I'm not usually one to go all conspiracy theory on you, but these articles have got me all riled up. The folks who run the public school system think they know better how to raise your children than you do. I assure you they have very good intentions; they truly want what's best for your kids. What they think is best, that is. And judging by this week's crop of news, they're bound and determined to see them get it.
Check out this article. In Chicago, your aren't allowed to pack a lunch for your child. Why? Because the school cares more about their diet and is better able to provide nutrition for them. Oh, and then they charge you $2.25 a day for it.
How about this one? After homeschooling for several years, a mother wants to enroll her daughter in public school. One requirement was to catch up on vaccinations. The mother refused due to her daughter's history of adverse reactions to the vaccine. A court order is issued, the police and CPS get involved, and it ends with a tank and a SWAT team surrounding her house.
In Mississippi, Judge Joe Dale Walker wants to know the names and addresses of all homeschoolers in the area. Not because they're under investigation or have committed any crimes. He just wants to keep tabs on them. When he was told his request was unlawful, he issued his own court order.
In Chicago, it seems, the district that can't reform it's public schools is going start 'supervising' homeschoolers. Senators Kimberly Lightford (D) and Iris Martinez (D) say they're worried about students are "falling through the cracks", which leads to this quote:
In an email sent to constituents, the Illinois Christian Home Educators marveled at the irony of the Senators’ comments: “If ‘falling through the cracks’ means kids ending high school without a diploma, without being able to read, without being able to enter college without remedial classes, and with a juvenile justice record, then ‘falling through the cracks’ is quite common in public schools . . . Why [should] the least effective system of education supervise the most effective system?”
Homeschooling advocates have the data on their side. A 2009 study provided the most comprehensive picture of homeschooling efficacy to date. The research drew from almost 12,000 homeschooled students from all 50 states who took three well-known tests — the California Achievement Test, Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, and Stanford Achievement Tests — during the 2007-2008 school year. The national average percentile composite score for homeschoolers in reading, math, science and social studies was 86% versus a 50% average percentile composite score for public school students.
I'm continually astonished at a system that purports to have the students best interests at heart, and then does everything in it's power to hinder them.
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