The legality of homeschooling in the United States has been debated by educators, lawmakers, and parents since the beginnings of compulsory education in Massachusetts in 1852. United States Supreme Court precedent appears to favor educational choice, so long as states may set standards for educational accomplishment. (See Runyon v. McCrary, 427 U.S. 160 (1976); Wisconsin v. Yoder, 406 U.S. 205 (1972); Pierce v. Society of Sisters, 268 U.S. 510 (1...
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The legality of homeschooling in the United States has been debated by educators, lawmakers, and parents since the beginnings of compulsory education in Massachusetts in 1852. United States Supreme Court precedent appears to favor educational choice, so long as states may set standards for educational accomplishment. (See Runyon v. McCrary, 427 U.S. 160 (1976); Wisconsin v. Yoder, 406 U.S. 205 (1972); Pierce v. Society of Sisters, 268 U.S. 510 (1925); Meyer v. Nebraska, 262 U.S. 390 (1923).)
For decades the source of debate was focused whether it was legal for parents to withhold their children from school and educate them in a home setting, pitting homeschooling advocates against those in favor of organized public schools.
Since the late 1980s, the focus on the legality of homeschooling in general is no longer in serious debate but legal questions have shifted to whether homeschooling communities can access state school funds, facilities, and resources. There are also legal questions...
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