It’s well known the federal government does not support homeschoolers.
In fact, the homeschooling community and its supporters have been under attack for years, as they’ve struggled to avoid prosecution, just for teaching their children.
And now, homeschoolers have one clear message to the federal government – “leave us alone.”
The homeschooling community wants no part of anything the federal government has to offer, including being part of a voucher program.
And who could blame them?
20 years ago, it was considered a crime to homeschool a child, and the leftist elite assured parents “professional educators” could teach their children better than they could.
Now that Trump has appointed Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education, homeschooling parents can breathe a sigh of relief.
And leaders of the Home School Legal Defense Association personally met with DeVos, to speak on behalf of homeschooling families across America.
Breitbart reported:
“DeVos met with leaders from the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) Monday, who conveyed to the secretary their concerns about regulation of homeschooling tied to school vouchers and discrimination against homeschoolers by higher education programs that refuse to accept homeschool diplomas.
HSLDA president Mike Smith, vice presidents Jim Mason and Chuck Hurst, and director of federal relations William Estrada met with DeVos, along with Tricia Powell, a homeschooling parent.
Estrada posted on Facebook Tuesday about the meeting:
We discussed the successes of homeschooling, the work that HSLDA is doing to support homeschoolers and state and local homeschool support groups, and how homeschoolers just want to be left alone by the federal government (homeschoolers don’t want to be included in any federal k-12 voucher programs due to the threat of government regulations down the road.)
We discussed how homeschool graduates still face discrimination, usually in the form of federally funded higher education programs that refuse to accept their homeschool high school diploma.”
But as it turns out, the fight isn’t over just yet, as Congress is still attempting to pass legislation which will further add regulatory burdens to the homeschooling community.
If passed, this bill would set up a system to track homeschoolers so the government would know exactly who the homeschoolers are and where they are located.
Essentially, the bill would create the “federal right to homeschool.”
But homeschool advocates say it’s ridiculous to have a “federal right to homeschool,” as the Constitution already guarantees parents this right.
Breitbart reported:
“Estrada says the bill allows states to “track” homeschooling students.
There is only one way that states and school districts can do this: by requiring homeschooling families to register with them, and be tracked by the school district,” he asserts. “This will be especially problematic in states that do not require homeschooling families to file a notice of intent with the local school district. H.R. 610 will require homeschooling families in all 50 states to register with the local school district. This would be just the first cost of ‘free government money.’”
Homeschoolers have long been discriminated against, but still thrived without the help of the federal government.
Homeschooling parents are clear – they don’t need the federal government’s help, and they don’t want them involved in their children’s education.
Do you trust the federal government to get involved with the homeschooling community?
Or, do you think the federal government should leave homeschoolers alone?
Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below.