CA Court Limits Parents' Right to Homeschool

A state appellate court in California ruled in In Re Rachel L that parents without teaching credentials cannot legally homeschool their children.  The case involved Mary and Phillip Long who claimed that "sincerely held religious beliefs" required that they homeschool their children whom they said would be exposed to teachings of evolution and homosexuality in public school.  Judge Walter Croskey characterized their claim as "conclusional, not fact specific," and "too easily asserted by any parent who wishes to home school his or her child.”  The reach of the decision is unclear given the many options for homeschooling in California.  The parents have vowed to appeal, and a spokesperson for Governor Schwarzenegger said that he might consider protective legislation if the issue is not resolve favorably through the courts. The First Amendment Center, Findlaw, and San Francisco Chronicle has more.    

-Kathleen A. Bergin