HOME SCHOOLING / INTERNATIONAL
Germany

Homeschooling Freedom Still Under Siege in Germany

The good news is that seven homeschool families in Paderborn County who were threatened by school officials have still not been prosecuted. They were supposed to be in court over a month ago. Your calls have made the difference.

However, despite progress, the battle is still intense.

German homeschoolers have told us on numerous occasions that your calls are working despite the response many of you have received from the Embassy. In part, the Embassy stated that homeschooling should not be legal because "The public has a legitimate interest in countering the rise of parallel societies that are based on religion or motivated by different world views and in integrating minorities into the population as a whole." This statement is incompatible with a free nation.

The German Embassy is, however, communicating your views back to Germany. Furthermore, we have distributed the request to homeschoolers across the world. As a result, homeschoolers are calling and emailing from over twenty nations to their respective Germany embassies.

The bad news is that the Guenthers have been charged with contributing to the delinquency of a truant, and are being fined over $1,500 simply because they have been going to Paderborn on a number of occasions to mediate with the authorities on behalf of the seven homeschool families.

Rich Guenther is the director of the School Instruction At Home organization, which provides legal defense for German homeschoolers. It is unconscionable that the authorities prosecute individuals who are trying to mediate and resolve conflicts.

Furthermore, the Loefflers, a homeschooling family who lives near Nuremburg, just received a letter stating that the government will freeze their bank account and come into their home to take anything of value up to the amount of the fine assessed against them. The fine is approximately $14,000. The family does not have the money. If the state of Bavaria follows the usual process the father will be put in jail, and the process of removing their eight year-old daughter will begin.

Another family in Bavaria, the Grosseluemerns, were recently in court for refusing to pay the fines assessed against them for not sending their child to school. The Grosseluemerns attorney proved that the prosecution attorney was not aware of the laws of Bavaria concerning the facts of this case, and that he was not upholding the federal law guaranteeing the freedom of religion and parental rights. The prosecuting attorney then turned to the judge and asked that the fine against the family be tripled, which the judge readily consented to. Two days later a press story carried a quote from Bavarian officials saying that if it becomes necessary, they will put Mr. Grosseluemerns in prison until he complies and pays the fine.

Please take a moment to help the "least of these our brethren." The German homeschool movement is small, but it is growing. Just last week they had their largest conference in Germany, with over 200 people in attendance. One television station and two newspapers covered the event. There is a growing interest in homeschooling in Germany, and several newspapers, including one of the largest papers, TAZ, are sympathetic and writing stories favorable to the homeschooling cause.

We encourage you to call or email the German Embassy to express your support of homeschooling in general, and the specific families mentioned above. The ambassador can be contacted at the following address.

Wolfgang Ischinger
Ambassador
German Embassy
4645 Reservoir Road NW
Washington, DC, 20007-1998
(202) 298-4000

The embassy can be emailed from its website: http://www.globescope.biz/germany/reg/index.cfm

We also urge you to consider supporting School Instruction At Home, which HSLDA helped to establish in Germany. This organization now has 180 homeschooling members, and is working around the clock to represent these families in court and mediate before school districts. Their funds are running low again after your generous outpouring six months ago. Please consider donating to School Instruction at Home to help them continue the legal fight. We believe we are making significant progress and are getting closer to victory.

Please go to http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?ID=1211 to make a tax-deductible gift to the organization, or you can mail your gift to: