National Charter School Watch Blog

In this day and age of many public school-at-home offerings, parents are finding they don’t have to make a trip to the school to give up their rights.An example from Alaska law: AS 14.03.090. Partisan, Sectarian, or Denominational Doctrines Prohibited. Partisan, sectarian, or denominational doctrines may not be advocated in a public school during the hours the school is in session. A teacher or school board violating this section may not receive public money.

Here it is applied (look at the fact parents are prohibited from buying religious curriculum and teaching it to their children during school hours–the children not just denied receiving credit):
~Annette

AK article snips: Here come the strings
September 03, 2005

Education: Alaska’s groundbreaking support for homeschools may be buried in state audits and new rulings | Mark Bergin

**snip** Armed with a new application of an old statute, Alaska’s Department of Education and Early Development (EED) declared that teaching a majority of core subjects with religious-based materials—even those privately purchased—disqualifies parents from receiving government funds. It employed a 1966 law, which states, “Partisan, sectarian, or denominational doctrines may not be advocated in a public school during the hours the school is in session.”

Assistant attorney general Kathleen Starsbaugh confirmed EED’s interpretive broadening of the law, labeling private homes as public schools: “While it uses terminology more easily applied to the traditional classroom, it applies to public schooling however delivered.” She added that dispensing public money to parents who rely heavily on religious-themed curricula also violates the Alaska Constitution and the First Amendment’s establishment clause.

**snip**
Mr. Torkelson agrees that the correspondence programs have opened up the homeschooling option to families that previously could not afford it. But he grew concerned when 80 percent to 90 percent of Alaska homeschoolers jumped on board. Mr. Torkelson recalls when state legislators first laughed at the homeschool movement several decades ago, then ignored it, then fought it. He views correspondence programs as the state’s latest strategy to cripple decentralized education: “Once you’re taking the money, they have a legitimate interest in what you’re doing. This is a way to damage the movement over the long run.” Mr. Torkelson is too kind to say “I told you so.” But he just did. (end of snips)