An appealate court in So. California made a ruling Feb. 28 that the only parents who can lawfully teach their children at home in California are those who hold teaching credentials. In the end this ruling would make it illegal to homeschool in California.

Our state governor has pledged to change the law if need be, to protect our ability to homeschool, but please pray for us and the other 165,000+ families that homeschool in California.

For the time being we are in legal limbo until the lawyers, courts and legislature sort this ruling out. We are going to continue as we are until the final ruling comes out, but please pray. Our state is 43rd in education and faces further budget cut this fall, not to mention all the social situations and issues.

Please pray.

You would think that with so many people homeschooling and putting their children into private schools because of the sorry state of public schools that SOMEONE would figure things out. But no. We just keep throwing money at the problem. So ineffectual.

WHAT???? I didn't know they could do that! But I am finding out things all the time that I didn't think our government could do, but they do! Don't they know they are killing themselves as well as they are killing the country?

How long, O Lord, will you wait? Hear our prayers, and relieve us! Blessed are You, Lord God, Jehovh, who gives all good things to His people, and protects us against our enemies! For we cry in the name of Your Son who gave His life that we might live! Amen

Okay, now that my initial panic is over and I've had time to look into the whole jumbled mess the truth of the matter is this, California is still one of 12 states in the union that allows parents to homeschool by establishing themselves as private schools.

The laws regarding the education code have not been changed. We have the same rights we've had for the past 100 years in California.

However, this BAD RULING can wreak havoc on families charged with truancy because they homeschool. So this is still very bad.

What the lawyers are working on is asking the ruling to be "depublished" which means the appealate courts ruling cannot be used in any other case against any other homeschooling family. It is up to the Long's family lawyer to appeal the case in question.

I did find out the courts cannot mass order us back into conventional schools... if they wished to prosecute us for truancy they would have to do it one family at a time. That would certainly make their job a lot harder.

Still, please pray. This is a very serious situation and one that goes far past just homeschooling. It also opens up a pandora's box as to how much control the state has over families.

What a mess. But the Lord is ever present and always in control.

Also, I must apologize for my initial accounting of those homeschooling, it is between 165,000 and 200,000 children who are homeschooled in California, not familes. Sorry! Blame it on bad proof-reading!

Angie, a few mistakes are to be understood. You thought you had been severely attacked. And God will protect us; I have to believe that, because if I don't, I can't continue.

A M E N!