Legal / Legislative Updates

LOUISIANA

CPS Tries to Review Family’s Records

A Home School Legal Defense Association member family in Baton Rouge was recently reported to Child Protective Services (CPS). One of the allegations was that they were teaching their children at home! When a caseworker insisted that she would need to review all of the family’s homeschool records, the Morgans (name changed to protect family’s privacy) contacted HSLDA for help.*

While the Morgans homeschool several of their children, only one child is over age 7, the compulsory school attendance age in Louisiana. Even though none of the other children were even required to be in school, the caseworker still demanded to see homeschool records for all of them.

HSLDA Staff Attorney Thomas Schmidt contacted the caseworker and pointed out that Mr. and Mrs. Morgan were exercising their constitutional right to direct the upbringing and education of their children. Schmidt informed the caseworker that the Morgan family were in compliance with Louisiana law and had filed their notice as a private school with the state department of education (DOE) each year.

After consulting with Schmidt, the Morgans declined to allow the caseworker to review any of their homeschool records but assured her that they were teaching their children. The family also provided her a copy of their latest notice to the DOE along with some very general information about the curriculum used with their oldest child.

After receiving the letter and information from HSLDA, the caseworker dropped all demands to see the family’s records.

— by Thomas J. Schmidt