Home School Heartbeat Radio Program

Under what circumstance should a child be taken from his parents? If a prominent Swedish politician has her way, choosing education at home might be all it takes for Swedish parents to lose their child. Mike Donnelly, HSLDA’s director of international relations, joins host Mike Farris with more, today on Home School Heartbeat.

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Mike Farris:
Mike, the threat to homeschooling freedom in Sweden is not just about one family or one sensational case. Tell us about the recent suggestion made by a leader of Sweden’s liberal party.

Mike Donnelly:
Mike, Lotta Edholm is a leader in one of Sweden’s ruling political parties. And she wrote recently in one of Sweden’s leading newspapers that their minister of social affairs should take the initiative, and I quote, “to change the social services act [in the country] so that social authorities can intervene when children are kept away from school by their parents,” she added, for ideological or religious reasons. This is the most serious and direct threat to date for homeschooling families in this Nordic country.

This is a reaction to a news report about another Swedish homeschooling family. Jonas Himmelstrand, the president of the national Swedish homeschool association, had been fined $26,000 for homeschooling his children. Mike, the only other country we have seen this kind of fining and aggressive behavior is Germany, which has long been known to persecute homeschoolers.

Mike Farris:
Mike, in my constitutional law classes, I have been telling my students for years that freedom and socialism don’t mix. And Sweden and Germany are bound and determined to prove that for the whole world. Next time, we’re going to talk about how HSLDA and other defenders of freedom are responding—and what our listeners can do to help. I’m Mike Farris.