Ban on 'mom' and 'dad' considered – again

[Soldier4Christ]

Yes, I do also, every time that I hear others being misled in this manner especially when it is the young.

[HisDaughter]

This doesn't surprise me about California at all.  I left there years ago and have never gone back nor wanted to.
What does suprise me is that Gov. Arnold was once quoted as calling gay men, "Girlie Boys" is allowing it.
An example of a foreigner being allowed in our political arena if guess, and just wanting to be "liked".

[nChrist]

Brothers and Sisters,

This is part of the sewer where many are determined that we will all live. I, for one, will not comply. I have been working on being more politically correct, but the best I can muster is the Bible Truth:  Abominations in the eyes of GOD! We can easily and accurately explain what this means from a Biblical perspective. The WORD OF GOD will be preserved forever, and this isn't going to change in this life or the one to come!

[Soldier4Christ]

Calif. conservatives: Fight against school indoctrination law not over yet

The coalition of parents and pro-family groups trying to fight California's SB 777 -- a law passed in 2007 that they say indoctrinates public school students to the homosexual agenda -- has regrouped, launching a new effort against it after falling short in a ballot referendum petition drive last week.

Save Our Kids Campaign announced they were more than 80,000 signatures short at the January 10 deadline, collecting only 350,000 after 70 days. Spokesperson Karen England says that meant the attempt to delay SB 777 with a referendum ballot drive had failed. But the group, she explains, decided to take a different tact for a public vote to nullify the new law -- called an initiative -- that will allow them more time than before to collect signatures.

"The clock starts once we get the information back from the [California] Attorney General, and we have 150 days to collect the necessary 434,000 signatures as opposed to the less than 70 days we had to collect that amount," she says. If they qualify, either a November ballot or special election will bring state citizens to vote on their initiative. "Basically what we've done is file language that if the people agree and vote on it, if we get enough signatures, it will [return] the education code that SB 777 changed ... back to the old code prior to SB 777," says the campaign spokesperson.

England says despite the setback, and even though many pro-family supporters have chosen to withdraw children from public schools rather than join Save Our Kids Campaign, many families are encouraging the leaders to continue. "We were able to collect the most [signatures] that any drive has ever done, volunteer only, so we are very encouraged ... which is why we're carrying on," says England. "Our people want us to carry on [in] this fight ... and stand up for families."

SB 777 went into effect the next day after the referendum count was announced.

[nChrist]

Brothers and Sisters,

I can understand the decent people of California becoming discouraged. After all, voting doesn't seem to matter. The legislature has done what they wanted to anyway. However, I firmly believe that the fight should NOT be ended, even if the public schools are emptied. This is our system of government, and Christians have responsibilities to stand up. We are NOT ashamed of the core of our lives - JESUS CHRIST and the Gospel of God's Grace. We should not EASILY let the devil have a single thing. Further, we MUST NOT be naive and think that things like this can't happen where we live. So, the fight in California is important for all of us, and we should be praying for and supporting the decent people of California in any way that we can.

[Soldier4Christ]

Now Brits ban
'mum' and 'dad' 
New rules demand
sensitivity for 'gays'

Only months after a plan generated by California's legislature created a ban on the use of "mom" and "dad" in public schools, the Brits have announced a similar move, with orders for teachers to be more sensitive to homosexuality and not use terms like "mum and dad."

According to a report in the Mail online, a guidance plan has been released to tackle "anti-gay bullying" in schools in Britain. Written by the homosexual activist group Stonewall and announced by government Schools Secretary Ed Balls, the plan tells teachers not to make assumptions about a "mum and dad," perhaps instead referring to "parents."

And it directs teachers to introduce to students as young as age four the idea of same-sex couples in order to battle "homophobic" attitudes.

The California plan, which now is being targeted by an initiative effort that aims to take the issue to voters to have them overturn it, mandates a positive – and no other – portrayal of bisexuals, homosexuals, transgenders and others choosing alternative sexual lifestyles in public schools

Officials with Save Our Kids are working on the initiative to recall the law, signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The new California law demands, "No teacher shall give instruction nor shall any school district sponsor any activity that promotes a discriminatory bias because of a characteristic [including perceived gender.]"

Opponents say it does now ban anything that can be "perceived" as being discriminatory, up to and including references to "mom" and "dad" or "husband" and "wife."

"The terms 'mom and dad' or 'husband and wife' could promote discrimination against homosexuals if a same-sex couple is not also featured," said Meredith Turney, the legislative liaison for Capitol Resource Institute.

"Parents want the assurance that when their children go to school they will learn the fundamentals of reading, writing and arithmetic – not social indoctrination regarding alternative sexual lifestyles. Now that SB 777 is law, schools will in fact become indoctrination centers for sexual experimentation," she said.

In Britain, the advisory notes that teachers should educate students about civil partnerships and homosexual adoptions, and that students who call classmates "gay" should be treated just like they are racists.

Teachers also should avoid any references such as "be a man" or accusations students are acting like a "bunch of women."

The plan warns such words lead to bullying of those "who do not conform to fixed ideas about gender."

Instead, homosexual staff members should be encouraged to "discuss" their "private lives."

"It might be time-consuming at first, but a consistent 'zero-tolerance' approach to such language is central to achieving progress and an environment in which being gay is not thought of as being inferior," the government report warns.

"Schools need to make it clear to pupils that homophobic comments are as serious as racist comments, and homophobic incidents are as serious as other forms of bullying."

"I am proud the Government and the department are being robust about this," Balls said. "It is our view that every school should have a clear policy on tackling all forms of bullying, including homophobic bullying."

Less than a year earlier, the Scottish National Health Service decided to become "LGBT-friendly" by issuing directives to workers to halt any and all uses of "father," "mother," "husband," "wife" etc....

Police already are cracking down on such offenses in British schools. According to a Lifesite News report, in 2006, a 14-year-old school girl was arrested by police and detained in a cell for three hours after she asked to be moved into a group of students who spoke English in class. And in 2007, a 10-year-old boy was questioned after the boy sent an email calling another boy "gay."

While British plans are to reach out to teach homosexuality to students as young as four, WND has reported that the California plan to establish SB777 as state law was supported by organizations recommending homosexual literature to children as young as age two.

A list of school resources, sponsored by a homosexual-advocacy group called Safe Schools Coalition, suggests that for those who are only two years old, there's "Felicia's Favorite Story," which tells how she was "adopted by her two mothers."

Other resources being promoted in light of California's adoption of SB 777 as state law include books authored by officials for Planned Parenthood and the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network.

One book, called "Tackling Gay Issues in School," is for kindergarten through grade 12, and offers a "rationale (for the inclusion of les/bi/gay/trans issues in school)." It features recommended "extracurricular" activities for classes.

For months while California lawmakers discussed Senate Bill 777, opponents worried about its usefulness in censoring public school curricula to include a pro-homosexual bias. Supporters, however, steadfastly maintained that it only clarified anti-discrimination laws already on the books. They still hold that stance, with recent statements from both Schwarzenegger's office and Equality California.

Sabrina Lockhart, a spokeswoman for the governor, insisted it is a "technical bill" intended to clarify anti-discriminations laws.

"It simply takes anti-discrimination language used in other areas of [state law] such as employment and puts that in the education code," she said.

And Ali Bay of Equality California told WND the new law "doesn't require that any specific curriculum be included in California's classrooms."

"All along, Capitol Resource Family Impact has maintained that the true agenda behind SB 777 is to infuse school curriculum with pro-homosexual, and other controversial lifestyles, propaganda. The proponents of the bill countered that this was not true and the law would merely 'streamline' anti-discrimination laws for schools. Based on our 20-year experience with the homosexual lobby, we know that a common tactic is to maintain innocence and then utilize vague language to push a radical agenda. We expected the same of SB 777 and we are already witnessing the same pattern," said Karen England, chief of the CRI.

WND already has reported how the Gay Straight Alliance has forwarded instructions to its California chapters with information on how to make sure homosexuality is taught in public schools, and its warning having students and parents simply "tolerate" homosexuality is not enough.

"Tolerance education is an important first step, but we need to push further," the instructions said. "Infuse LGBTQ curriculum into history, social science, and literature classes," is the organization's plan.

The British advisory also noted that such homosexual teachings need to permeate the education system.

[Soldier4Christ]

'Mom,' 'dad,' banned; now 600,000 students could go
Alternatives offered to parents worried about 'repudiation' of Christian morals

Only months after a new state law effectively banned "mom" and "dad" from California schools, 600,000 students soon could be following them out the door because of what has been described as the "repudiation" of 2,000 years of Christian morality, according to leaders of a new campaign assembling education alternatives.

The campaign is called California Exodus and is being headed by Ron Gleason, pastor of Grace Presbyterian Church in Yorba Linda, who said while the country excels in social, economic, scientific and political accomplishments, it "gets low grades on the education of its children."

The issue is the state legislature's adoption of Senate Bill 777, which requires only positive portrayals of homosexual, bisexual, transgender and other alternative lifestyle choices.

"First, the law allowed public schools to voluntarily promote homosexuality, bisexuality, and transsexuality. Then, the law required public schools to accept homosexual, bisexual, and transsexual teachers as role models for impressionable children. Now, the law has been changed to effectively require the positive portrayal of homosexuality, bisexuality, and transsexuality to six million children in California government-controlled schools," said Randy Thomasson, chief of the Campaign for Children and Families and one of those who originally called for an abandonment of public schools.

"To rescue their children, loving parents need to find an alternative to government schools, and every church needs to make it a priority to help parents be in charge of their children's education again," he said.

He has condemned public school districts as "no longer a safe emotional environment for children" under the new law, signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, that will introduce children as young as kindergarten to the homosexuality and other alternative lifestyle choices.

The law itself technically bans in any school texts, events, class or activities any discriminatory bias against those who have chosen alternative sexual lifestyles, Meredith Turney, legislative liaison for Capitol Resource Institute, said.

There are no similar protections for students with traditional or conservative lifestyles and beliefs, however. Offenders will face the wrath of the state Department of Education, up to and including lawsuits.

"SB 777 will result in reverse discrimination against students with religious and traditional family values. These students have lost their voice as the direct result of Gov. Schwarzenegger's unbelievable decision. The terms 'mom and dad' or 'husband and wife' could promote discrimination against homosexuals if a same-sex couple is not also featured," she said.

Karen England, chief of CRI, told WND that the law is not a list of banned words, including "mom" and "dad." But she said the requirement is that the law bans discriminatory bias and the effect will be to ban such terminology.

"Having 'mom' and 'dad' promotes a discriminatory bias. You have to either get rid of 'mom' and 'dad' or include everything when talking about [parental issues]," she said. "They [promoters of sexual alternative lifestyles] do consider that discriminatory."

Thomasson told WND private schools and homeschools will be the only sanctuaries left for California parents who love their children and want to protect their sexual innocence."

Members of the coalition include the Exodus Mandate, which advocates Christian education for children, as well as Eagle Forum, whose president, Phyllis Schlafly, said there has been a great campaign to reform public schools, but it's been unsuccessful.

"SB777 and the related legislation represent a repudiation of 2,000 years of Christian moral teaching on human sexuality, marriage, and the family. The result is that California's schools are now promoting behaviors and lifestyles that are physically and spiritually dangerous for children," she said.

Other participating groups include Considering Homeschooling Ministry, whose founder, Denise Kanter, said its resources can provide encouragement for parents who want a "safe Biblical home education" for their children, and Robert Simonds, of Citizens for Excellence in Education, who said now is the time for pastors and churches to rescue children. Still other groups include Star Parker with the Coalition on Urban Renewal and Education, The Association of Classical Christian Schools, DEXIOS, Mission America, Alliance for the Separation of School and State and the Nehemiah Institute.

Bruce Shortt, the author of "The Harsh Truth About Public Schools" and a board member for Exodus Mandate, said Christians already are "numb" to the moral relativism in public schools.

"Now children will be told that their sexual orientation and gender are relative, too. No longer will children raised in these schools understand that God made us male and female with different, but complementary roles. Instead, children will be taught that sexual orientation and gender are merely a matter of personal choice," he said.

"Thus, children will be told that because there are many sexual orientations and gender identities, they simply have to reach their own conclusions about which sexual orientation and gender 'possibilities' are 'right for them.' Along with this will come the message that you really can't tell whether you like something unless you have tried it. The likely consequences of this for children, the institution of the family, our churches, and our culture are horrendous," he said.

Chaplain E. Ray Moore Jr., chief of the Exodus Mandate, said the program's goal is the put into place programs and resources that will "successfully extract 600,000 students from public schools this year."

He said that's about 10 percent of the California public school student population, and that would align with the percentage of the population that claims an affiliation with evangelical Christianity.

"Obviously we would hope all the children would go," he said.

"This is such an egregious offense against a Holy God, if the believers will stand up and act boldly, perhaps in God's mercy, we're seeking and asking for a Jericho type moment, that there will be some sudden shifting away from reforming public schools toward a Christian education," he said.

Shortt said the campaign plans to enlist help from pastors and churches as well as parents, with explanations that there are a multitude of options that are not expensive. Those include homeschooling coops, Internet-based curriculums that offer churches turn-key academic programs and others. DVD-based programs also are available, as well as satellite programs.

In many such scenarios, he said, "churches need only provide a place, someone to be there and make sure the children are safe and on task."

Prices would range from $600 to $1,800 per student per year, depending on the options, he said, significantly less than the thousands that tuition to a private Christian school could cost.

Shortt, along with several others, have submitted resolutions to the Southern Baptist Convention several times recommending home- and church-based school options.

Said Pastor Wiley Drake, at the time second vice president of the SBC's executive Committee, "Christians generally need to plan a Christian educational future for our children. … Anyone who thinks that a few hours of youth group and church will have more influence on a child's faith and worldview than 40 to50 hours a week of public school classes, activities and homework is simply not being honest with himself.

"Second, the open collaboration between homosexual activists and many school districts, together with the overall level of crime and violence in the public schools, makes the public schools an unsafe place for our children," he said.

Moore told WND that advisers have warned him of the high danger from California's plan.

"They will take and expose little children down in first, second grade, down in kindergarten, images of homosexual behavior and this kind of conduct," the adviser warned. "This has the potential to thoroughly corrupt several million children in California schools."

Officials with the Gay-Straight Alliance Network and the Transgender Law Center already have outlined what they believe to be nondiscriminatory treatment in the school system.

"If you want to use a restroom that matches your gender identity … you should be allowed to do so," the groups advise. "Whenever students are divided up into boys and girls, you should be allowed to join the group or participate in the program that matches your gender identity as much as possible."

Further, the groups advise, "If you change your name to one that better matches your gender identity, a school needs to use that name to refer to you." The advocacy group also warns schools against bringing parents into any such discussion with students.

The California plan still is facing a court challenge on its constitutionality and a possible vote of the people of California if an initiative effort succeeds.

[nChrist]

The people of California need to initiate recall petitions for every official who had anything to do with passing this garbage. That would be just a start.

They need to fix the sewers in California and everywhere else that has open sewage. The open sewage is a severe public health hazard and it stinks. If they can't seal the sewer systems quickly enough, they might consider routing the sewage away from populated areas, most certainly including public schools. This SPECIFIC type of open sewage was a felony in the entire country just a few short years ago. The growing public health crisis with disease and death should mandate that the felony laws be put back in place and operation. Those who are at the root of this public health crisis need to be imprisoned. Further behavior that results in the epidemic of disease and death should be dealt with harshly. A like behavior would be the attempt to poison and kill large percentages of the population. By the way, this behavior is like already known poisons, it just takes longer to kill the victims. Dreaded contagious diseases that infect and kill millions every year should be taken seriously. This is already a massive public health crisis, so why should we allow idiots an opportunity to promote the behavior responsible and escalate the CRISIS?

[Soldier4Christ]

Judge orders homeschoolers
into government education
Court: Family's religious beliefs 'no
evidence' of 1st Amendment violation

A California court has ruled that several children in one homeschool family must be enrolled in a public school or "legally qualified" private school, and must attend, sending ripples of shock into the nation's homeschooling advocates as the family reviews its options for appeal.

The ruling came in a case brought against Jonathan and Mary Long over the education being provided to two of their eight children. They are considering an appeal to the state Supreme Court, because they have homeschooled all of their children, the oldest now 29, because of various anti-Christian influences in California's public schools.

The decision from the 2nd Appellate Court in Los Angeles granted a special petition brought by lawyers appointed to represent the two youngest children after the family's homeschooling was brought to the attention of child advocates.

"We find no reason to strike down the Legislature's evaluation of what constitutes an adequate education scheme sufficient to promote the 'general diffusion of knowledge and intelligence,'" the court said in the case. "We agree … 'the educational program of the State of California was designed to promote the general welfare of all the people and was not designed to accommodate the personal ideas of any individual in the field of education.'"

The words echo the ideas of officials from Germany, where homeschooling has been outlawed since 1938 under a law adopted when Adolf Hitler decided he wanted the state, and no one else, to control the minds of the nation's youth.

Wolfgang Drautz, consul general for the Federal Republic of Germany, has said "school teaches not only knowledge but also social conduct, encourages dialogue among people of different beliefs and cultures, and helps students to become responsible citizens."

Specifically, the appeals court said, the trial court had found that "keeping the children at home deprived them of situations where (1) they could interact with people outside the family, (2) there are people who could provide help if something is amiss in the children's lives, and (3) they could develop emotionally in a broader world than the parents' 'cloistered' setting."

The appeals ruling said California law requires "persons between the ages of six and 18" to be in school, "the public full-time day school," with exemptions being allowed for those in a "private full-time day school" or those "instructed by a tutor who holds a valid state teaching credential for the grade being taught."

The judges ruled in the case involving the Longs the family failed to demonstrate "that mother has a teaching credential such that the children can be said to be receiving an education from a credentialed tutor," and that their involvement and supervision by Sunland Christian School's independent study programs was of no value.

Nor did the family's religious beliefs matter to the court.

Their "sincerely held religious beliefs" are "not the quality of evidence that permits us to say that application of California's compulsory public school education law to them violates their First Amendment rights."

"Such sparse representations are too easily asserted by any parent who wishes to homeschool his or her child," the court concluded.

The father, Jonathan Long, said the family is working on ways to appeal to the state Supreme Court, because he won't allow the pro-homosexual, pro-bisexual, pro-transgender agenda of California's public schools, on which WND previously has reported, to indoctrinate his children.

"We just don't want them teaching our children," he told WND. "They teach things that are totally contrary to what we believe. They put questions in our children's minds we don't feel they're ready for.

"When they are much more mature, they can deal with these issues, alternative lifestyles, and such, or whether they came from primordial slop. At the present time it's my job to teach them the correct way of thinking," he said.

"We're going to appeal. We have to. I don't want to put my children in a public school system that teaches ideologies I don't believe in," he said.

A spokesman for the Home School Legal Defense Association, one of the world's premiere homeschooling advocacy organizations, said the group's experts were analyzing the impact of the decision.

"It's a very unfortunate decision," he said.

Randy Thomasson, of Campaign for Families and Children, said under California law parents have the legal right to create a private school in their home and enroll their own children.

"Children belong to the parents, not to the state," he said. But he acknowledged that there's a great deal of misinformation about the status of homeschooling in California.

"For years the government school establishment has been lying to parents about the law. Just this week, a Los Angeles Unified school district employee lied to a mother who wanted to homeschool, telling her you must have a license, you must be credentialed and you must follow all the state curriculum. That's three lies in one sentence."

"Now we have judges going crazy and actively separating children from their parents."

A legal outline for parents' homeschool rights in California, published by Family Protection Ministries, confirmed Thomasson's description.

The state's legal options for home educators include establishing a private school in their home by filing a private school affidavit with state regulators or enrolling in private school satellite instruction programs or independent study programs, it said.

The Long family had been involved in such a program with Sunland Christian School, but the appeals court took the extraordinary step of banning the family from being involved in that organization any longer, since it was "willing to participate in the deprivation of the children's right to a legal education."

A number of groups already have assembled in California under the Rescue Your Child slogan to encourage parents to withdraw their children from the state's public school system.

It's because the California Legislature and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger worked together to establish Senate Bill 777 and Assembly Bill 394 as law, plans that institutionalize the promotion of homosexuality, bisexuality, transgenderism and other alternative lifestyle choices.

"First, [California] law allowed public schools to voluntarily promote homosexuality, bisexuality and transsexuality. Then, the law required public schools to accept homosexual, bisexual and transsexual teachers as role models for impressionable children. Now, the law has been changed to effectively require the positive portrayal of homosexuality, bisexuality and transsexuality to 6 million children in California government-controlled schools," said Thomasson.

Even insiders joined in the call for an abandonment of California's public districts. Veteran public school teacher Nadine Williams of Torrance said the sexual indoctrination laws have motivated her to keep her grandchildren out of the very public schools she used to support.

The Discover Christian Schools website reports getting thousands of hits daily from parents and others seeking information about alternatives to California's public schools.

WND reported leaders of the campaign called California Exodus say they hope to encourage parents of 600,000 children to withdraw them from the public districts this year.

The new law itself technically bans in any school texts, events, class or activities any discriminatory bias against those who have chosen alternative sexual lifestyles, said Meredith Turney, legislative liaison for Capitol Resource Institute.

There are no similar protections for students with traditional or conservative lifestyles and beliefs, however. Offenders will face the wrath of the state Department of Education, up to and including lawsuits.

"SB 777 will result in reverse discrimination against students with religious and traditional family values. These students have lost their voice as the direct result of Gov. Schwarzenegger's unbelievable decision. The terms 'mom and dad' or 'husband and wife' could promote discrimination against homosexuals if a same-sex couple is not also featured," she said.

Karen England, chief of CRI, told WND that the law is not a list of banned words, including "mom" and "dad." But she said the requirement is that the law bans discriminatory bias and the effect will be to ban such terminology.

"Having 'mom' and 'dad' promotes a discriminatory bias. You have to either get rid of 'mom' and 'dad' or include everything when talking about [parental issues]," she said. "They [promoters of sexual alternative lifestyles] do consider that discriminatory."

The California plan still is facing a court challenge on its constitutionality and a possible vote of the people of California if an initiative effort succeeds.

[nChrist]

Brothers and Sisters,

The public school situation in California is a preview of MUCH WORSE things yet to come. We don't know when, but filth and evil will multiply quickly as the End Days of this Age of Grace draw near. YES - I do believe that these EVIL days draw near. Thirty to fifty years ago, folks would have gone to prison for trying to teach perverted filth like this in public schools. It hasn't been that long ago that behavior associated with alternative lifestyles were felonies in the entire country. At present, we only have 5,000 people a day dying from dreaded diseases contracted directly from these perverted acts. Just who is it that wants the death rates to increase? Do the morons actually want the children to start early so they can die earlier? Don't we already have an epidemic of STDs in children as young as 11? This isn't enough - they want the STDs to be fatal! THIS ISN'T JUST EVIL! - IT'S CRUEL AND HEARTLESS!

[Soldier4Christ]

Parents of 166,000 students
could face criminal charges
'Breathtaking' decision on homeschooling
now moving to California Supreme Court

A "breathtaking" ruling from a California appeals court that could subject the parents of 166,000 students in the state to criminal sanctions will be taken to the state Supreme Court.

The announcement comes today from the Pacific Justice Institute, whose president, Brad Dacus, described the impact of the decision as "stunning."

"The scope of this decision by the appellate court is breathtaking," he said. "It not only attacks traditional homeschooling, but also calls into question homeschooling through charter schools and teaching children at home via independent study through public and private school."

"If not reversed, the parents of the more than 166,000 students currently receiving an education at home will be subject to criminal sanctions," he said.

WND broke the story of the ruling that came in a case involving the family of Phillip and Mary Long of Los Angeles.

The decision from the 2nd Appellate Court in Los Angeles granted a special petition brought by lawyers appointed to represent the two youngest children after the family's homeschooling was brought to the attention of child advocates. The lawyers appointed by the state were unhappy with a lower court's ruling that allowed the family to continue homeschooling, and specifically challenged that on appeal.

Justice H. Walt Croskey, whose opinion was joined by two other judges, then ordered: "Parents who fail to [comply with school enrollment laws] may be subject to a criminal complaint against them, found guilty of an infraction, and subject to imposition of fines or an order to complete a parent education and counseling program."

The determination reversed a decision from Superior Court Judge Stephen Marpet, who ruled "parents have a constitutional right to school their children in their own home."

As WND has reported, the Longs had their children enrolled in Sunland Christian School, a private homeschooling program.

But Croskey, without hearing arguments from the school, opined that the situation was one of a "ruse of enrolling [children] in a private school and then letting them stay home and be taught by a non-credentialed parent."

Officials with the school said they asked Pacific Justice to work on the Supreme Court appeal because the organization "has been in full compliance with the requirements of the law for more than 23 years."

"We've never been given an opportunity to represent our case in the Court of Appeal," Terry Neven, the president of the school, said. "Consequently, we are excited that PJI will represent us before the California Supreme Court so that the rights of homeschooling families are preserved."

The ruling, on which WND reported earlier, also issued a further warning of potential penalties for parents, this time in civil court.

It said under a section titled "Consequences of Parental Denial of a Legal Education," that "parents are subject to being ordered to enroll their children in an appropriate school or education program and provide proof of enrollment to the court, and willful failure to comply with such an order may be punished by a fine for civil contempt."

The school's website notes it offers a homeschool/independent study program that is accredited. It began in Los Angeles in 1986 with 24 students and now serves more than 3,000 families.

"While SCS is a Christian program, we enroll any family desiring assistance in teaching their own children at home. All we ask is that each family respect our values," the school said.

"The future of homeschooling (both public and private) in California requires the reversal of this decision," Neven said.

WND also has reported on concerns expressed by Roy Hanson, chief of the Private and Home Educators of California, about the way the ruling was issued.

"Normally in a dependency court action, they simply make a ruling that will affect that family. It accomplishes the same thing, meaning they would force [the family] to place their minor children into school," he said.

Such rulings on a variety of issues always are "done in the best interests of the child" and are not unusual, he said.

But in this case, the court said went much further, essentially concluding that the state provided no circumstance that allowed parents to school their own children at home.

Specifically, the appeals court affirmed, the trial court had found that "keeping the children at home deprived them of situations where (1) they could interact with people outside the family, (2) there are people who could provide help if something is amiss in the children's lives, and (3) they could develop emotionally in a broader world than the parents' 'cloistered' setting."

Further, the appeals ruling said, California law requires "persons between the ages of six and 18" to be in school, "the public full-time day school," with exemptions allowed only for those in a "private full-time day school" or those "instructed by a tutor who holds a valid state teaching credential for the grade being taught."

For homeschoolers in California, Hanson said, "there may be everywhere from concern to panic, just based on not knowing what the [ultimate] results will be."

The Home School Legal Defense Association, the world's premiere international advocacy organization for homeschoolers, emphasized that the ruling made no changes in California law regarding homeschooling at this time.

While the decision from the appeals court "has caused much concern among California homeschoolers," the HSLDA said, there are no immediate changes any homeschoolers need to address.

The Longs earlier told WND they also are considering an appeal to the state Supreme Court because of the impact of the order for their family, as well as the precedent that could be construed.

They have disputed with local officials over homeschooling and other issues for years, they said. In at least two previous decisions, courts affirmed their right to homeschool, they said.

The current case was brought by two attorneys who had been appointed by the state to represent the family's minor children in a dependency case stemming from accusations of abuse that resulted from the parents' decision to impose discipline on their children with spankings. The case actually had been closed out by the court as resolved when the lawyers filed their special appeal.

Phillip Long has told WND he objects to the pro-homosexual, pro-bisexual, pro-transgender agenda of California's public schools, on which WND previously has reported.

"We just don't want them teaching our children," he told WND. "They teach things that are totally contrary to what we believe. They put questions in our children's minds we don't feel they're ready for.

"When they are much more mature, they can deal with these issues, alternative lifestyles, and such, or whether they came from primordial slop. At the present time it's my job to teach them the correct way of thinking," he said.

[nChrist]

Schooling issues in California MUST be addressed. If not, their methods will spread to other states. The courts and authorities in California are already FAR PAST what is ILLEGAL AND UNCONSTITUTIONAL! What California is attempting to do can only be accomplished by a change of the Constitution and a Vote of the people. Otherwise, the people have RIGHTS under the Law and the Constitution that can't be infringed upon or removed. This appears to be a good time and the right issue to remind the entire country there are consequences for denial of legal and Constitutional Rights.

[Soldier4Christ]

Ruling threatens custody of homeschool kids
'We hope common sense prevails, people wait for Supreme Court'

An attorney working on an appeal to the California Supreme Court of a ruling declaring homeschooling by parents illegal says the threat to such families is serious and immediate, especially if there has been a contentious previous relationship with authorities.

Ultimately, Brad Dacus, chief of the Pacific Justice Institute, told WND the ruling involving a Los Angeles family might even be used by "overzealous" school district officials and social workers to try to remove a child from a family.

"We are hoping enough common sense prevails for everyone to wait and see how this plays out before the state Supreme Court," he said. But in California, such appellate level rulings are binding on lower courts when they are issued, he said.

The decision from the 2nd Appellate Court in Los Angeles granted a special petition brought by lawyers appointed to represent the two youngest children after the family's homeschooling was brought to the attention of child advocates. The lawyers appointed by the state were unhappy with a lower court's ruling that allowed the family to continue homeschooling and challenged it on appeal.

Justice H. Walt Croskey, whose opinion was joined by two other judges, then ordered: "Parents who fail to [comply with school enrollment laws] may be subject to a criminal complaint against them, found guilty of an infraction and subject to imposition of fines or an order to complete a parent education and counseling program."

"The question [now] is whether it's going to be enforced," said Dacus, who is working on the state Supreme Court appeal on behalf of the school in which the Los Angeles family's children were registered. "It would be a criminal infraction less than a misdemeanor involving penalties of fines or community service."

But he said that's minor. In addition to the criminal penalties, the California legislature has adopted "education neglect" rules that could be used "as grounds for the removal of a child from a family." Such cases usually are handled in juvenile court and by social services agencies.

"We are advising our homeschoolers to continue, but to keep both eyes open," he told WND.

He said he doesn't expect an immediate massive filing of cases against homeschooling parents, but the danger remains.

"I've been in court representing homeschoolers on such charges," he said. "It's not abstract. There are school districts and social workers who are overzealous."

Should such cases start developing, he said, there are many families who simply will leave the state.

"I've talked to a number of families who say if this is enforced, they are going to another state where their freedom is respected," he said.

The estimate of 166,000 children in such homeschool situations that he provided earlier, he said, was a tabulation of those children only who are being homeschooled under state procedures.

"That's a conservative number. The actual number could be as high as a million. Many are completely under the radar for fear something like this could happen," he said.

He told WND he's assembling an e-mail list on his institute's website in order to provide immediate updates to those who may be affected.

WND broke the story of the ruling against Phillip and Mary Long of Los Angeles.

It reversed a decision from Superior Court Judge Stephen Marpet, who ruled "parents have a constitutional right to school their children in their own home."

As WND has reported, the Longs had their children enrolled in Sunland Christian School, a private homeschooling program.

But Croskey, without hearing arguments from the school, opined that the situation was a "ruse of enrolling [children] in a private school and then letting them stay home and be taught by a non-credentialed parent."

Officials with the school said they asked Pacific Justice to work on the Supreme Court appeal because the organization "has been in full compliance with the requirements of the law for more than 23 years."

"We've never been given an opportunity to represent our case in the Court of Appeal," Terry Neven, the president of the school, said. "Consequently, we are excited that PJI will represent us before the California Supreme Court so that the rights of homeschooling families are preserved."

The ruling itself raised warnings of the potential penalties, both criminal and civil, for parents. It said under a section titled "Consequences of Parental Denial of a Legal Education" that "parents are subject to being ordered to enroll their children in an appropriate school or education program and provide proof of enrollment to the court, and willful failure to comply with such an order may be punished by a fine for civil contempt."

The school's website notes it offers a homeschool/independent study program that is accredited. It began in Los Angeles in 1986 with 24 students and now serves more than 3,000 families.

"The future of homeschooling (both public and private) in California requires the reversal of this decision," Neven said.

The appeals ruling said California law requires "persons between the ages of six and 18" to be in school, "the public full-time day school," with exemptions allowed only for those in a "private full-time day school" or those "instructed by a tutor who holds a valid state teaching credential for the grade being taught." Many homeschool families in California work either through a private school such as Sunland, or set up their own private school in their home, registering their children.

The Longs earlier told WND they also are considering an appeal to the state Supreme Court because of the impact of the order for their family, as well as the precedent that could be construed.

Phillip Long has told WND he objects to the pro-homosexual, pro-bisexual, pro-transgender agenda of California's public schools, on which WND previously has reported.

"We just don't want them teaching our children," he told WND. "They teach things that are totally contrary to what we believe. They put questions in our children's minds we don't feel they're ready for.

"When they are much more mature, they can deal with these issues, alternative lifestyles, and such, or whether they came from primordial slop. At the present time it's my job to teach them the correct way of thinking," he said.

[Soldier4Christ]

No reason for California homeschoolers to panic -- yet

An attorney with the Home School Legal Defense Association says he's confident a California appeals court ruling -- declaring home schooling illegal in the state -- will be reversed.

The decision by the Second Appellate Court in Los Angeles involves the Long family, which had their children enrolled in a private home-schooling program called Sunland Christian School in Sylmar. The family is appealing the ruling.
 
Jim Mason, senior counsel for the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), says the ruling completely misinterprets the California statutory law under which home schoolers have been home schooling without incident for 40 years. And Mason says there is another viable alternative to appealing the ruling to the California Supreme Court.
 
"California has a procedure where you can ask the Supreme Court to de-publish an opinion by the court of appeals that was wrongly decided," he explains. "And we are in the process of putting together a coalition of groups and getting a petition signed so that we can go to the California Supreme Court and urge them to de-publish the opinion, which will effectively make it neutralized ...."
 
Mason notes the case started in a confidential juvenile proceeding, so HSLDA first became aware of it when the appeals court handed down the decision. He says as of now there is no reason for home schoolers to panic.

[Soldier4Christ]

Calif. home schoolers advised to ignore court ruling ... for now

Conservative activist Randy Thomasson is urging a home-schooling family in California not to appeal a state appellate court ruling that declares home schooling illegal. At the same time, he is urging home-schooling families in the Golden State to ignore the ruling.

The controversial ruling held that parents who do not comply with school enrollment laws "may be subject to a criminal complaint against them, found guilty of an infraction, and subject to imposition of fines or an order to complete a parent education and counseling program." The ruling overturns a lower-court decision that argued "parents have a constitutional right to school their children in their own home."

The case involves a family that had their children enrolled in a private home-schooling program called Sunland Christian School. Randy Thomasson with the Campaign for California Families says although it is bad ruling that may encourage home-schooling families to leave the state, they should not do so.
 
"This is a fire-breathing dragon, a roaring lion -- but you know what? It doesn't have to be paid attention to," Thomasson remarks. "This has no statewide application. The state law still says that a child who is enrolled in a full-time private school with the teacher being capable of teaching is enough -- and that is the definition of home schooling."
 
Thomasson cautions the ruling pertains to only one family and is not an order for all home-schooling families to obey. But he has obvious concerns for the family involved.
 
"Appealing [the ruling] could produce a statewide ruling that has bad and stronger effect," the family advocate suggests. "Not appealing could mean that these parents are the sacrificial lamb, but everyone else is protected. So it's going to be a hard decision for the parents -- and I hope that they have much better legal counsel at this point than even before."
 
Thomasson says "whether homeschooling is done above ground or underground, it's still the best thing for children."