California Court Lifts Home-Schooling Restrictions

A California appeals court has ruled that home-school instruction in the state does not require a teaching credential, reversing a February 2008 ruling which effectively prevented most California parents from home-schooling their children.

In Friday's decision, the court of appeal for California's Second Appellate District ruled that "California statutes permit home schooling as a species of private school education," although the state may restrict home education rights if the environment becomes harmful to the child. As the Los Angeles Times reports, the controversy arose in part because, unlike at least 30 other states, California's laws on compulsory education do not specifically address home schooling. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, had the court not reversed its earlier position, most of the estimated 166,000 children being home-schooled in the state could have been classified as truants.

• Read the California Court's Decision on Home Schooling [PDF file]
• L.A. Times: Parents May Home-School Children Without Teaching Credential, California Court Says
• S.F. Chronicle: Homeschooling OK, Appeals Court Says
• State Laws: Compulsory Education (FindLaw)
• Education Law: Articles, FAQ, and More (FindLaw)