Student tracking bill shouldn't get failing grade from parents

Frontiersman editorial board

If you want to get an Alaskan angry, tell him you want to infringe upon his privacy. If you want to get an Alaskan really angry, tell him how to raise his children. Rep. Mike Chenault, R-Kenai, has made a lot of Alaskans very angry.

Chenault has sponsored House Bill 437, which, among other things, will require all Alaskan school-age children to carry a tracking number that would enable the state to ensure every child is receiving an education.

Some home school parents see the bill as an intrusion upon their privacy.

Under a hailstorm of angry phone calls and complaints, Carl Gatto, who chairs the House Special Committee on Education, said his office had to prepare a canned response. Gatto also said Chenault indicated that he may withdraw the bill in the future.

The controversy begs a few questions. Just how far should a citizen be able to opt out of society, and how selective should that withdrawal be? To what degree is a community collectively responsible for the education of its children? Does our society consider education to be a matter of choice, or do we think of it as a protected right of every child?

The first two questions hinge upon the third. If we believe that every child should receive an education, we must agree that the community has a responsibility to ensure that result. HB 437 does not define how home schoolers should be taught, nor does it limit a parent's ability to choose home schooling over public education. It simply acknowledges that without some sort of tracking, some students may not receive an adequate education, and that would be a failure of the community, not just of the family.

Many home schoolers receive a high-quality education, and some outperform public school students. It is fair to say, however, that a number of home schoolers also perform below public education averages, and some home schoolers. It is not enough to say that public schools have failures, and that those failures should be addressed before home schooling comes under scrutiny. The state has a responsibility to protect all students. We all pay a price at some point for children who are inadequately educated, and we should demand a minimum standard is met by all students.

The parents of home schoolers who are performing well should not be alarmed by HB 437. The parents whose home schoolers are failing should be alarmed by that failure. We support any effort to protect every child's right to quality education.