Idaho lawmakers should repeal compulsory education laws to rescue children from the "blight of public education," the founder of a national home-school advocacy group says.
Samuel Blumenfeld, founder of Parents for Unalienable Rights in Education, or PURE, said laws requiring children to attend public schools or accredited private schools are ruining the country and their futures."Until we restore educational freedom, we will not be a free country," Blumenfeld said. He attended the third annual PURE national conference being held at Boise's Broadway Avenue Baptist Church.
Thousands of Idaho parents educate their children at home and are guaranteed that right under the U.S. Constitution, Blumenfeld said.
Those parents face unwarranted persecution from the Idaho Department of Education and local school districts, he said.
In Boise, home-schooling parents can be prosecuted if they do not comply with the Boise School District's recent demand that they return forms outlining curricula.