By Anna Broussard | June 19, 2024 | Washington Examiner
With more and more families opting to homeschool their children, many are calling for increased federal regulation of the education model — because restricting freedom is the model of the government these days.
In the post-pandemic world, students’ learning capabilities have changed. When those in K-12 were forced into remote learning, homeschooling started growing and has only continued to do so over the past few years. This rise has caught the eye of the leftist media, who are concerned that students could actually be learning.
The Scientific American, for example, wrote about the potential abuse that comes with unregulated homeschooling. After acknowledging the successes of children who are homeschooled and the benefits of a personalized curriculum, the article describes the tragedies of alleged child abuse. However, Scientific American failed to mention that such abuse is just as prevalent, if not more so, in public schools.
Moreover, although it is an unfortunate reality that children suffer in the home at times, there is little to no evidence that more federal regulation would solve this problem. Take the foster care system, for example. Children suffering from abuse are federally removed and, in many cases, go on to suffer significantly in temporary homes up until adulthood.
Regardless, to ensure “accountability” in homeschooling, critics argue that parents should be required to undergo a background check and submit documentation to a state agency every school year.
These regulations have nothing to do with ensuring the best possible education for children. Public schools already regulated by the government have proved as much: These schools are more interested in teaching critical race theory and pushing gender ideological agendas, not to mention secretly transitioning students without parental consent. Clearly, the Left’s social agenda is far more important than education.
So it’s no wonder why more parents are choosing to homeschool their children. Actual education has become secondary and indoctrinating students and ensuring they graduate with politically correct ideas has become the priority. The Left can see this shift to homeschooling, and it is becoming a problem for them. So cue the activists with their allegations of child abuse.
The government can try, but forcing background checks on parents who are just trying to raise their children is ridiculous. And regulating the curricula of homeschoolers will not be embraced by the families who are resisting woke ideology in their children’s education.
Homeschooling is growing because government-regulated education has failed families. But the Left hates losing control and will not let families leave so easily.