about the parents after that.
Yes this proposal just sounds like major government overreach
The vast majority of child abuse is perpetrated by a parent or family member. Not their teacher.
I like the idea, but don’t know of any immortal and super powerful person I can trust to do the task.
We all know how morality is treated these days.
BTW I have a VERY varied past:
0-5 Essentially learned by myself, my mother, and my father. I learned a LOT, and read even as young as 3.
3,4,5,6,7,9 I was in a nice PRIVATE SCHOOL!
8,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,18 I was in various public schools.
17 in a private boarding school
So I have seen how crazy and worthwhile various things can be.
So I have to disagree here. BTW TEACHERS can have felonies ALSO!
We live in a Constitutional Republic where the individual is innocent unless proven guilty. Any parent with custody of a child has the legal and moral right to homeschool without government intrusion, surveillance, or having their parental authority trampled.
It is this very attitude of superiority which automatically assumes parents abuse children—so all homeschooled parents need to be subjected to the oversight of CPS—that will cause more families to homeschool and rightly so.
I don’t expect there would be large numbers of parents in the situation you mention homeschooling in the first place. The average parents who don’t abuse their children wouldn’t need to be monitored or approved by the State. The type abuse you are discussing is a completely different issue and should be handled by social services organizations who may or may not approve them for homeschooling. Simple!
As a homeschooling mother in a low regulation state I can see where your concerns come from but at the same time that’s the joy of homeschooling is not having extreme government overreach and being able to teach our children the way we want to. Majority of homeschooling parents have there child’s best interest at heart I have yet to meet one that doesn’t. And if I did I would simply make a report to cps. Does not mean that every single family should be continuously monitored.
As soon as government is free to enter one’s home, then that home is not free. This is a liberty issue and not an education issue.
There are terrible people in this world, and I hate that for them and their children. If we value the freedom to raise our children and not hand them over to the state when they are 5 years old then we must also allow terrible people to make bad parenting decisions without the federal government’s involvement.
As a long time member of the Homeschooling community and having homeschooled my children as well, I’m more than familiar with parents that have no actual ability to educate their children effectively. But I believe they have the right to as the child’s parent! So as a member of the community we get involved with them, mentoring them, providing resources and accountability to help with their Children’s education. If this can be done as a community, then I do not believe government should be involved.
That’s the amazing thing about community, you are helped and supported by people who care and can help. Government may want to help, but the only thing they are able to do is punish. I would much rather see government get out of the business of educating, indoctrinating and raising children and put that back in the hands of moms, dads, friends and neighbors.
Handing parents 10000 to homeschool their children is a terrible idea and will incentivize deadbeats to game the system. Let’s do away with the system all together, stop taking money to fund things “for the children” and allow parents to invest in the lives of their own kids.
I am speaking from personal experience and documented knowledge. Of homeschooled students that are rigorously educated in reading, writing, math, history, and science they place better than most instructional students.
I have known 11 home schooled kids that are exceptional.
Of students with parents that are lax the worst option is for homeschooling. The parent is totally disengaged with her teen.
I know 1.
Of American History instruction I am very familiar with both incorrect information provided by U.S. Ed that does not match the Library of Congress.
I also know that HBCU’s don’t teach absolute truth either. As an example they teach that the Airplane was in vented by a guy who had a patent for a boat with two helium balloons tied to it when Hot Air Balloons were already popular.
Be very cautious about what you teach kids.
If you instill in them false facts they will be angry for no reason at other people. When they learn the truth they will feel foolish and be angry at you.
Homeschooling laws should continue to be implemented at a state or local level NOT federally mandated. While abuse, and neglect are a terible plague in our society, most parents who homeschool their children are not lazy or drug addcits. We cannot make laws that punish the many for the deeds of the few. Other options may include better mental health services, or better drug rehabilitation programs. Securing the border and cracking down on drug dealers so drugs arent so prevelant… etc.