New York Case - UPDATE

The following passage was included in the HSLDA's Weekly Update.

Richard and Margie Cressy, homeschool parents of four children ages 8–14, were recently arrested by the Montgomery County Sheriff for failing to report to local school district officials. The Cressys were actually arrested over a week after they had received confirmation from their local district that they were in compliance for the 2009–2010 school year.

HSLDA has been contacted by the family, and we have agreed to take their case. HSLDA Senior Counsel Jim Mason said, “It was completely unnecessary to arrest these parents, and we believe this is outrageous.” We will be working with our local New York counsel to aggressively defend these homeschool parents against the charges that have been leveled against them.

New York Home Schooling Case - Parents Charged

I am going to watch this case carefully. It is just another wake up call to me regarding the fact that states are trying to dictate how parents should raise their children. Deciding how to raise a child(ren) includes deciding how they are educated. States do not care nor do they have a greater vested interest in children than responsible and loving parent(s) do. Parents should not need to be accountable to the government regarding how they educate their little ones. I care so much for and about my children and that is why I home school. I want better for my babies than these states that continually raise taxes in order to fund government run education programs that fail year after year. Stop throwing my good money after your bad decisions.

On a positive note, I am very grateful that I live in a state where my curriculum does not need to be approved by the local school district. That would be counterproductive to me homeschooling. For example, if my family and I decide to spend a whole year learning about the weather, then it is our prerogative to do so. I do not want to be told that I have to cram in biology or chemistry and have the learning experience be unpleasant. Retention and critical thinking skills are enhanced when the experience is fun, and not shrouded in resentment.


GLEN -- A couple was charged with child endangerment for allegedly home schooling their four children for seven years without notifying the local district, according to Montgomery County Sheriff's deputies.

Richard Cressy, 47, and Margie Cressy, 41, were charged with four misdemeanor counts of endangering the welfare of a child, deputies said. The couple is accused of violating a state law that requires parents who are home schooling their children to register their curriculum with the local school district.

The superintendent of the Fonda-Fultonville Central School District told authorities that curriculum for the four children, who range in age from 8 to 14 years old, had not been approved. The arrests came after a joint investigation by the Montgomery County Child Protective Services and the sheriff's office.

http://www.timesuni on.com/AspStorie s/story.asp? storyID=884776