Mike Smith:
As you regular listeners are aware, Mike Farris and I usually alternate the hosting responsibilities for Home School Heartbeat. But this week we’re coming to you together to talk about one of the most important battles facing families in America today.
Michael Farris:
Mike, that’s right. This is an issue that affects every single family—parents whose children are very young, parents who have kids in high school, parents whose kids are in traditional public schools and private schools, and also those who’ve homeschooled their children.
Mike Smith:
Mike, the rights of parents to direct the education and upbringing of their children is something that we’ve taken for granted in this country. It’s been considered one of our un-enumerated rights—not spelled out in the Constitution, but understood as God-given. Is that right?
Mike Farris:
That’s right. The Supreme Court of the United States today by narrow margins affirms the principle of parents’ rights-but under the radar, in the lower courts (particularly in the lower federal courts), they've been running amuck. Last year’s decision in the Ninth Circuit in the Fields v. Palmdale case got a lot of attention from pro-family Americans. Now, we’re going to take a look at that case later this week, but I want to go back to the early 1980s tomorrow and start with a case that-for me-sounded the first warning bell that parental rights were not secure in this country.
Mike Smith:
Listeners, please join us next time for this very important subject. Until then, I’m Mike Smith.
