Whereas homeschoolers have regained significant freedom of thought and belief by working to establish and maintain their independence as private schools; and Whereas many of the educational reform initiatives authorize the state to have a greater role in public education and, through choice initiatives, certain private schools; and Whereas many of these reforms such as Goals 2000, Outcome-Based Education programs, performance-based assessment, school choice and voucher programs, charter schools, and distance learning programs are state programs and involve state goals and assessments and begin at very early ages; and Whereas the state goals and assessments apply to a student’s intellectual,

Whereas social service and educational professionals, corporations, the media, and public policy makers are increasingly identifying the family as the primary cause of many of our social problems; and Whereas these same interests have tremendous political power through their professional associations, institutions, companies, and access to the media; and Whereas addressing the complexity of social problems includes assigning significant responsibility for our problems to the very professions, institutions, corporations, and government bureaucracies that hold most of the power in our society; and Whereas some of these interests are now advocating fundamental changes in the rights, authority, and role of the

Whereas the homeschooling movement has to do with choosing an education consistent with one’s principles and beliefs; and Whereas maintaining this freedom requires the commitment of a diverse group of people; and Whereas basic freedoms, including freedom of choice in one’s principles and beliefs, are central to our democratic society; and Whereas the homeschooling movement has succeeded by recognizing and working for the freedom of choice for all families rather than for just those people associated with a particular political party, religious belief, ideology, educational philosophy, or approach to homeschooling; and Whereas there is a tendency by the media and

Whereas there are increasing efforts by government, researchers, schools, and big business interests to identify and track the behaviors, values, interests, abilities, buying habits, and risks of individuals and families in our society; and Whereas increasing efforts are being made to screen and evaluate children’s abilities and development and to assess how well families are preparing their children for school and the values of the school; and Whereas screening, labeling, and recording of information about young children may threaten a family’s freedom to homeschool; and Whereas identification and tracking systems and practices not only invade one’ privacy but also put

Whereas the U. S. Constitution gives no authority to the federal or state governments in the area of education; and Whereas rights and powers not granted to the state are reserved for the people; and Whereas section 432 of the federal statute General Education Provisions Act of 1970 states that the federal government may not control education; and Whereas the states have the authority to control schooling through compulsory school attendance laws based on the policing powers granted to the states by the U. S. Constitution; and Whereas the federal government acquires its power in the area of education by

Whereas a growing number of government programs screen, evaluate, and label children at earlier and earlier ages; and Whereas the power of these programs is growing and spreading because they often involve a number of different public and private agencies, organizations, and professionals now working together through new programs to promote collaboration among government agencies; and Whereas the definition of “children with special needs” has been broadened so that many children who are following their own unique timetables but are well within the range of normal development are now being labeled as “developmentally delayed,” or “learning disabled,” or some such

Whereas in the United States the distinction between public and private schools has always been maintained; and Whereas this distinction ensures freedom of choice in education including the freedom not to be subject to any doctrinaire ideology, state religion, or monopoly in education; and Whereas the United States constitution does not grant to the state any authority in education and the states have only quite recently passed compulsory school attendance laws which are based only on the U. S. constitution’s policing powers granted to the states; and Whereas the Wisconsin Department Public of Instruction has authority over public and not

Whereas legislative proposals are being made to combine the budgets, rule making authorities, and exchange of information about individuals and families among the state government departments of education, social services, labor and employment, the judicial system (including law enforcement officials, the courts, and corrections), and the University of Wisconsin-Extension service; and Whereas such collaboration would greatly expand the authority of the state in the lives of individuals and families, ranging from prenatal care and counseling to day care to mental health assessments and employment services; and Whereas collaboration would change the role of the government from that of providing a

Whereas under Outcome-Based Education (OBE) the state would set the goals for a child’s intellectual, social, emotional, and moral development and then determined whether the child’s development in each of these areas was satisfactory; and Whereas under OBE the government would decide which specific employment skills, living, skills, and attitudes a child should have; and Whereas the government would enforce its decision by granting or denying a child the certificate or diploma required for further education or a job; and Whereas OBE represents a basic change in the role of the government in education from that of providing a service

Whereas education vouchers being proposed at the federal and state levels of government would allow the government to define education and impose its values, judgments, and often its testing on people; and Whereas such education vouchers would not be available to the family but only to the institutions that the family selects and which the state certifies as eligible to receive voucher moneys from the state; and Whereas such education vouchers can easily lead to state control of education similar to a state religion and further control of families; and Whereas there are better and more direct ways for the

Whereas there now exist national and state education plans and goals known as America 2000 and Wisconsin 2000 which are virtually identical in content and purpose and which would create national and state goals in education; extend the federal and state governments’ role in education and family life by merging social services and educational services and extending them into the prenatal period; institute skills clinics; and require state-mandated tests and assessments and/or a national series of assessments and a national curriculum; and Whereas these plans call for policies and legislation that would have professionals and institutions pass judgment on very

Whereas in this country, educational goals are now chosen by students and parents, generally assisted by teachers; and Whereas the compulsory school attendance law requires attendance but does not and cannot dictate the outcome of that education (or there would be no freedom of thought or learning); and Whereas public schools provide a service for those who choose to use them; and Whereas the establishment of state goals in education would mean that the law would be requiring “education” rather than attendance; and Whereas this country was founded in large part on the basis of freedom of thought and belief

Whereas parents are responsible for their children, including their educations; and Whereas the state has no constitutional, statutory, or common law authority to demand, require, or invoke any specific educational program for a child; and Whereas the state has no legal authority in education except that available under the federal constitution’s policing provision and only within the past 50 years has the citizenry used this authority to extend compulsory attendance laws through the high school years; and Whereas schools derive their authority from parents and other citizens rather than from federal or state constitutions or authorities but this unfortunately is

Whereas parents are the primary educators of their children; and Whereas the family has consistently been shown to provide the best environment for a child’s growth and development; and Whereas the family provides continuity of significant human relationships that provide academic, social, emotional, and moral support for a child’s learning; and Whereas a child’s interaction with people of many different backgrounds and ages (rather than isolation with age-mates) provides him or her with adult role models and lessens stress and problems of peer pressure and dependence; and Whereas children are individuals who vary in talents, abilities, and needs and in

Whereas home schoolers come from all walks of life; they home school for a number of different reasons; and they use a variety of curriculums and approaches to education; however, they all have one thing in common, namely, their determination to preserve the right to choose for their children an education consistent with their beliefs and principles; and Whereas the Wisconsin statutes defining private schools (including home schools) resulted from the hard work of the full range of home schoolers and people involved in other small private schools in this state; and Whereas home schoolers have organized themselves as Wisconsin

Whereas some home schoolers want to take one or more courses in a public school; and Whereas the Wisconsin Constitution provides for free public education to all persons ages four through 20 years of age; and Whereas the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) has given advice to local school boards that has led to policies denying home schoolers access to public school courses; and Whereas some formal policies adopted by local school boards prevent (in highly discriminatory ways) home schoolers from taking public school courses; and Whereas such policies are often in violation of a parent’s and student’s rights under

Whereas home schooled students have consistently been shown to perform very well academically and socially; and Whereas entry/re-entry policies have been established without a demonstrated need or basis in fact by local public school districts in Wisconsin in response to or anticipation of Home-Based Private Educational Program students entering public schools; and Whereas approximately 4,000 former Home-Based Private Educational Program students have successfully entered conventional schools over the past five years without such policies being in effect; and Whereas such policies often discriminate against Home-Based Private Educational Program (HBPEP) students by applying different standards, criteria, and tests against HBPEP students

Whereas numerous studies from the past 25 years fail to show that teacher training, certification, or advanced degrees for teachers result in student achievement; and Whereas the wisdom of certifying public school teachers is being questioned (the Carnegie Forum on Education and the Economy has recommended abolishing undergraduate departments and schools of teacher education) and several states have waived or are considering waiving public school teacher certification requirements; and Whereas private schools in Wisconsin are not required to employ certified teachers; and Whereas the number of states requiring certification of home schooling parents has been reduced through court cases and

Whereas there is no general agreement as to the one best way to educate children, and no set calendar or curriculum has been shown to be consistently superior; and Whereas the tutorial approach to education is recognized to be very effective in meeting the individual educational needs of a student; and Whereas the standardized approach to calendars and curriculums used in the public schools for classes of 10 to 30 students is inappropriate for home-based private educational programs; and Whereas one of the major strengths of a home school is that the small number of students makes it possible for

Whereas the United States by its constitution, tradition, and custom has long recognized, practiced, and provided for the parent to have the primary right in and responsibility for a child’s education; and Whereas the distinction between public and private education, including home-based private education, is established by custom, tradition, and statute and is fundamental to the exercise of choice in education and to the avoidance of a state monopoly in education; and Whereas Article X of the Wisconsin Constitution grants the State Superintendent of Public Instruction authority over public, not private, education; and Whereas the Wisconsin legislature has passed a

Whereas standardized tests are only one way of measuring the mastery of a specific set of facts; and Whereas standardized tests can become a means of determining and controlling the curriculum, teaching methods, and structure of a school or program; and Whereas there is increasing evidence that standardized tests do not measure what they claim to measure; and Whereas standardized tests can be used to label children, to justify additional testing, and to require child placement out of the home; and Whereas state-mandated standardized testing provides that the state rather than the parent would decide when children are ready for

Whereas the current law (1983 Act 512) regarding Home-Based Private Educational Programs (HBPEP) provides for (a) protecting the state’s interest in education by requiring that HBPEPs meet basic educational requirements and comply with the compulsory school attendance law; (b) protecting the parents’ rights by requiring that the information reported to the state and attested to by parents, while sufficient to protect the state’s interest, is not too burdensome or intrusive; does not violate constitutional, parental, and religious rights; and does not violate the principle of innocent until proven guilty; and (c) protecting the rights of children by allowing HBPEPs enough

Whereas the Wisconsin Parents Association (WPA) is a state-wide association that watches, promotes, and defends the rights of parents, families, and children; and Whereas WPA recognizes that there is no one best way to educate children since their talents and abilities are so varied; and Whereas home schoolers are a very diverse group with widely varying income levels, approaches to education, religious and philosophical beliefs; and Whereas the one thing home schoolers have in common is their commitment to establishing and maintaining their parental rights to educate their children according to their beliefs and principles; Be it resolved that WPA