As my husband and I strolled into the 25th commemoration of the Leeper Case, which determined the legal status of homeschoolers, my mind wandered back to the ’80s and early ‘90s when homeschooling lacked a legal footing. No one knew what to do with us. Our neighborhood elementary school principal showed up at our doorstep. Later, a truant officer called, asking about our school-age children. A family member wrote a letter to the editor, stating that parents homeschool because they’re too lazy to get the kids on the school bus. Meanwhile, a postal worker berated me, certain that our kids would be social misfits. Others peppered our kids with academic questions to find out if we were fulfilling our academic duty. Turning up unannounced at a friend’s house, the CPS demanded to inspect their school books. Many families were threatened. Did we dare play outside during school hours? Would our neighbors report us? Fortunately, our family was never prosecuted. However, others were not so lucky.
After approximately 150 Texas homeschool families had been prosecuted, Shelby Sharpe, a Fort Worth attorney and homeschool dad, met with homeschool leaders from around the state to see if he had our support. My husband and I attended that Houston historic meeting. With our approval, in March 1985, Sharpe initiated the Leeper case to challenge the 1981 Texas Education Agency policy that stated, “educating a child at home is not the same as private school instruction and, therefore, not an acceptable substitute.” This, in effect, outlawed homeschooling in Texas. Eventually, the class action suit landed in the Texas Supreme Court, which ruled in 1994 that homeschool is a legal private school if the school-aged children involved use a bonafide curriculum that covers reading, spelling, grammar, math, and a course in good citizenship.
Homeschools are not required to register with the school district, submit to home visits, or submit their curriculum for approval by the school district. (Texas Education Agency, et al v. Leeper, et al, 893 S.W.2d 432)
This, of course, was good news for the Texas homeschool community. However, by 1994, our homeschool journey was nearing its end with my teen-agers finishing their high school years. Nevertheless, we breathed relief and kept on schooling. Each of my three children graduated and went on to college. One even earned a master’s degree. All are married with families, gainfully employed and productive members of their communities. Good people.
Today, nearly 2 million children are homeschooled in the U.S.A., and in Texas, we are still enjoying the fruits of the 1994 Leeper decision. Thanks to those of us in the early years who persevered, homeschoolers are benefiting from our sacrifices.
You will find homeschoolers from every walk of life. You will find them in your churches. You will find them volunteering, working in the public, participating in community theater, taking classes outside the home in co-ops or venues like T.E.A.C.H. Cleburne, playing ball in sports leagues, and attending college. Thanks to the freedoms we enjoy in this great nation, families can choose the type of education that best suits their children, one of which is homeschooling.
Terri White is a veteran homeschool mom from the ’80s and ’90s and the founder/director of T.E.A.C.H
Cleburne. She can be reached at teachcle
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