1. Living in the Loopholes
Home Education and Abuse

2. Carmen and Samantha’s Stories

3. Creating the Loopholes
how did we get here?

4. Making the Legislation
 Homeschooling laws were grafted onto pre-existing education laws.
 Formed by parental-rights and religious-freedom lobbyists–not experts in
education, family, or child-protection law.
 Legislatures assumed existent safety nets would be sufficient.
 But to function, safety nets must be accessible.
 In our legal system, parents have the strongest legal rights.

5. Barriers to the Safety Net
 In most states there is:
 No contact with mandatory reporters
 No assurance that education is happening
 No background checks for violence or sexual abuse
 No requirement to notify anyone of a child’s existence

6. A Culture that Exacerbates Danger
 Conferences and curriculum promote religious fundamentalism.
 Advanced Training Institute
 Vision Forum
 No Greater Joy
 Baby Wise
 Quiverful
 Stay-at-home-Daughter Movement
 Ingrained fear of CPS
 Intentional seclusion and distrust of authorities

7. Seeing the Loopholes
how can we identify abuse in homeschools?

8. Types of Abuse
 Educational Neglect
 Medical Neglect
 Identification Abuse
 Physical Neglect
 Physical Abuse

9. Educational Neglect
 Do the children do school work every or most week days?
 Are they performing at, or within a few years of, grade level?
 Can older children read? At an appropriate level?
 Do they understand age-appropriate math concepts?
 Are they aware of commonly known historical figures or events?
 Do children study all typical subjects?

10. Medical Neglect
 Have the children seen a doctor? Ever? Within the last year?
 Do they receive appropriate medical treatment when ill?
 Do they seem to struggle with treatable chronic conditions (asthma, etc)?
 Do children express distress toward or fear of the medical field?

11. Identification Abuse
 Parents may not acquire SSN, birth certificate, etc.
 Identification documents may exist, but may be withheld by parents.
 Transcripts may not be created, or they may be destroyed.

12. Physical Neglect
 Food deprivation
 How does the child interact with food?
 Do they eat unusual portion sizes?
 Do they appear to be a reasonable weight?
 Do parents scoff at food allergies?
 Are parents either forbidding the child from becoming vegan/vegetarian, or forcing
veganism/vegetarianism/keto/paleo despite nutritional deficiencies?
 Hygiene
 Do children have access to hygiene products, showers?
 Do children have reasonable hygiene habits?

13. Corporal Punishment
 How does the child describe corporal punishment?
 What sorts of implements are used?
 Is the victim older than 5? 10? 15?
 How often does corporal punishment occur?
 Does community leadership promote Ezzos, Dobson, Pearls?

14. Physical Abuse
 Are restraints used–shackles, rope, etc.?
 Look for typical signs of abuse.
 Unexplained bruising, breaks sprains, etc.
 Abusers may deny children shelter from the elements.

15. Closing the Loopholes
how can you help?

16. Step #1: Learn
 Listen
 Listen
 LISTEN
 Make sure homeschooled children know you value them.
 Pay attention to home educators in your community
 Are they insular?
 What materials are popular?
 Are people who don’t homeschool viewed with suspicion?

17. Step #2: Practical Actions
 Be a friend
 Can you provide opportunities to get out of the house? Field trips? Play dates?
 Support and encourage their ambitions, dreams, goals, and gifts.
 Be a resource
 Can you loan books? Be a tutor?
 Help them get their driver’s liscense, take the SAT, apply to college, etc.
 Call the authorities.

18. Step #3: Change the status quo
 Prioritize listening to alumni over home educators
 Coalition for Responsible Home Education
 Homeschooling’s Invisible Children
 Homeschoolers Anonymous
 Be informed on your state’s legislation, or lack thereof
 Are there exemptions?
 Is there any oversight? How is it enforced? Is it enforced?
 Stay up-to-date on new legislation
 HSLDA and home educators are extremely well-motivated.
 We all need to be invested in the education and well-being of our children.

19. Questions & Answers