Victory in CA

In a 3-0 decision, the California Court of Appeals has reversed its previous ruling that would have required all homeschooling parents in California to be certified teachers. Many organizations and political figures argued for the right to homeschool including HSLDA, Focus on the Family, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, as well as California's Attorney General and Superintendent of Public Instruction. This is a great relief to California's estimated 166,000 homeschoolers, the majority of whom would have been prohibited from homeschooling had the previous ruling stood. Gov. Schwarzenegger had the following to say regarding the ruling:

"This is a victory for California's students, parents and education community. This decision confirms the right every California child has to a quality education and the right parents have to decide what is best for their children. I hope the ruling settles this matter for parents and home-schooled children once and for all in California, but assure them that we, as elected officials, will continue to defend parents' rights."

But as we celebrate this overwhelming victory in California, we must remember that there are homeschoolers around the world who are still facing strong persecution including the Gorber family in Germany, who had five of their children taken away by the state because of their choice to homeschool. Please continue to keep them and all homeschoolers who face persecution in your prayers.