Lack of Supervision Noted in Deaths of Home-Schooled

[rodeodance]

Source: nytimes



January 12, 2008
Lack of Supervision Noted in Deaths of Home-Schooled
By JANE GROSS

Ten states and the District of Columbia, where Banita M. Jacks was charged on Thursday with four counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of her four daughters, have no regulations regarding home schooling, not even the requirement that families notify the authorities that they are educating their children at home.

The lack of supervision of the home-schooling process, some experts say, may have made it easier last year for Ms. Jacks to withdraw her children from school and the prying eyes of teachers, social workers and other professionals who otherwise might have detected signs of abuse and neglect of the girls.

Instead, the children, ages 5 to 17, slipped through the cracks in multiple systems, including social services, education and law enforcement. Their decomposed bodies were discovered earlier this week by United States marshals serving eviction papers on the troubled family.

The absence of any home-schooling regulations in Washington is largely the result of advocacy and litigation by the Home School Legal Defense Association, which since its founding in 1983 has transformed the landscape for families home schooling their children. Once against the law in all but five states, home schooling is now legal throughout the country and highly regulated in just six states, New York among them. About 1.1 million of the 50 million school age children were home schooled in 2003, the National Center for Education Statistics says. .............

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/12/us/12bodies.html?_r=1&th=&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&emc=th&adxnnlx=1200147166-N++vE/Kt5/ZRFW0PE351jw

[ikojo]

1. She thought the kids were possessed

From the article:

"For sure, the fact that Ms. Jacks’s children last attended school in March in no way accounts for their deaths, which the medical examiner said occurred more than two weeks ago. There was evidence that the eldest girl had been stabbed and that the others had signs of strangulation and other trauma. Ms. Jacks denies responsibility, saying the children died in their sleep and were possessed by demons."

End of article quote

There was a story in the NY Times four years ago about a New Jersey family that home schooled their kids. These kids were seen scavaging through their neighbor's garbage looking for something to eat.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CEFDE1430F933A05753C1A9659C8B63&scp=15&sq=new+jersey+home+school+kids+starved

Shocked residents packed into a community center Wednesday night to discuss the case of four starved, adopted boys, who had lived for years on a quiet block on the edge of town without their condition's ever being noticed. What could they have done, people asked, to prevent the abuse? What institution should have noticed their suffering? What changes needed to be made?

The boys, adopted children of Raymond and Vanessa Jackson, were rescued by the police on Oct. 10 when the eldest was found picking through a trash can by a neighbor. The revelation stunned the town, and left its residents and its local government asking how the system could have failed the children so completely.

snip

For the Jackson boys, there were fewer cracks to fall through. They were taught at home, and not in view of anyone in the school system. They did not belong to clubs or play sports. A neighbor, Peter DiMattia, said they rarely even left the house.

''The only time I ever saw them out all together was when they were going to church,'' Mr. DiMattia said. ''The kids -- you'd think they would be out playing, but nope.''

[Schema Thing]

2. This article drawing attention to home-schooling, makes about

as much sense as Bush invading Iraq because of 9/11.

[pop goes the weasel]

4. it makes great sense

While most people who homeschool do so for sound reasons, there are those who do it to limit any attention paid to the kids, to disappear them, as it were. There need to be regulations in place that give the children some opportunity to be seen apart from their parents by both peers and child advocates.

[Schema Thing]

9. we can regulate what time parents put their children to bed

and find a rational for such level of control, if the collective "we" want to.

I just think it's a bad idea. Someone said "it takes a village". They are right, imo.

Now crazy religious beliefs, THAT is real danger to children... but we won't be criticizing or taking political action against religious beliefs. Not here, not in America.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

6. I disagree

It brings forth the point that that governments have allowed an "anything goes" policy towards families who home school. This family took advantage of the lack of home schooling regulations to keep the children away from anyone so that the mother could abuse them. Any law, or lack of law, that opens the door for child abuse being allowed to flourish needs to be closed.

In my state, Arkansas, home schoolers have to have an approved curriculum and are required to take the yearly tests, just like kids in conventional schools. If a home schooler fails the test for his grade two times, the parents are required to have the child attend a school outside the home--parochial, private, or public--because it is obvious that the child requires special help that can be obtained through the expertise of those trained to work with children with learning disabilities, etc. I think yearly testing of home schoolers is good, because it protects the kids from growing up illiterate, gives the families a check on how effective the curriculum they are using is, and makes the kids take the same test as other kids are taking (which only seems fair). The home schoolers I have tutored tended to do better on the tests than those in public school with one exception--a little boy whose tests scores indicated he was having problems learning. The parents, being responsible, had me tutor him for a while (I'm a certified teacher)before they could find a learning disabilities teacher to help him (which they did).

[Schema Thing]

10. I just think this, and cases like it, are so rare as

to be a silly point to be making the proverbial "act of congress".

My daughter was home-schooled, at first for (somewhat) religious reasons, and then later because it was working so well. I absolutely HATE the religious beliefs that spawn a lot of home-schooling (including some of my own old beliefs), but from what I've seen, the vast majority of home-schoolers, even the religious ones, are conscientious about schooling, and the children often thrive.

I know, some don't, but a hell of a lot of kids don't thrive in public schools either.

I agree with you that there should be some testing to see that the kids are getting an education, but I also see where that could be abused.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

12. I'd be interested in knowning how you think the testing could be abused

Do you mean in administering it, or making the testing dates impossible for the parents to bring their kids? If there was intentional bias in either of these areas, I would say you have a case. But if the test administered is the exact same one given to schooled kids, with the exact same criteria for passing, and the administration is given fairly and at times the parents can bring their kids, I don't see a problem. That is how it works here in Arkansas.

You may be interested in this: a group of home-schooling parents in our area (who are environmentalists and whose spiritual paths vary) have created a private school where, one or two days a week, the kids come together. They get to do group projects, like writing and producing their own plays, building eco-friendly devices, and playing musical instruments in a band. The parents have total control over the school, which is run cooperatively. A couple of the parents with teaching degrees and experience with groups of kids run things, but they bring in experts in certain fields as the kids explore different topics of their interest. The parents say this is a good way to make sure their kids can socialize and learn to interact with kids of all ages. I live in an isolated part of the Ozarks, and if it weren't for this school, some of the kids wouldn't have anyone but their parents to hang around with, so I see this school as a plus. It's been around about 30 years, and kids who went there are sending their kids.

Don't know your situation, but if there are other like-minded home-schooling folks in your neck of the woods, you might want to consider starting something like this.

[JerseygirlCT]

14. I aree with you. The best interests of the child need to stay

paramount. No child is served by not learning.

Many parents do a great job homeschooling -- more power to them, I know I'd never be able to do it! -- but standards do need to be set for all children.

[KatyaR]

3. I bet you this is more common than you think . . .

the season-opener episode of "SuperNanny" featured a family that had a 17 and a 14-year old daughter, 4-year-old twin boys, and a 3 year old boy. The older daughters were "home schooled" (if you can call it that) via an online charter school. The parents both worked and expected the girls to "attend school," take care of the boys and the house while they were gone--with NO adult supervision at all. The parents didn't even have enough buy-in to call to let the kids know if they would be late coming home from work. The girls were horribly afraid of the father, and one seemed ill as well. It was AWFUL. The show's message boards were smoking the next day with people ready to call the authorities and child protection on these parents. Apparently the girls are back in school, but I don't know why these people weren't thrown in jail.

I don't care what anyone says, home schooling is not what it's cracked up to be.

[goddess40]

5. No checks in Wisconsin

My sister "home schools" her kids. The only requirement in Wisconsin is to sign a paper saying you are home schooling. There are no follow ups or tests. And my sister has no teaching credentials nor is she affiliated with any home schooling group.

[WatchWhatISay]

7. their deaths, which the medical examiner said occurred more than two weeks ago

Wouldn't that put the time right around Christmas?

[gtar100]

8. Home schooling is *not* the cause. It was misused in these cases.

Look, home schooling is not for everyone. In fact it's not even good for the many religious nuts out there who use it to brain-wash and mind-control their kids. And for those who couldn't imagine what the responsibility of home schooling entails, stay away from it.

But there are also many well-organized parents who do home schooling for their kids in a way that does make sense and for good reasons. But they are the people who take into consideration a well-rounded education and explore other avenues of socialization for kids. Homeschooling is a blank slate. But there are a lot resources out there to make it a wonderful experience. In fact, homeschooling if done right isn't restricted to the home. The kids have to get out in the world and participate. It's all in how its applied.

To demonize homeschooling is no different than to demonize a hammer for missing the nail and hitting your thumb.

With much freedom comes much responsibility.

[frog92969]

11. And probably in many cases.

As a homeschooler myself, while tracking down curriculum, groups, and information it seems that 80% of what I find are religious fanatics who think public schools are the "devil's domain".
I'm very surprised that we don't hear of more atrocities like this.

I filled out papers at the beginning of the year and now half way through no contact at all. I'm more than a little disturbed at the lack of concern the state (MD) is showing for my daughter, which is amazing for me to be saying.

Just like you say it's alot of work and very complex at times, not for everybody. Luckily(?) I'm a stay at home dad due to 20 destructive years of masonry and the fact that min wage (no more blocks for me) barely pays for gas and day care. And wife makes good money.

States need to be stricter about home school to protect these kids and keep this valuable non-institution from getting dragged down.


BTW- Wife handles the language arts.

[pop goes the weasel]

16. yes, this is it

A desire to make sure that homeschooled kids don't fall through the cracks is not the same as being against homeschooling. The general public has an interest in the well-being and education of every child, so home welfare checks once in a while, or some other failsafe, would certainly not be out of line.

[frog92969]

24. No, not out of line,

and indeed welcomed.
They seem to expect more from a home schooler than a professional teacher, neither could be sure of their quality without occasional reassurances.
I tend to think they don't care about either and more easily neglect the ones out of sight. It shows in our educational standing in the world, really shameful how the chimp in charge is putting us on the level of a banana republic.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

13. Agreed. The problem here isn't the home schooling

it is the state's lack of making sure that the home schooling is done in a responsible fashion. In Arkansas, you can home school a kid, but you have to have them tested once a year, just like the kids in school. Home schooled kids are judged by the same tests, and if a kid doesn't pass the test for two years running, the parents are required to send the kid to school for testing and evaluation and placement with people that can address his or her learning problems. This, to me, puts parents on notice as to what a child is expected to learn in a given year, just as a teacher in a school is put on notice. When I first moved to Arkansas and discovered I couldn't get a teaching job because I was too experienced and had too many degrees, I tutored a child that was home schooled. His mom had paid attention to his test scores and realized he was on the low end of the passing scale. She wanted to keep home schooling him and so she hired me to show him--and her--where his deficits were and what could be done about them. Didn't take long for the problems to work out. But I'm not sure that this parent would have realized her son was starting to have problems if the test hadn't pointed it out. By having a measure to go by, she took responsibility and helped her child early on. He continued to be home schooled and took his GED and went to university without any problem.

[goddess40]

21. The homeschooling lobby is very strong here

and I was told by my state reps that they can't pass legislation that would make these welfare checks possible. So my nieces and nephew will grow up without an education, while it is no fault of theirs they are the ones that will pay dearly for it. While home schooling isn't the cause of these deaths it is a contributing factor.

Edit: I'm well aware that they might be blowing smoke up my skirt and they don't want to assume the financial responsibility to check on these kids but in the long run it is much more expensive to have uneducated people trying to struggle through life.

[frog92969]

22. We pay the same taxes

towards the education system as public school parents, while buying every book, aid and supply. If a reassuring check up now and then is all they have to do it shouldn't be a financial burden for them. I'd welcome a professional to let me know if I'm doing a good job and if not why.

[midlife_mo_Jo]

15. These girls would likely be dead, anyway. She just would have been caught earlier

[Taverner]

17. Home Schooling is a recipe for disaster on many levels

Abuse goes unreported
Kids are removed from reality
They develop NO social skills
They do not develop critical thinking skills


I could go on.

[gtar100]

18. Those are the dangers.

But our current school systems (both public and private) are no panacea for protection from abuse, staying grounded in reality, developing good social skills, or forming critical thinking skills. If it were, we'd be in a far different world. So those aren't reasons to outlaw it. How about regulating it in some way so that it doesn't serve the purpose of isolating families and locking away kids.

For those who have the discipline and supportive circumstances, homeschooling is an incredible opportunity to take full control of your kid's education and seek out ways for them to learn through engaged studies, through travel, and using the best of the best educational materials. Locking them into an institution for 8 hours a day, segregating them into narrow age groups, force-feeding knowledge in a one-size-fits-all manner is terribly dehumanizing. Our society is reaping the effects of this through rampant corruption in so many ways.

Not everyone learns at the same pace. It may take someone a couple days to get this week's lesson so they get an 'A', but for someone else it might take two weeks to get it just the same. So this person gets a 'C' because they didn't get it in time. This kind of nonsense is practiced day after day, year after year in our 'modern' world. We screw up our kids daily with this assembly line approach to education. For those who can, homeschooling is an escape from this rat trap.

[jasmine621]

19. Home Schooling here is what it is:

Home schooling = white flight from public schools.

This was a formula thrown to the masses of evangelicals growing in this country during the 1980's
Now, there are some parents who really have the resources and belief in the home-schooling option and they do a really decent job with teaching their children. But mostly, these are folks who just despise the public school system, whose demise the RW conservatives have been working on since Reagan.

[Igel]

20. Can be.

Often--probably most of the time--it isn't.

They may despise the public school system, but it's not because they're engaging in "white flight". The ones I knew that home schooled were pulling their kids out of a mostly white public school system (1980s Oregon, not Portland). One did it for religious reasons, another pulled both her daughters out of school--one because she was falling behind for no apparent reason and the teacher had no time/resources/interest to help, the other because of the company she was keeping (still, all white).

Sometimes there are reasons to despise the public school system. I know I do, and my wife does ... and we're planning on home schooling.

[rocktivity]

23. Instant runnerup for the 2008 "You Call This NEWS?" award

I thought more supervision was one of home schooling's biggest advantages!

:headbang:
rocknation