Ohio State Senator Caves On Controversial Home School Law

December 27, 2013 by Ben Bullard

SPECIAL
Democratic Ohio State Senator Capri Carafo withdrew her bill, which was informally known as “Teddy’s Law.”

You may have seen our recent story about a controversial Ohio proposal to regulate who can and can’t home school their children by submitting parents to a background check process.
That bill, introduced by Democratic Ohio State Senator Capri Carafo, was informally known as “Teddy’s Law” in commemoration of a home-schooled child who was beaten to death at home by his mother’s abusive boyfriend.
The proposal generated a lot of controversy, with home schooling advocates decrying a new State intervention in their domestic affairs as the “worst-ever home school law;” an idea “breathtakingly onerous in its scope.” The pressure quickly got to Carafo.
By the time our report on “Teddy’s Law” went live, Cafaro had already withdrawn the bill. The State Senator announced late last week her intent to pull Ohio SB 248, saying the passions it brought out in people demonstrate there’s more to consider about the rights of parents to decide what’s best for their children than her bill was intended to address.
“SB 248 was never meant to be a policy debate about educating children in the home,”Cafaro said. “It was meant to address weaknesses in the law pertaining to child protection. Unfortunately, the true intent of the bill to curtail child abuse has been eclipsed by the issue of home schooling… After consultation with Teddy’s family, we have collectively decided the best course of action is for me to withdraw SB 248, and instead pursue a more comprehensive approach to address the current challenges in the state’s social service and criminal justice system.”
Cafaro also pledged not to include any language in future child-protection proposals that would single out home schooling for special government scrutiny.

Filed Under: Conservative Politics, Liberty News, Staff Reports


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