|
| A summary of the legal options for homeschooling in every state
|
|
| Homeschool organizations in your neighborhood or across the world
|
|
| Legal contacts and cases that HSLDA is involved with
|
|
| Federal and state legislation relating to homeschooling
|
|
| News and updates on legal contacts and other issues that affect homeschoolers
|
|
| State forms and other resources along with an online form to contact your staff
|
|
|
|
April 26, 2004
Truancy "Rampant" in DC
Homeschoolers in the District of Columbia had reason to be concerned when the Washington Times reported that DC schools are "tops in truancies." In a special report dated April 18, 2004, DC's conservative newspaper reported that one high school had a 56.3% truancy rate, meaning that 256 of its 455 students had at least 15 consecutive unexcused absences in the 2001-2002 school year. The crisis in DC's public schools may spell trouble for homeschoolers.
In HSLDA's experience, when public schools "crack down" on truancy, they find it easier to round up homeschoolers than to force juvenile delinquents back to school. It is far easier to threaten law abiding families who are teaching their children at home than to deal with the truly lawless activities of those who refuse to go to school at all. Juvenile judges who issue warning after warning to real truants have been known to threaten to jail homeschool parents unless they immediately enroll their child in a "real school." Thus, DC's truancy problem is something HSLDA will be watching very closely.
|
|
Printer Friendly Version
