Statement Supporting Stoni Blair and Stephen Berry and Michigan’s HB 4498
For Immediate Release: Michigan Takes a Step Forward in Protecting Homeschooled Children Canton, Ma., 4/21/15—Last month, Stoni Blair, 13, and…
CRHE Statement on Leelah Alcorn
January 5, 2015 As advocates for homeschooled children, we were deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the death of…
How I Was Almost Rescued from Abuse
I am the second child, oldest daughter in a family that eventually grew to nine children, with each child spaced…
Ohio: Senate Bill 248, “Teddy’s Law”
Theodore “Teddy” Foltz Tedesco was murdered by his mother’s boyfriend, Zaryl G. Bush, in January of 2013. Teddy’s mother, Shain…
Elizabeth W.: “I am a survivor”
“My mother informed me that from now on we were all going to be “homeschooled” so that no more nosy teachers would be interfering in “our” (her) lives. One of my youngest stepsiblings had made some mention to a teacher of the rampant domestic violence that routinely rampaged through our home. . . . Homeschooling was the first step my mom took to make sure no one could get involved through children’s loose tongues ever again.”
Chandra B.: “Protections are a necessary part of all educational systems”
“Today as a public school educator, I advocate for strict oversight of homeschooling not only because of my horrible childhood, but also because I have been that typical homeschooling mom trying to do the best she can with little resources and support around her to daily keep her motivated.”
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.”
Kimberly R.: “Every abuse had a magnified effect on us”
“My mother . . . read to us a lot and corrected our grammar constantly. As a result, my siblings and I all have excellent literary skills. However, both of my parents were sorely lacking in the area of math and science. Since they were the only source of academic support that I had access to, I did not have access to a proper math and science education. I was told many times in my childhood that boys are naturally better at math and science, and that I, being a girl could never excel, so I never tried.”
Lana Martin: “I suffered severe depression, suicidality, and disordered eating”
“Early in my childhood, my mother was diagnosed with major depression and generalized anxiety disorder; throughout the homeschool years she struggled to function as a mother, let alone as an educator. . . . My mother also exhibited traits of borderline personality disorder and was unpredictable and frequently intrusive, hypercritical, and explosively angry.”