It seems as if the first amendment has very little weight and meaning in the state of California. An appeals court has ruled against home schooling and will effectively force parents that practice this type of free choice into having to hold state credentials to teach their own kids. Strangely, this case started out as a child welfare case and not as a test of the legality of home schooling. After reading the ruling, I came away with the impression that the judges in this case were largely biased against the parents because they were teaching their children Christian values: These judges clearly did not like the Christian education being taught to these children. While I am not a religious person, I do believe that parents have a right to teach their kids at home (if they wish and in any faith) and that state power should be constrained in order to avoid an abrogation of individual choice and rights.
Incidentally, there is one group that was overjoyed with the decision: The teachers union.
Read the ruling and the article in
SFGate
