Harvard law professor Elizabeth Bartholet, who was called out by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for wanting to impose “a presumptive ban” on homeschooling, has now argued for a “regulatory regime” forcing children who are educated at home to still attend some classes at a public school.
According to Bartholet, children educated by their parents at home “should have some exposure to the public schools environment … I think they should have to take a course or two every year at the public school and engage in some extracurricular activities.”
Her argument was that “children have a right to be exposed to views and values other than those of their parents, and there’s no way to guarantee that if 24/7 those kids are at home.”
During an interview last weekend with Off-Trail Learning, a podcast by unschooling advocate Blake Boles, Bartholet said “it’s unregulated homeschooling that I’m concerned with.”
Apart from child abuse going undetected, the professor also feared that some parents “are going to be absolutely inadequate to provide the fundamentals of, you know, education that I think almost everybody in America would agree kids need to have, certain skills to give them various employment and other choices in the future.”
Bartholet blamed the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) for preventing politicians from enacting regulations on homeschooling.
“It’s also the power of this narrow, conservative, religious, political group that’s personified in the HSLDA,” she said. “They’ve got the kind of power that the gun lobby has. They don’t represent significant numbers, but they have … proved to have so far near overwhelming power in terms of preventing legislators from doing what I think legislators would do if they felt free to act rationally….”
The above comes from a June 9 story on LifeSiteNews.
Children have a right to their innocence. This liberal zealot says ‘fundamentals” to imply that parents are too stupid to teach reading, math, and science but what she really means is all things LGBT, BLM, and Planned Parenthood. For decades they denied they were coming for your children, anybody doubt it now?
Some homeschoolers do attend public school classes along with homeschooling. Other homeschoolers attend private school classes and on line classes, and some have tutors brought into the home. Many do all three. It is for parents to decide how they want their children to be taught, not Ms Bartholet. I doubt she even has any children of her own. I have known plenty of public school teachers and principals who homeschooled for awhile or got tutors for the children. Some even left public school teaching to go into private schools or tutoring.
By the way, the article has two spellings for the lady’s name — one in the title and a different one under the picture.
Fixed- thanks.
why dis advocate for PUBLIC school
work at PRIVATE university ??
jus askin’
Homeschooling is an option for many families. If they want to keep their children away from the “multi-cultural” environment that is today’s public education world, they should be able to do that. There are a lot of books, learning aids, and opportunities to provide a good education. But, there are a lot of buts. I have a college degree and nearly a decade of experience teaching high school. I can assure you, however, that I am totally unqualified to teach anything above the fifth grade level of math and science. That side of my brain never really kicked in. What about the parent who only has a high school education that didn’t include many of the courses required today? How many parents are qualified to be effective teachers of content-specific information. They may be great parents, but … How does homeschooling teach community? How does homeschooling teach teamwork, competitiveness, and the other “soft” curriculum? And yet, every year we read about homeschooled kids getting into Harvard and other major universities. Yes, but …
I hate to tell you Bob One, but homeschooling IS multicultural. People can use any teacher or tutor or school they want. There are homeschoolers who are taking Greek, Latin, Spanish and any other language they want.
While not for every family, for many, home schooling has proven itself a great blessing. Years ago, when our oldest was young, my wife suggested home schooling. My response: “Home schooling is for nuts and hippies. And, we know we’re not hippies.” She asked what if it’s best for our children. We agreed to discern it one year at a time. All of our home schooled children have now graduated college and are working. Around middle school age, we enrolled them in part-time programs to help with subject matter beyond our ability to teach. No family can do it alone. There are fine home school support groups, sports leagues, theaters, choirs, bands and more. The opportunities for socialization are abundant and, frankly, many home educated young people relate better than many of their peers with adults as well as children who are older and younger (which they have to do when they complete their formal education). (And, I, too, am a former high school teacher and youth worker, so my experience is much broader than my own family.) Regardless of choice, may parents realize they are, as the Church teaches, the ones primarily responsible for their children’s education.
Thank you Deacon. That is good information.
Bob One, there is NO but, You always make qualifying statements whenever there is a tradtional/conservative solution to a problem created by liberals.
Bob , this was one of your better posts , I mean that , the multi cultural environment is from my reading given too much time and resources in relation to core subjects, I would add that safety,discipline and management of resources are a big reason for opting out. There are structured home school curriculum , and if they attend a church, they can exchange ideas , form sports leagues, and other associations that teach socialization skills. Tutors are available as well as YouTube courses such as Khan Academy that have assisted many home school and regular school students . As far as the parents I would trust motivated parents who love their children vs a professional who cannot always give the time and effort in a difficult environment that they themselves have little say in.
Let’s face it. Elizabeth wants kids in public schools because that’s where kids can be indoctrinated with subjects like “Emotional Learning”. What is that about? Who needs it? Will kids learn about American History? Don’t be silly. Will kids’ values be clarified (i.e. taught parents values are antediluvian)? And let’s not forget kids will be taught abortion is wonderful and necessary. And oh yeah, kids need to be “socialized”? Really? Do families live in the backwoods and never see other human beings? Bartholet’s arguments are the same today as when I was fighting sex ed in the schools in the 60’s. Nothing has changed for the better — our culture has only gotten worse — thanks to “public education”. The bottom line: Take you kids away from the indoctrinatators.
Continue to be cranky! Don’t, however, put all the blame on teachers and the local schools. They are responsible for some of the mischief, but most of the crazy stuff comes out of the Legislature in Sacrament. That is where laws are passed that require x hours of indoctrination of y subjects. That is where the requirement for … well, you get the point. If you don’t like what is going on in the schools, vote out the current legislators and put some new ones in charge. Most school districts work hard to find ways to implement the rules set by legislatures.
Cranky , Amen ! I would add that she is modeling the socialist view , i.e. Hitler youth , Soviet Young Pioneers , among others for control of the child’s mind and to disrupt the family structure. Look up Melissa Harris Perry ” All Your Kids Belong To The Community “on Youtube for a more blatant take on this , they are coming for the children and not with good intentions , they do not respect , the parents faith or authority this can be called evil in who and what they want to teach , and they will use force to do it.
Hitler the Socialist. If you’re teaching your kids nonsense BS like that, then you’re a prime poster-boy for why homeschooling is the problem that it is.
Would Prof. Bartholet mind if public school students were exposed on a mandatory and regular basis to values other than the secular humanistic values at the heart and soul, excuse the expression, of public education?
Few progressives appreciate, let alone celebrate for diversity’s sake, values different from their own.
Matthew 5:44-45
… love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.
Bob, in regards to the legislature I agree vote them out , the teachers union has a undue influence in Sacramento so they have helped make this mess. I point to private and parochial schools as models how school administrations should be run . The hostility over school choice and charter schools is telling in that the powers that be are not interested in the best education for the child, but money and power for themselves . I submit the monstrosity known as LA Unified , LAUSD as one of the best examples of waste and scandal, more money is not the answer.