California Homeschooling a Criminal Offense?

As many of you know, we live in California. As many of you also know, we hope to home school our children rather than use the California public school system which is facing budget cuts of about 10% or so, much of which will be saved by cutting teachers and support stuff.

So when I heard about Justice H. Walter Croskey who basically declared that unless you have a teaching certificate you cannot home school your children I was shocked. The whole article is called "Court Deems Homeschooling a Criminal Offense" and while it is disturbing, the article well written, brief, and worth the read. Also, World Magazine talks about it here.

The Home Schooling Legal Defense Association response can be found here, it includes their action plan. And the latest to date including more specifics on how this fiasco started is available at the HSLDA site here.

I am trying not to panic, I am trying not to get all worked up about it, but I have to confess, when I called my husband to tell him about the article I started the conversation with, "Well, we have to leave California," and my husband basically asked what the newest reason was. Not that we are unhappy with where we live, but the politics and prevailing worldly culture make us a uneasy. Some days it is very hard not to feel like the overwhelming minority as a Christian family in California. However, God put us here and we will remain here until He moves us again, if He does.

However, I would appreciate it if you would take the time to support us California families who either home school now, or hope to in the future by taking a look at the Petition at the Home Schooling Legal Defense Association found here.

Hat Tip to the Servens for highlighting this, not surprisingly it is not exactly being broad casted in California.