Home-schoolers need competent supervision

Frontiersman editorial board

Education is a hot-button issue everywhere, and in Alaska, where the independent spirit is almost certainly stronger than in any other state, the concept of independent home schooling can be particularly emotional.

Last year, Rep. Mike Chenault of Nikiski sponsored a bill that would have required independent home-schoolers to carry an identification number. The bill was shot down.

The idea was that all school-age children in Alaska should be tracked to ensure they meet attendance and basic education requirements. Some home-schooled students choose to remain within the institution of public education, so they can receive federal and state funding as long as they meet at least the same academic requirements as public-school students.

Independent home-schoolers choose to operate outside the public system and do not receive public funds -- or public regulations.

It is clear that parents should enjoy a great deal of involvement and authority in the education of their children. The state should not interfere with parenting, but it should protect the right of every child to basic literacy.

We all live within a greater community and that community also bears some of the responsibility, and some of the burden, of child rearing. The concept of educational standards is not intended to infringe upon parents' right to enhance education and experience for children.

Government standards are intended to establish a minimum base of knowledge that is required to seek secondary education or function in society.

Some of those standards require a basic level of education and training for educators, and some of them establish acceptable minimum academic levels for students at different grade levels. There is no state standard or regulation that limits parents' ability to augment public education at home -- in an effort to exceed government standards.

We are sure there are many qualified, dedicated parents involved in independent home schooling in Alaska. However, there is no way to know how many children are independently home schooled, and there is no way to know if they are all receiving an adequate education.

Because state regulations are so liberal concerning independent home schooling, the door is open for unqualified parents to deprive their children of a quality education without any interference by the state.

We support the rights of home-schoolers, but we also believe every student should be required to meet basic attendance and academic standards.