Kansas Case
In early January, a Kansas state court dismissed all charges against Kim and Constance Jost. Kim Jost, who is a pilot with a major U.S. airline, has been negotiating with local school officials for months. In January, the Josts received court papers ordering them to stop homeschooling and to appear in court in four days.
HSLDA lawyers quickly secured a local attorney to defend the Josts. Over the weekend, the attorney organized a defense for the Josts, which ultimately proved successful. The attorney argued that homeschooling is legal under current Kansas law, and called witnesses to attest to the quality of the Josts’ homeschool.
The prosecutor called only one witness, the local newspaper editor, who had interviewed the Josts about their homeschool. The editor soon turned into a helpful witness for the Josts, saying that he began the interview skeptical of homeschooling, but became convinced by the end of the interview that homeschooling is a valid educational alternative. The judge, at the end of the one-day trial, declared the Josts’ homeschool legal, dismissed all charges against them, and dissolved the temporary injunction against them.
