Home schooling threatened in California

A court ruling that California parents “do not have a constitutional right” to home-school their children has touched off anger and bewilderment throughout America’s home-schooling community and prompted a denunciation from Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. A state appellate court decision last month could force some 166,000 home-schooled students in California to enroll in conventional schools. Governor Schwarzenegger said Friday he would go to the legislature if the ruling is not overturned.

The number of students nationwide who are home-schooled is not known because 10 states are so hands-off they require no reporting at all, nor do parents always comply with reporting requirements. Estimates range from 1.1 million to 2.5 million home-schooled students, and the numbers are rising. Read more in The Christian Science Monitor online.