JOINT STATEMENT REGARDING HOMESCHOOLING IN CALIFORNIA
The following organizations, California Homeschool Network, Christian Home Educators Association of California, Private and Home Educators of California and HomeSchool Association of California, represent the major California-based organizations working on a statewide basis to support private homeschooling. They, together with the Home School Legal Defense Association, which also works in California to support private homeschooling and which has members in California, jointly issue the following statement:
1. We are united in the goal of protecting the right of parents to teach their children privately at home without additional governmental interference.
2. We believe that children deserve to learn in the environment that best meets their individual needs. We support the right of parents to direct their children's education including, if they desire, teaching their children privately at home apart from any public school program and without a teaching credential.
3. We believe that the opinion rendered by the Second District Court of Appeals in the case titled "In re Rachel L." on February 28, 2008 is excessively broad in its scope and incorrectly states the law as applied to home education in California.
4. We believe that the interpretation of California law, as understood by our organizations and by the California Department of Education prior to the issuance of this decision, is correct, that the interests of both the State of California in ensuring that children are educated adequately and of parents in directing their children's education are well met by this prior interpretation of law, and that no change in California law regarding the teaching of children privately at home is needed.
For further information, please contact these organizations as follows:
California Homeschool Network P.O. Box 55485 Hayward, CA 94545 1-800-327-5339 http://californiahomeschool.net Loren Mavromati, President loren.mavromati@californiahomeschool.net | HomeSchool Association of California P.O. Box 77873 Corona, CA 92877 1-888-472-4440 http://www.hsc.org Debbie Schwarzer, Esq., Legislative Chair hsc-legislative@hsc.org |
Christian Home Educators Association of California P.O. Box 2009 Norwalk, CA 90651-2009 1-562-864-2432 http://www.cheaofca.org maryschofield@cheaofca.org |
Home School Legal Defense Association P.O. Box 3000 Purcellville, VA 20134-9000 1-540-338-5600 http://www.hslda.org J. Michael Smith, Esq. media@hslda.org |
Private and Home Educators of California P.O. Box 730 Lincoln, CA 95648-0730 1-916-786-3523 http://www.pheofca.org Roy Hanson, Director Jim Davis, Legislative Liaison contact@pheofca.org |