Posted on 12/16/2007 5:12:57 AM PST by Man50D
A homeschooling mom in Utah has been ordered by a judge to enroll her children in a public school district within 24 hours, and have them in class tomorrow, all because of a paperwork glitch that very well could be the fault of the district.
The mother, Denise Mafi, told WND that she already has enrolled her children in the district, under the threat from Judge Scott Johansen, who serves in the juvenile division of the state's 7th Judicial District, that he would order her children taken away from her.
As WND has reported previously, such threats are becoming more and more common in Germany, but that nation still lives by a Nazi-era law that makes homeschooling illegal.
Mafi told WND that not only is homeschooling legal in Utah, she's been at it for nearly a decade.
So what's the problem here?
It seems that an affidavit she faxed to the local school district for the 2006-2007 school year, documenting her homeschooling plans, was lost by the district. So when she went to court with her juvenile son to have the charges dismissed (under a case held in abeyance procedure) stemming from a clash among children, she suddenly was presented with four counts against her for failing to comply with the state's compulsory education requirement.
She thought she was meeting the court's demands earlier when she enrolled her two youngest children in classes, and put her two older children in an online curriculum connected to the public school.
(Excerpt) Read more at worldnetdaily.com ...
My oldest daughter was awarded scholarships at a big name university because of her SAT scores and the major she picked. There was lots available despite the fact that she was homeschooled through graduation. The university awards them based on criteria other than whether or not the student attended a public school.
In this state, she is not permitted to take the GED exam if she were to leave school. That means NO access to government scholarships at their state universities. They would have to pay for these courses on their own, and the usual path to state and federal scholarships and loans is blocked.
But,,,hey!...What is the cost of a child’s soul? I suppose we could ask Esau. He traded his birthright for a bowl of stew.
Again. I can hardly stand to watch it. I’ve seen this so many times before.
That's one reason none of it makes sense. If she has this year's paperwork, and the district has approved her homeschooling plan (which it apparently has), how can the judge say her children must attend school?
If she has an approved homeschool plan, and is following it, I don't see how the judge legally could say the children have to be enrolled in public school.
The article is very poorly written; for example, the sentence
So when she went to court with her juvenile son to have the charges dismissed (under a case held in abeyance procedure) stemming from a clash among children, she suddenly was presented with four counts against her for failing to comply with the state's compulsory education requirement.
is almost nonsensical, and leaves more questions unanswered than answered.
I have to wonder if perhaps the woman is a single mother who is working during the day, and if the children are out on the streets getting into trouble when they should be doing their lessons.
I agree with you. Our state doesn’t have a lot of regulations, and they are very easy to follow.
Thank you. I’ll check them out!
The meshing of the muscle of the military and police forces and the ideology of the social engineers will be the death of all liberty in America.
When you consider some of the brainless actions of school administrations under the "zero tolerance" mentality, that may not be a bad idea for those who must use public schools. The most recent stupid case I have heard of was one where a ten year old girl who brought a steak knife to school for the express purpose of cutting a steak her mother packed for lunch was taken to the police station and suspended for ten days. In the current environment, it is safe to state that the public official is not your friend, and too often, civilians are subject to official oppression for minor infractions or even none at all.
I have never been so hopeful. Freedom still has a chance. We now have the Internet, talk radio, cable, and satellite.
My tag line reads: Good ideas win! Why? Because people are not stupid.
Of which there are many on FR.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I am religious. I pray for this every day.
Transportation problems, MS and low income make for a difficult life. Teenage kid(s) may have decided not to be helpful. That can throw the whole family into a tailspin if they are on the edge anyway.
Seems to me that the state has become a burden to this womans role and parental right to raise and educate her blessed children. Affidavits here, confirmations there. File paperwork, paperwork, paperwork...
The judge should have told the state that it needs to make it easier on the woman by getting out of her way!
By "out of her way" I take it you mean she should, also, find a job that she can perform to pay her own bills. Wouldn't want the state burdening her with that SSI check every month.
She said she had received a confirmation the fax to the school was received when she sent it, but likes to clean out her paperwork before the start of a new school year, and apparently had disposed of it.
OK, big mistake. I never throw anything out that pertains to homeschooling. Although from the sound of things, she wouldn't have much sway with this judge if she did have it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.