by Richard Collins

Created on: March 11, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

Parents may need to think more carefully about homeschooling their children in light of recent California developments. In California, if you lack a valid credential you must hire someone who is credentialed, which could get expensive even if there were enough credentialed people to go around. The legal situation in California could easily spill over into other states and may elicit calls for action at the national level. The chances are good that the Longs case will go to the California Supreme Court.

Well heeled and highly motivated conservative Christian groups are the driving force behind the homeschool movement. Until now, these partisans have met with success, but drastic change may be coming as citizens around the country begin to understand the danger homeschooling poses to our civic integrity.

State laws vary widely with respect to regulation of home schools so exactly how many children are involved is hard to quantify. Some estimates put the number at 1.5 to 2.0 million children nationwide and of these, approximately 80% of the children are said to be in conservative Christian homes. The most often quoted estimates come from people with an agenda, for example the National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI) and the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA).

Brian D. Ray, is president of NHERI, a nonprofit that sells services to home, private, and public educators by conducting research on home-based education, developing a network of researchers, and educating the worldwide public about Homeschooling. His book Worldwide Guide to Homeschooling, Facts and Stats is available on Amazon.com for 9 cents.

Even if you assume the lowest estimate of 1.5 million kids and 80% are in conservative Christian homes that means as many as 1,200,000 children are trapped in a parent dominated cocoon where they have no choice of what music to listen to, what books or magazines to read, what television to watch, or where they can go on the internet. Their contact with people outside the home is limited to church families and their children, and rigorous attempts are made to shield them from outside influence 24 hours a day. Can you say stifled?

Everything these sequestered children see, or touch, or hear is pre-approved. What chance will they have to develop their individuality? This constant monitoring is to shield children from "the dreaded homosexual agenda" and from learning about their sexuality and human reproduction among other topics children need to know

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