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Education starts prior to birth. The first and original school for man’s instruction is the parental home. The ancient Greek writer, Plutarch (46-120 AD) noted: “it is never too early to form the character and habits of the child.” Hence, parents whether natural or adoptive, by virtue of their parental status, have a duty and paramount inalienable right to educate their children. This right and responsibility is not derived from government, and exists prior to the claims of any civil government. The U.S .Supreme Court, in Pierce v. Society of Sisters, recognized, “The fundamental theory of liberty upon which all governments in this Union repose excludes any general power of the State to standardize its children by forcing them to accept instruction from public teachers only. The child is not the mere creature of the State; those who nurture him and direct his destiny have the right, coupled with the high duty, to recognize and prepare him for additional obligations.” Accordingly, parents, even when subject to the compulsory education laws of the states have the right to decide to home school their children, or send them to private or public school without interference from governmental authorities. In a related matter, the right of parents to be informed if their child needs mental health treatment must be preserved. Unfortunately, the parents of the student who killed students at Virginia Tech during 2007 had not received information that their son should have been receiving mental health treatment. Federal Role in Education The U.S. Department of Education was established in 1979. In the 1980 presidential contest, Ronald Reagan promised to end the Department of Education. In his 1982 State of the Union Address, Reagan again pledged to dismantle the Education Department, but a Democrat controlled Congress blocked him. As recent at 1996, the Republican Party Platform stated: "The Federal government has no constitutional authority to be involved in school curricula or to control jobs in the market place. This is why we will abolish the Department of Education." That has not happened. In fact, federal spending on “education” was $65.7 Billion in FY 2007. I believe this money could better be spent in the classroom. States are better situated to address and provide classroom instruction than the federal government. National Education Standards, Curriculum and Testing Virginia already has Standards of Learning to measure student progress in elementary and secondary school. Virginia does not need the federal, so-called “No Child Left Behind” program. Institutional elementary and secondary instruction is the responsibility of parents and state governments, not the federal government. Efforts to establish centralized control over schooling have previously relied upon empowering unelected bureaucrats, not parents or local school boards, to decide which subjects should be taught in schools, including home schools, as well as a national uniform curriculum and national tests. These efforts must be resisted because they are at odds with the primary principle of education, namely parental responsibility and involvement in the education of their children. I also believe in freedom of choice when it comes to education. If vouchers or tax credits were made available to allow parents to choose the school of choice for their children, I believe healthy competition would ensue that can only improve the quality of education. |
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