Good Governance & Election Integrity in the Wake of COVID-19 Threats to Homeschooling and Parental Rights Harvard professors call for a national ban on homeschooling , arguing that government confers legal parenthood A group of Harvard Professors are organizing an educational summit that seeks to ban homeschooling entirely or drastically increase government regulation of home education across the nation. “The reason the parent-child relationship exists is because the State confers legal parenthood,” said Professor James Dwyer. He will moderate a debate titled “Reform Proposals,” where one side will argue for greater regulatory oversight of homeschoolers and the other side will advocate an outright ban of the practice. The idea that parents should be free to educate their children without government agencies breathing down their neck is not being considered. Another professor, Elizabeth Bartholet, told Harvard Magazine that homeschooling should be banned across America because it gives parents “authoritarian” control over their kids — and can even expose them to white supremacy and misogyny. She went on to suggest that illiterate parents could be "teaching" their children and said that, “We have an essentially unregulated regime in the area of homeschooling.” Educational analysts and homeschooling parents from across the nation have challenged the validity of Bartholet's opinion. Harvard graduate and homeschooler Kerry McDonald commented, “Aside from its biting, one-sided portrayal of homeschooling families that mischaracterizes the vast majority of today’s homeschoolers, it is filled with misinformation and incorrect data.” McDonald went on to express concern about government increasing its own power, displacing children from successful educational programs, and exposing children to more bullying and violence. Read more. This issue is one that affects parental rights and healthy families across the board. "All parents, whether they homeschool or not, should be advocates and defenders of the right to homeschool. Because if you don’t have the right as a parent to educate your own children, you don’t have rights as a parent at all." More information. Governor Whitmer inadvertently bans homeschooling in an executive order, then clarifies executive order to allow  Last month, when Governor Whitmer issued an executive order closing all public school buildings for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she inadvertently banned all homeschooling, because of the language in the order. The order read, "In-person instruction for pupils in kindergarten through grade 12 ("K12") is suspended for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year..." After swift action by the Great Lakes Justice Center (GLJC), the governor's office clarified the intent of the order, explaining that the order does not prohibit homeschooling. In addition, Michigan school districts can resume "in-person" instruction if the state of emergency stops before the end of this school year. Read the GLJC fact sheet here. The Courts, the Constitution, Elections, & COVID-19 Federal Judge orders election law changes and electronic signature in Michigan; AG Nessel launches an appeal. On Monday, U.S. District Judge Terrence Berg ordered the state to extend the candidate filing deadline to May 8 and accept nominating petitions that met 50% of the signature requirement due to the difficulties of collecting signatures in the midst of a pandemic. Berg also ordered the state to develop a way for congressional and judicial candidates to collect signatures electronically. CTV is especially concerned about how this order to collect signatures electronically could translate the issue of ballot petition initiatives. If Justice Berg's ruling is upheld and electronic signatures are validated, it has the potential to make it much easier for special interest minorities to use petition natives to force legislation congruent with their agenda. We are also concerned that a judge is arbitrarily lowering the threshold for would-be candidates, without going through the process put in place by the citizens and their representatives. If unchecked, this could set a dangerous precedence. The state of Michigan is appealing the ruling and asked the federal judge to stay his order after the congressional candidate who initially filed the lawsuit met the requirements he challenged. CTV will continue to monitor the situation and and keep you informed on the outcome of the appeal. CTV will also continue to monitor election law and policy concerning electronic gathering of signatures. Read more. Donate to CTV Citizens for Traditional Values relies on the support of grassroots activists and concerned citizens who care about preserving, protecting, and promoting traditional values in Lansing and our local communities. Click here to donate now. Citizens for Traditional Values | PO Box 80295, Lansing, MI 48908 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | About Constant Contact Sent by [email protected] in collaboration with Try email marketing for free today!