Many in Michigan fought long and hard to make homeschooling legal in Michigan. In fact, our friend, David A. Kallman, of the Great Lakes Justice Center, “served as the trial attorney in the seminal DeJonge case, which ultimately resulted (in) the Michigan Supreme Court protecting the right of home educators to teach their children without excessive government regulation.” Thank you, Sir.
This freedom to educate one’s own children in Michigan “without excessive government regulation” is under attack and we are urging people to contact every member of the Michigan legislature (easily done at the bottom of this alert). Carefully read the below email sent out by Salt & Light Global (SLG), Prof. William Wagner’s group, pass this information on to others, encouraging them to make calls or send emails as well. One needn’t be a homeschool parent or student to be involved. We must stand for one another’s freedoms and rights and against tyranny. Otherwise, as our government grows larger and overreach becomes normalized, we all will suffer at their ever-grabbing hands.
The below italicized section is the email from Salt & Light Global (SLG):
Yesterday, Representative Matt Koleszar, Chair of Michigan’s House Education Committee, expressed his desire to require all homeschool families register their children with state government.
He posted on X, “Michigan is one of only 11 states that doesn’t count or register homeschooled children, and abusive parents are taking advantage of that to avoid being found out. It’s time to support all Michigan students and change that. Michigan cannot allow this loophole to continue.”
While SLG ardently opposes any and all acts of child abuse and actively works to aid the most vulnerable, we remain dedicated champions of Christian parenting and homeschooling.
There are numerous inaccuracies and false presumptions in Rep. Koleszar’s statement, and it is important that engaged Christian citizens respectfully bring truth into the public dialogue:
* Absence of state registration is not a “loophole.” For 30 years, Michigan has been a national leader in successful home education, balancing freedom with clear statutory responsibility resulting in well-rounded academically excellent students.
* Homeschoolers do not experience abuse at a higher rate than public or private school peers, according to a recent Barna study.
* Increasing homeschool regulation will not solve the problem. A recent study proved there was no connection at all between regulation of homeschooling and incidents of abuse.
* State-run schools are far more dangerous, exposing children to high crime rates and 25 to 63 murders annually, rampant bullying and harassment, substance abuse (hence drug-free zones), suicides, and a tragically high rate (11.7%) of sexual abuse of students by public school staff.
* In short, as reported in the Gen 2 Survey revealed that students that are homeschooled are 257% less likely to be sexually abused than those in public schools.
As our friends at Michigan Christian Homeschool Network (MICHN) stated in a recent press release on the subject, “Instead of exploiting a false political narrative about home education to make headlines, Representative Koleszar’s time would be better spent focusing on improving Michigan’s struggling public school system, focusing his attention on the real problems that plague the state’s Child Protective Services and the abuse of children in union-backed schools.”
Even while the legislature is on recess this month, many legislators are working on crafting policy, you can help ensure that your values are represented in that policy by speaking truth in this vital moment.
We urge you to join us in prayer for all elected leaders and to share your thoughts and concerns with Rep. Koleszar and with your own state representative and senator.
In addition to the points above, who will decide what constitutes abuse? In recent years, there have been those in academia who claim that teaching Christianity and the Bible, which is God’s main source of revelation to man detailing truth, are abuse. Yet, as Great Lakes Justice Center so aptly states, “The ultimate aim of education is to discover Truth. In other words, the purpose of learning is to know God, His works and His commands. When curricula remove this foundational premise, they remove the standard by which we judge what is right and wrong, true and false, functional and failing. If we hope to restore our communities, we as citizen statesmen must renew our commitment to scripturally consistent education whether provided through public, private or home schools.” Read their extended thoughts here.
What’s next after registration? It always eventually leads to something, otherwise, why register? Is this just another way to get their foot inside your door? After the nose of the camel gets into your tent, what does the hump bring with it?
The Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) has made it easy for you to help send an important message to Rep. Koleszar and every member of the Michigan legislature. Please click here for more details. More information on this important topic can also be found there.
To view this article in your browser, Click Here
For more information, articles and newsletters, please check out our website at https://americandecency.org/
You can support ADA financially by visiting: https://give.cornerstone.cc/americandecency
Call us:
231-924-4050Email us:
info@americandecency.orgWrite us:
American Decency AssociationCopyright 2024 American Decency
