OCHEC and HSLDA are two highly respected homeschool organizations that have taken a stance against virtual schooling. They state that once you participate in these programs, you are no longer "home" schooling, but you are doing "public school" at home. They go on to say that participants are giving up their freedom to choose curriculum, are placed on time constraints, and they must give up their right to provide a religious education for their children (Separation of Church and State). They say that participants no longer have control over their family's educational choices and are welcoming the government to make those decisions for them.
Cindy Nicolai, Board Member of OCHEC states, "These programs are not homeschooling in the traditional sense. It is taking the public school home. It is no different than the homebound student that has had to leave the brick and mortar building because of health, failing grades, or any number of reasons. A certified public school teacher is still the person directly in charge of your child’s education, not the parent. You answer to them, they don’t answer to you. They are the boss, you are just the monitor there to make sure the work gets done."
She also points out that the HSLDA will not accept anyone to participate as a member with their organization if they do virtual schooling. She states, "They will not be able to participate as members of HSLDA unless they lie on their application. It specifically asks if anyone besides the parents are offering instruction to the children. If so, how much. Since the lessons are totally planned out by the public school teachers, they decide what is done each day, they give the grades, then more than 51% of the actually direction of the home education is being provided by someone else. All the parent is doing is being a teacher’s aide or helping hand in the classroom. The HSLDA application also asks if the student is enrolled in ANY form of public school. The answer here would be YES, and the amount of time is full time student. This, if answered truthfully, disallows membership with HSLDA as they will not represent families whose children are in public school."
Promises of a "free"education, "free" curriculum, and "free" computers sound very appealing; however, free is not always the best way to go if strings are attached. The HSLDA reports, "Some new homeschoolers may lack the confidence to educate their children without professional supervision or government money, and the virtual charter school programs seem like a dream come true. However, children who are enrolled in virtual charter schools must follow all of the program’s policies and procedures, which include restrictions such as exclusion of religious educational materials as part of the formal curriculum. Parents who choose these programs must realize that in accepting virtual public schools into their homes, they are also accepting the bureaucracy and government supervision that is linked to accepting tax dollars."
"Exposing a Trojan Horse" is an excellent video to watch on this subject. You can purchase the video online here and watch the trailer here...
