Homeschooling in Virginia Is Being Threatened

 

Homeschooling is legal is all 50 states—yet each state has its own laws and requirements. Some states, such as New Jersey are extremely lax. While its neighbor, Pennsylvania, is one of the strictest in the nation. As a public school graduate from New York state, I will never forget when I first became a Christian in my early twenties and heard people refuting evolution. The speaker made the comment, “The question is not if we should teach evolution or creation in public schools. The question is if we should even have public schools.” What did that even mean? I could not wrap my brain around it until I could. Until I did. Until I began homeschooling. Of course eliminating the public school system is not something I am going to entertain in my brain right now, but eliminating it from my life is. 

When I first began homeschooling over a decade ago in Virginia I was presented with two options. 

1. Notice of Intent: This is where I would have to provide a progress report for each child and a list of the subjects that each child will study annually.

2. Religious Exemption: This is for families that choose to homeschool for religious reasons. Their conscience will not allow them to send their children to public schools. They completely cut themselves off from the public school system.

I chose option number two. I did not and do not want the government involved in my children's education. Period. And now, that is being threatened. A senator in Virginia is trying to eliminate the religious exemption option and is using despicable means to try and do this. After finding some online disgruntled group of former homeschoolers that had bad experiences, she found women who were neglected, depressed, and even one that ended up homeless—all because their parents used the religious exemption option poorly. Well, I can show you to ten times more former public schoolers that are currently on the streets in Virginia. If you get their testimonies will you eliminate public schools? I don't think so.

I watched the testimonies which began with the senator reading one from an email she received. She read it with such conviction and emotion. It reminded me of Hillary Clinton during her presidential debate with Trump. While trying to defend abortion she brought in a personal story of a woman that she met, that she knew, and because of what she went through abortion clearly should be allowed throughout the nation. It was so absurd as was this senator's tactic of trying to pull on people's heartstrings. 

I remember her saying that option #1 is not that hard to comply with. That statement got under my skin. No, it is not hard. It is not difficult. It is not that we as homeschoolers are lazy. This is about government control. It's not about the ease of the hoops they want us to jump through it is the fact that there are hoops at all.

If you currently homeschool in Virginia or are interested in homeschooling freedoms, you can stay up-to-date through the Virginia state organization HEAV.