A recent court ruling on home schooling has the state in an uproar.  On February 28th, a Los Angeles appellate court upheld a 1950’s law that says children age 6 to 18 must be enrolled in public or private school, or taught by a credentialed tutor.  This law was never really enforced until the recent ruling, which was in regards to a Los Angeles-area couple that home-school their eight children.  According to the Los Angeles Times, there were claims of abuse with two of the children, and their lawyers requested the court to rule that the two children physically attend school.  That request was denied, but upon being heard by the 2nd District Court of Appeal, the appellate panel decided to uphold the 1950’s law, apparently in order to force the children to attend school, where they could be monitored. 

 Richard Anderson, the Administrator of Mountain Oaks Charter School in Calaveras County, suggests that the appellate court upheld the ruling as a means to protect the children, a move he claims is “in the wrong direction.” Indeed, the ruling initially sent a wave of unease and confusion throughout California, and prompted a flurry of  online blogs and backlash from the home schooling community. According to Anderson, this ruling does not affect charter schools, as students meet with a credentialed teacher on a regular basis.  A local Pioneer mother who home schools her nine-year old daughter through Mountain Oaks charter school wasn’t worried about the ruling.  Her daughter meets with a credentialed teacher on a regular basis and participates in standardized testing.  The local mom says that she prefers home schooling because “I can design her education around her learning style” and “focus on areas that she enjoys.”  As part of her education, her daughter attends workshops and field trips, and is also involved in extra-curricular sports.