Did you think the purpose of government-run schools is to teach kids to read, write, and calculate? Silly citizen. The real purpose, in the eyes of today’s progressives, is to ensure that children are being monitored by the state.

That’s the natural conclusion I draw from Michigan HB 4498, a Democrat-introduced bill that would place special monitoring requirements on homeschoolers.

Michigan law recognizes homeschooling. Section 380.1561 of the Michigan Compiled Laws says:

For a child being educated at the child’s home by his or her parent or legal guardian, exemption from the requirement to attend public school may exist under either subsection (3)(a) or (3)(f), or both.

However Democrat Stephanie Chang has introduced legislation that would make that exemption contingent upon submitting their kids to monitoring, and also of keeping records of that monitoring themselves. The proposed law requires that:

THE CHILD MEETS IN PERSON AT LEAST TWICE A YEAR WITH A PHYSICIAN, LICENSED SOCIAL WORKER, PHYSICIAN’S ASSISTANT, INDIVIDUAL EMPLOYED IN A PROFESSIONAL CAPACITY IN ANY OFFICE OF THE FRIEND OF THE COURT, SCHOOL COUNSELOR OR TEACHER, AUDIOLOGIST, PSYCHOLOGIST, LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER, MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPIST, MEMBER OF THE CLERGY, OR REGULATED CHILD CARE PROVIDER.

Note that this is specifically a new requirement being pushed only upon homeschooled kids and parents. The presumption is that kids must be submitted to government indoctr… er, schooling, unless parents jump through hoops to demand otherwise.

Let’s be clear: kids in public schools easily just slide through the system with no personal meetings or attention. The idea that homeschoolers are the ones at risk, and need to be protected from their parents, while kids in public schools need no protection, just comes from the big government love the modern Democrats have.

Detroit, the city Chang represents, was the model city of the Great Society, and look at it now. Chang has no business offering up government as the solution to problems, when her own city is proof of government’s failures.

With the rash of sex abuse cases in public schools these days, why aren’t we making it easier for parents to take their kids into home schooling, and doing something about unions that protect teachers from accountability? You know, all those unions that endorsed Stephanie Chang? Oh, right.

Photo by Nitram242 on flickr