Parents Rights Violated By Public School Compulsory Attendence Laws

Compulsory attendance laws are school authorities' first assault on parental rights. These laws force almost forty-five million children to sit in often boring classes six to eight hours a day for twelve years. Compulsory attendance laws force parents to hand over their children to state employees called teachers, principals, and administrators, whose competence they must take on faith.

Compulsory attendance laws show contempt for parents' rights because they are based on the notion that the state owns our children for twelve years, and that parents should have little say in the matter.

In effect, these laws allow state officials to legally kidnap millions of children, allegedly to benefit the children by giving them an education (in the opinion of these officials). "Kidnap" may seem like a harsh word, yet wouldn't you apply that word to someone who took your child by force against your will?

Unfortunately, most parents voluntarily send their kids to the local public school. These parents believe they are doing the right thing or have no alternative, so they might not believe that school authorities kidnap their kids. However, millions of other parents are so disgusted with public schools that they either homeschool their kids or send them to private schools.

Every year, school authorities and social service agencies harass or threaten hundreds of home-schooling parents who remove their child from public school. If parents refuse to send their child to the local public school, and do not strictly follow a state's home-schooling regulations, school authorities can file child abuse or neglect charges against the parent. They can then call in social service agencies that threaten parents with jail or threaten to take away their children and put them in foster homes.

The Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) claims to represent "approximately 365 home-schooling families a year who are wrongly charged of some form of child abuse or neglect" because they chose not to comply with compulsory attendance laws.

School authorities' harassment of home-schoolers reveals the nasty compulsion underlying our public schools. Thankfully, parents in this country have the right to homeschool their children. For their children's sake, parents should take advantage of this right.

Joel Turtel is an education policy analyst, and author of "Public Schools, Public Menace: How Public Schools Lie To Parents and Betray Our Children." Contact Information: Website: http://www.mykidsdeservebetter.com, Email: lbooksusa@aol.com, Phone: 718-447-7348. Article Copyrighted © 2005 by Joel Turtel. NOTE: You may post this Article on another website only if you set up a hyperlink to Joel Turtel's email address and website URL, http://www.mykidsdeservebetter.com.

Natural Resources Celebrates 20 Years as San Francisco's Premier ...
MarketWatch - 14 hours ago
Located at 1367 Valencia Street in the Mission District, Natural Resources is San Francisco's premier pregnancy, childbirth and early parenting education ...

Telegraph.co.uk
Plea to parents over gang crime
The Press Association - Sep 2, 2008
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith appealed to parents to play their part in tackling gang crime. Parents sometimes think, she said, that their teenagers rarely ...
Parents get anti-gang advice Manchester Online
Gangs: you and your child new advice for parents on gangs 7thSpace Interactive (press release)
Smith Urges Parents To 'Play Part' In Defeating Gang Culture 4RFV
Sky News - BBC Newsall 248 news articles

Boston Globe
Parenting Examiner
Examiner.com - 17 hours ago
Insight Pros.com stresses the need for parents to help their pregnant teen deal with the "here and now." Says Michael Behning of Strong Model Workshops: ...
Video: Palin's Pregnancy Problem? CBS
Reflections of Palin from a Christian in Wasilla Seattle Times
Rachel Larimore, Emily Yoffe and Ann Hulbert Washington Post
Louisville Courier-Journal - Huffington Postall 518 news articles

Poundstone talks parenting, politics
Arizona Daily Wildcat, AZ - 1 hour ago
My parents had all his albums, and I loved him. Still do. I wasn't that familiar with the art of stand-up comedy when I was a kid, because it was really a ...

KARK
Sarah Palin's Parenting Choices Under Fire
ABC News - Sep 3, 2008
But other women across the political spectrum have asked why men should not also be held to the same standards of parenting. "Having young children didn't ...
End the Mommy Wars Newsweek
Sarah Palin is not just another working mom News Hounds
Full Story KARK
all 17 news articles

Streetwise parenting for the youth of today
3 News NZ, New Zealand - 8 hours ago
He has now authored the book ‘Streetwise Parenting’ which has just been released. RadioLIVE’s Bill Ralston speaks to Glen about the book’s origins, ...

Parenting – A challenge to us all
Parkes Champion Post, Australia - 13 hours ago
In recognition of the wonderful but challenging roll of parenting, the NSW Uniting Church is sponsoring the well known educator Brenda Inglis-Powell to ...

Practical Parenting
Brooklyn Daily Eagle, NY - 16 hours ago
Protecting and maintaining this primary relationship has always been a priority, and even though parenting is a huge part of our partnership, ...

Parenting plonked on teacher's desk
Melbourne Herald Sun, Australia - Sep 3, 2008
But increasingly, signs are appearing within our communities that the forging of strong and robust parent-teacher partnerships is faltering. ...

Parenting styles reflect generation gap
Otago Daily Times, New Zealand - 19 hours ago
So it is not surprising that I read the report of his address to a Parents Inc breakfast last week with much nodding of my head. It is not surprising, ...

Wind Chimes and more...

Windchimes for great gifts!

5 Solid Reasons: Why Your Child Can Be An Achiever