Tag: pennsylvania

Mercer County Child Homeschool Homicide Case Involved Starvation

The modular home where the body was found

One of the things that I often see in the homeschool homicide cases I write about is starvation. Starvation is a common tool of child torture. In just about every case on this blog, the children were starved. Erica Parsons was… Read More

Jesse M.: “Some of these things would most likely not have been done if they were not required”

“I am grateful that a minimal amount of planning was required at the beginning of the school year and that some type of assessment was required at the end of each school year. I’m also grateful that medical… Read More

Rebecca A.: “I feel I have been denied the opportunity to live up to my potential”

“My days revolved around taking care of my siblings and our home. Our mother would leave her bedroom periodically to yell at us for being too noisy and messy. I spent most of my teenage years being overwhelmed… Read More

Sarah M.: “These assessments turned out to be easily avoided”

“Although Pennsylvania had homeschooling oversight on the books, they failed to reliably enforce it. Even within my local school district I knew families with vastly different experiences with the district office” I‘m the oldest of six children, raised… Read More

Jane Smith: “I am haunted by the question of what might have been different”

“Homeschooling students who, like me, are privileged to have the skills necessary to fill in the gaps in our education can often bounce back from sub-standard educations. But others, like my brothers, who lack these skills will forever pay the price. The costs of the lack of oversight are borne by the most vulnerable.”

Why We Need Accountability for Portfolio Evaluators

Suppose John Smith Construction Inc. is building a bridge near your home. They file a safety report with the local government, showing they have passed all requirements with flying colors and that the bridge is structurally sound. Then… Read More

Statement on Pennsylvania’s Passage of HB 1013

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — Coalition for Responsible Home Education Executive Director Rachel Coleman issued the following statement regarding the passage of House Bill 1013 by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives: “Today, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives has sold… Read More

Pennsylvania’s HB 1013 is Bad for Homeschooling

Eleven states include a portfolio option in their homeschool law. Under this option, homeschool parents put together a portfolio of each student’s work which is then reviewed and evaluated by a qualified individual. CRHE supports such evaluations because… Read More

Pennsylvania: HB 1013 and Accountability

Eleven U.S. states include a portfolio option in their homeschool law. Under this option, homeschool parents put together a portfolio of each student’s work to be evaluated by a qualified individual, typically a certified teacher. The evaluator then… Read More

Megan P.: “I do not wish my experience on anyone”

“I was constantly reminded that if I didn’t vouch for my family in the most favorable light, I could and probably would be separated from them. (I now recognize that to be another clear sign of abuse.) The fear of child protective services, and social workers in general (being agents who tore families apart), was both irrational yet deeply ingrained in me as a child.”