u235

"Parents do not have a constitutional right to home school their children..."

That's what the law says. Simply put, just because you decide to reproduce does not entitle you to raise that child in any way you see fit. American public schools are designed to provide an accepted level of education to children to ensure that kids can become functional adults who can contribute to their society. Just because a public school don't expound or enforce religious beliefs does not mean that a school is unfit to train students in the necessary skills to survive. Schools teach children to read, write, and count - the bible does not. And if it means so much to a parent, then there are religious institutions available at a premium cost.

While parents are responsible for how their children are raised they are also not entitled, as parents, to freely abuse or mistreat them. In the case of Phillip Long, a home-schooling parent from CA, his eldest child claimed "mental and physical abuse" as part of being home-schooled. This lead to a lawsuit wherein one of the Judges issued the statement at the top: Parents do not have a *right* to home school.

I'm tired of all the religious zealots in the US forgetting the fact our country was founded on the basis of religious *freedom*. The basis of this is that we allow people to practice what they want, so long as it does not interfere with the rights of others. Beating your child as part of your "religious beliefs" *is* interfering with the rights of another, and it's not allowed. Further, in order to teach your child, you must be at least as educated as you want them to be, if not significantly more. If teachers need a degree to teach, then parents have to submit to a level of certification as well.

While some of that has been mitigated by the fact that home schooled students still need to pass standardized tests, it doesn't mean that the child learned in a nurturing or encouraging environment. Learning should not be hell, and if parents are abusive in how they teach then a reporting mechanism is required. Chances are if they're at least college educated they won't be... but that's just my opinion.