Some of you may have heard of the problems homeschoolers in California have this year with our outgoing State Superintendent of Schools, Delaine Eastin, suddenly declaring private-school homeschooling "illegal" after the state has allowed it for twenty years. Due to dwindling school enrollments and pathetic school test scores... she's trying to intimidate homeschoolers who operate via private school laws to rejoin the public education system. They want the money - don't you know it? The ADA (average daily attendance) money... for our kids.

There's been no change in the law. Our private school homeschools are still very legal... but through her erroneous memo based on outdated case law Eastin is sure to frighten and intimidate thousands who don't know the Education Code well enough to defend their rights.

Homeschool Battle Heats Up In California

Anyhow, this poem was written about the situation.... and the author said we could share it....

The Eastin who tried to steal Home Schooling
By Donna Pryer with apologies to Dr. Seuss!

The kids in California, liked home schooling a lot.
But the Eastin, who lived way up north,
She did not!
The Eastin hated home schooling
The whole home schooling scene.
Please don't ask me the reason,
Because it's only a guess,
That the answer may be
All the scores on the tests.

"They're buying curriculum and boxes of pencils,
They've maps on their walls and drawers full of stencils.
They have no credentials, no papers, no unions!
To think that a parent could direct education,
Why it's blasphemy! thought the
Much put out D. Eastin!

"And the tests that they take,
And the scores they receive,
Give me aches in my head that
I can not relieve!
And the more that the Eastin thought
Of this home schooling trend,
The more Eastin thought,
"Why I must make it end!"

The Eastin looked up the coast
And looked down,
And she wore on her face
A most unpleasant frown.
Then she got an idea.
An awful idea!
The Eastin got a wonderful
enormously awful idea!

"Those pesky home schoolers,
They simply must stop!
My kingdom's in trouble,
Why I'll call the cops!
I'll make up a law and
I'll make it up quick.
Who cares what the code is,
Or that it will not stick.
I'll send out a memo, a memo of lies-
I'll scare those home schoolers
And watch them all fly.
Right back to the districts,
Where the children belong.
Who cares about rights!
I believe they are wrong!"

So the Eastin sent all
of the districts a letter,
In hope that their lawyers
Wouldn't council them better.
"Home schooling's a crime,
In case you don't know it.
Parents must have a
teaching credential and show it!
Now harass and harangue
All those parents out there.
But don't quote the code,
Just give them a scare.
And they'll come back to the districts
and give you their kids.
Because only the state can
fill up their lids!"

The Eastin thought with a smirk,
"Well that'll fix all their wagons!
Pretty soon all the kids in the state
Will be laggin"!"
When suddenly she heard a
sound on the wind.
A sound that grew louder till it became
quite a din.
And the sound that she heard
On the wind as it rode,
Was none other than home schoolers singing
"Know the code! Know the code!"

  ¶ 11:26 PM