Watchman Josiah Newman: Sorry, Big Government, Homeschoolers Don’t Fit Your Mold
All Texans who care about parental and home schooling rights can support the efforts to #KeepTXFamiliesFree. It’s not just something for political junkies…
All Texans who care about parental and home schooling rights can support the efforts to #KeepTXFamiliesFree. It’s not just something for political junkies…
Austin, Texas - THSC has worked with conservative state legislators in both ...
This January marks the beginning of the 85th Texas Legislature. Every other year in Austin, the Texas House of Representatives and Senate conduct their business for 140 days. For the third legislative session in a row, THSC is sending a squadron of lobbyist interns to fight for families. These six home school graduates, known as the THSC Watchmen, will relocate to the capital where they will live and work for five months.
In April 2016, a THSC member called THSC about an issue her daughter had with admission at Sam Houston State University (SHSU). Although her SAT scores were above the minimum score accepted by the university for regular students, SHSU told the member’s daughter that home schoolers were required to have higher standardized test scores than their public school counterparts.
Has your home schooling decision ever been judged based on someone’s random anecdotal experience?
“My kids were in AP classes to get ready for college. How are your kids going to get into college? Aren’t you worried about their future?”
OR
Following a productive meeting and correspondence with Department of Family Protective Services (DFPS) Commissioner Henry Whitman, Jr., THSC was able to prevent CPS from overstepping its authority.
Not long ago, THSC was contacted by an Odessa home school parent who had been told by a CPS caseworker that she and her husband must stop home schooling and enroll their child in public school. The child’s father began gathering his daughter’s personal records, while Mom placed a call to THSC.
Our Constitution provides for three branches of government, but it seems we have a fourth branch—regulatory agencies. The legislature creates laws, but their oversight and implementation are entrusted to regulatory agencies. Public policy set by these agencies is a great place to affect change. In Texas, laws related to child protection cases are implemented and regulated by the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS). Over the years, this enabled THSC to successfully negotiate several changes to CPS policy on behalf of home schoolers and parents.
Have you ever ordered online and when the shipment arrives, it’s only part of what you ordered? As customers we want to find satisfaction and usefulness with our purchase. No one wants buyer’s regret. But when it comes to taxes, are we satisfied with our purchase?
Child Protective Services has just taken your child. In essence, you temporarily lose your parental rights. Completely devastated and emotionally raw, you might dare to ask, “What more could go wrong?”