Home School Heartbeat Radio Program

Is your homeschool safe from frivolous lawsuits? Michael Farris talks about one of the most dangerous cases he's seen, today on Home School Heartbeat.

Michael Farris


Though home schooling is legal in all fifty states, laws remain on the books that open home schooling families up to frivolous and dangerous lawsuits.


In March of this year, an HSLDA family discovered how true this could be. The case involved a struggling home school mom, with children ages 7, 9, and 11, who had just moved to a new location, and hadn't yet plugged into a home school support network. The family was in compliance with state standards, but the mom wanted some additional accountability. The mother's sister, also a Christian, offered to help.


Daily, even on Thanksgiving and Christmas, the sister called. Without the mother's knowledge she kept a written record of their conversations.


After five months, the sister, a highly educated professional, declared the home schooling ineffective. The two women attend the same church. After confronting the mother, the sister approached the church leadership to make a Matthew 18 intervention. They misunderstood her request and declined to help.


The sister then went to the social services and the school district. They also declined to intervene. However, they informed the sister that she could file a petition herself. The state of Georgia allows any person who has knowledge of the facts to bring a petition alleging the abuse or neglect of a child. The sister filed the petition. Tune in this week to see what happened next. I'm Mike Farris.