Michigan Dept. of Education calls for registry for home school, private and charter school students
Dept. of Education says the registry is all for safety of children, many disagree
The Michigan Christian Homeschool Network says it obtained a letter from the Michigan Department of Education to Michigan lawmakers that calls on them to create a bill requiring every student (Including private school and homeschool students) in Michigan to be tracked annually by a government database.
Rep. Matt Koleszar, D-Plymouth, posted on X on Dec. 5 that homeschooled children in Michigan should be required to register with the state.
“Michigan is one of only 11 states that doesn’t count or register homeschooled children, and abusive parents are taking advantage of that to avoid being found out,” Koleszar wrote.
According to Michigan Capitol Confidential, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel they announced the charges of abuse against two sets of parents who had fostered and adopted up to 30 children, according to the Detroit Free Press. She noted in a post on X that the children are homeschooled.
Following Koleszar and Nessel’s comments homeschool parents voiced frustration arguing there is no need for the government to track their children, especially if no state money is being attached with the children.
Statistics show homeschool students score above conventional school students on achievement tests regardless of their parent’s educational background.
There is no confirmation if state lawmakers will officially introduce legislation encouraged by the Michigan Department of Education.
Watch a recent interview I did with a parent about this controversy.
What is your take on this?
Sounds like they’re trying to act based on pure speculation and anecdotal evidence. The “charges of abuse against two sets of parents who had fostered and adopted up to 30 children” isn’t exactly the average situation among homeschooling families in our state. Furthermore, the foster/adoption system is already heavily monitored and facilitated by state agencies. The fact that these 2 cases didn’t raise red flags long before these couples were able to get away with so much abuse and neglect just demonstrates how inept this state-run foster/adoption system is…so they want all homeschooling families to submit to their oversight. And I’m sure they would never use that database as a way to better identify and target conservatives and/or Christian families who are working hard to protect their children from being corrupted and indoctrinated through government-run public educational institutions, and teaching them how to love learning, develop their talents, and utilize their creativity and critical thinking skills for the betterment of society.