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News Item October 1, 2009 |
Exposure to Different Belief Systems Mandated
OneNewsNow reported last month on a custody case in New Hampshire that strikes at the heart of the parental right to homeschool and pass along sincerely held religious beliefs to their children. As with similar court-ordered mandates to public school, this case involved a divorced couple. In this particular case, the elementary-aged daughter was appointed a guardian ad litem (a person appointed to represent the interests of a minor with respect to a single action in litigation). The girl had been homeschooled by the mother using state-approved curriculum, had attended supplemental classes at the public school, and was involved in extra-curricular sports. In the process of renegotiating the terms for the girl's parenting plan, the guardian ad litem decided the girl “would be best served by exposure to a public school setting” and “different points of view at a time when she must begin to critically evaluate multiple systems in belief...in order to select, as a young adult, which of those systems will best suit her needs.” The girl is only ten years old. The court approved the order, despite acknowledging that the child is “well liked, social and interactive with her peers, academically promising, and intellectually at or superior to grade level.” The decision was upheld after considering “the impact of [her religious] beliefs on her interaction with others.” |
