Ohio Homeschooling Bill

[LeopardLady]

New Ohio bill has been proposed that puts several major restrictions on homeschoolers. It seems to be attacking many of the abuses of homeschooling we've seen in quiverfull and fundie families. On the other hand, it also requires a lot more hoops to jump through before anyone can homeschool. As someone who supports the rights of a child to get a good education and to be able to obtain that education in the manner that is best for them, I'm not sure how to feel about this.

http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/bill ... 130_SB_248

[BravaAmica]

What do you disagree with, specifically, though? It's not a perfect bill but it's a start.

[LeopardLady]

The big thing is that it requires automatic intervention by Child Services. Also that it requires Superintendent of the school district to sign off on it even if approved by Child Services. Sometimes it is exactly that school bureaucracy that is causing the bad public school situation in the first place.

[formergothardite]

It probably isn't a perfect idea but there needs to be a lot more intervention when it comes to homeschooling. And this is a step.

[BravaAmica]

The big thing is that it requires automatic intervention by Child Services. Also that it requires Superintendent of the school district to sign off on it even if approved by Child Services. Sometimes it is exactly that school bureaucracy that is causing the bad public school situation in the first place.

What kind of intervention? A home visit? Parenting classes?

I agree with the superintendent signing off on homeschooling. That may ensure that the children are getting an education that will actually be useful, instead of, say, one like the Duggars are getting.

[AnnieC 305]

What kind of intervention? A home visit? Parenting classes?

I agree with the superintendent signing off on homeschooling. That may ensure that the children are getting an education that will actually be useful, instead of, say, one like the Duggars are getting.

All of the above actually.

While I think having to meet with the parent and the child separately twice a year is a good idea, just to make certain no abuse is going on and educational standards are being met and I think that a background check of all adults in the home is an excellent idea, I think the group counseling and parenting classes are a bit much and are going to cause no end of problems. I can just hear them screaming "Indoctrination!!" and refusing to fill out the paperwork for any of it. That will cause all of those families to retreat and cut themselves off further, isolating the children and compounding the problem.

[apple1]

The big thing is that it requires automatic intervention by Child Services. Also that it requires Superintendent of the school district to sign off on it even if approved by Child Services. Sometimes it is exactly that school bureaucracy that is causing the bad public school situation in the first place.

No.

Even the HSLDA (whose opinion I take with a very large grain of salt) states differently.

The bill would require a social worker's evaluation for all those requesting to homeschool.

Only those who FAIL the social worker's eval would have a required intervention before they can homeschool.

(Warning: The link below is HSLDA).

hslda.org/hs/state/oh/201312170.asp

"If it is not recommended, parents would have to submit to an “intervention†before further consideration of their request to homeschool."

I would have provided a more neutral link if I could have found one.

I'm an Ohio resident. I do not for a minute think this bill will pass in Ohio. There are too many in Ohio who homeschool for primarily religious reasons, plus the HSLDA and other extremely conservative homeschooling rights groups are too active, and too politically savvy, to allow this to pass. Additionally, the Ohio legislature is currently 70% Republican. No way this will pass.

[LeopardLady]

Perhaps I'm not familiar with the system, but isn't being interviewed by a social worker the same thing as having Child Services involved? I wasn't trying to make something a bigger deal than it was, so if they aren't the same thing, that was my mistake for conflating the two things.

[AnnieC 305]

Perhaps I'm not familiar with the system, but isn't being interviewed by a social worker the same thing as having Child Services involved? I wasn't trying to make something a bigger deal than it was, so if they aren't the same thing, that was my mistake for conflating the two things.

I don't think so. I believe the social worker would come from the school district, which is not the same thing.

To my reading the bill doesn't make that clear. Nor does it make it clean when further intervention would be required.

[Handmaiden of Dog]

I would like to see more controls on home schooling. I think there should be two visits a year in the home at the very least to evaluate progress and to check on the child. Think about how easy it is to abuse kids when they don't go to public school-- no one to see the bruising or the malnourishment or the signs of psychological damage.

[starfish]

It will be fun to watch the fundies get stirred up about this one, even if it has no chance of passing.

Persecution!!!!! hehehehahaha