> Beyond that, there are parents who are well equipped to homeschool and parents who are not. And there is a small but hard-to-ignore percentage who claim to homeschool but really neglect their kids.
There's such a disparity between states. States like mine require homeschooled kids to occasionally attend actual school for check in or certain classes, and participate in the same testing (regardless of your opinion of such testing).
Other states are more vague and less frequent about such thing.
And then a notable swathe of states, you might as well go off the grid. Tell the state you're homeschooling, and then that's it, you never interact with the state again. Troubling. And there's not just neglect, but active abuse, that that can help hide.
Texas is working on an amendment that ostensibly cuts taxes on child care facilities to make them more affordable. It's very easy to tell that those savings won't be passed on to consumers. In reality, it's very much more a pro-homeschooling thing. "Homeschool your kids and save on your property taxes".
> Texas is working on an amendment that ostensibly cuts taxes on child care facilities to make them more affordable. It's very easy to tell that those savings won't be passed on to consumers. In reality, it's very much more a pro-homeschooling thing. "Homeschool your kids and save on your property taxes".
A 'childcare facility' typically refers to something kids go to before school. I've noticed several other commenters make the claim that those who are not using daycare facilities for their non-school-age children (i.e., the norm up until the late 90s) is a form of 'homeschooling'.
It's not. Raising your young non-school-aged children at home is the normal way people have raised their children
I have no opinion on Texas's law, but it doesn't sound like it's about homeschooling
I wonder how the neglecters/abusers stay hidden. We are in a state that doesn’t even require notification. As far as the school district is concerned our kids don’t exist. But the medical system definitely knows them. I guess the neglecters/abusers don’t take their kids to their annual well-child visit? Maybe that’s the thing that should be made compulsory?
Note: Coalition for Responsible Home Education is the "good" group advocating for accountability to prevent neglected kids and abusive parents - while the Homeschooling Legal Defense Association is the group advocating for complete lack of government oversight over homeschooling.
> And there is a small but hard-to-ignore percentage who claim to homeschool but really neglect their kids.
That is true in the public school as well. Local churches used to organize breakfast in some of the parks during the summer for kids whose parents just wouldn't get around to feeding them. Statistically speaking, a child getting sent to the public school is more likely to be in that category than a homeschooled child.
Most parents who don't want to deal with their kids, welcome sending them to have someone else watch them.
There's such a disparity between states. States like mine require homeschooled kids to occasionally attend actual school for check in or certain classes, and participate in the same testing (regardless of your opinion of such testing).
Other states are more vague and less frequent about such thing.
And then a notable swathe of states, you might as well go off the grid. Tell the state you're homeschooling, and then that's it, you never interact with the state again. Troubling. And there's not just neglect, but active abuse, that that can help hide.
Texas is working on an amendment that ostensibly cuts taxes on child care facilities to make them more affordable. It's very easy to tell that those savings won't be passed on to consumers. In reality, it's very much more a pro-homeschooling thing. "Homeschool your kids and save on your property taxes".