Mahwah Prosecution Creeps Forward
    One family in Mahwah has been prosecuted for refusing to submit all curricula for approval to their local school district superintendent. Home School Legal Defense Association filed a brief with the Mahwah Municipal Court outlining the family’s right to home school. Neither the judge nor the prosecutor had even read the brief when the family appeared in court on Tuesday, April 20. The case has been postponed, and no new trial date has been set yet.
    Mahwah is the only school district in New Jersey that has insisted on prosecuting a family for their refusal to turn over all curriculum materials to the local superintendent. New Jersey law is quite clear that the burden lies on the school districts to prove “beyond a reasonable doubt” that a home school program fails to provide “equivalent instruction.” Equivalent instruction means equivalent academic instruction, not equivalent social experiences and the like. The Mahwah School District must therefore prove that this family is not providing instruction that is appropriate to the age and ability of their children. HSLDA is more than ready to prove that the family is providing the right education for their children. Please pray for this family in Mahwah and all home schoolers who are under pressure from their local school districts.