Home School Heartbeat Radio Program

Who has authority over your children? You or the government? Today on Home School Heartbeat, Michael Smith, talks with Tom Washburne, about Dr. Rob Reich's paper "The Boundaries of Parental Authority" which calls into question parents' freedom to home school.

Michael Smith:


Tom, Dr. Reich's paper asserts that the state should be able to assert parental authority when it comes to education decisions. Please describe for our listeners where his theories fall upon shaky legal ground.


Tom Washburne:


You see Mike, home schooling legally rests on the constitutional right of parents to raise their children. Because this is a fundamental right, the government may not regulate home schooling unless it can show it has a compelling reason to do so. Fortunately, the government's compelling interest in education is limited to ensuring that children grow to be minimally competent citizens who can take care of themselves. Since home schooled children are doing so well academically and socially, it is very difficult for the government to place new regulations and not run afoul of the rights of parents. Enter Dr. Reich. He believes that the courts should consider another interest to balance against the rights of the parents, that is the interest of the child. He argues that children have the right to choose morals other than what they find at home, and that the government should see to it that the child's education reflects this right. So, for example, the government should approve curriculum to ensure that the child is neutrally exposed to worldviews other than the parents. Giving children such rights of choice runs counter to thousands of years of human experience at what it takes to raise responsible children.


Michael Smith:


Thanks, Tom! Please join us tomorrow as we talk about how our freedom of religion is being threatened.