Home School Heartbeat Radio Program

Mike Farris:
Europe, once a seat of liberty and learning, has lately produced several cases of outright persecution of homeschoolers.

German homeschoolers have been facing persecution for some time. Recently, however, homeschooling has won significant media attention in Germany because of the case of the Romeike family. In January of this year, a United States immigration judge granted asylum to the Romeike family, noting that German persecution of homeschoolers violates basic human rights. For families still in Germany, however, steep fines and jail time reward their diligence for teaching their children at home.

Sweden also made headlines when officials removed 7-year-old Dominic Johansson from his parents as they sat on an airplane, ready to leave the country. The family was not charged with a crime, and the Swedish court admits that the family was taking care of their son as they thought best. In Sweden, however, the government plan trumps family decisions.

Other countries face challenges, too. In the United Kingdom, where as many as 100,000 children are being legally home educated, new legislation threatens to severely restrict homeschooling. The proposal would place total discretion in the hands of local education officials to determine whether they will register a homeschool, and require criminal background checks for parents who are under no suspicion of wrongdoing.

On our next program, pack your safari gear as we wrap up our tour of homeschooling with the continent of Africa. I’m Mike Farris.