Parents of two homeschooling families in Ohio could face fines and possible jail time for failing to file paperwork on time.
Christian Today reports that the parents of the two families have been
charged with “contributing to the delinquency of a minor” which is a
first-degree misdemeanor with a penalty of up to $1,000 and a possible
six-month jail sentence.
The parents were charged after they misunderstood Ohio’s requirements for homeschooling and failed to file paperwork on time.
One family filed an intent to homeschool last year, but was unaware
that the notice needed to be re-filed this year. The other family filed
the annual notice, but failed to also submit an educational assessment
with it because they were mistakenly told by their school district that
the assessment did not have a strict deadline.
The families have now been implicated in the “truancy” of their
children, even though the children have continued to complete their
lessons.
The Homeschool Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), which is representing
the families, said that the families’ errors were not intentional and
that the school did not notify them immediately when the paperwork was
not filed.
"As soon as both families realised their errors, they took action to
comply with their districts' demands. After filing the paperwork, both
families received a letter from their superintendent verifying that
their homeschool programme is in compliance with state law for the
2015-2016 schoolyear. Then they brought criminal charges against the
parents," HSLDA stated.
HSLDA attorney Peter Kamakawiwoole, Jr. added that the law “is clearly
intended to deal with situations where parents are unwilling to correct
persistent – and in some cases, dangerous – misbehaviour by their
children,” and that this is not the case with these two families.
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