MistyJ Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 (edited) This incident took place in the greater Phoenix area. I know that child abuse has nothing to do with the type of schooling, but these stories make me a bit more amenable to some sort of supervision. http://www.azfamily.com/news/local/85028702.html Edited February 23, 2010 by MistyJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MistyJ Posted February 23, 2010 Author Share Posted February 23, 2010 I would never agree to 2 visits a year by a social worker. I didn't read it. It saddens me, but kids in the care of the school system get abused and abuse goes unnoticed. I don't think it is anything unique to homeschooling. I agree it's not unique to homeschooling. But the circumstances of this abuse could not have been hidden if the girl went to school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jujsky Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 That's a horrible story, but if social worker visits ever become a routine part of homeschooling, I will send my kids to private school. There are good social workers, but there are also many bad ones who "look" for things. Many of these social workers could invent something or find some minor infraction if they didn't believe in homeschooling. I wouldn't risk losing my kids for anything, and I could see that happening to some non-abusive families if this became the "supervision" required for homeschoolers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 We don't "answer for" this. It is not our crime to answer for. We seek justice. Some metal rods and a treadmill wouldn't be a bad idea for that couple. And no I don't think that because a minority of people claim to be doing something in the name of something else (whether it be God or homeschooling or love or safety or any other abused terms) means everyone should be policed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 I glanced around the Internet at related articles. My "guesstimate" is that the parents espouse an extremist form of their religion, and homeschool as a way to "do their thing" in privacy, hidden from detection. Every case of child abuse in a homeschool setting that I ever have heard of involved a parent (or parents) who espoused an extremist form of religion, and/or who had mental health problems which made them more amenable to following an unbalanced form of religion. This is the small group that garners all the lurid headlines, and which taints all the rest of us sound-minded, normally-behaving religious believers merely because of the commonality -- homeschooling and religious. Thus we have the pernicious stereotype that all religious homeschooling families are mentally-unstable, terrified of the outside world, and are stunting the children's emotional and social development. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SquirrellyMama Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 We don't "answer for" this. It is not our crime to answer for. We seek justice. Some metal rods and a treadmill wouldn't be a bad idea for that couple. And no I don't think that because a minority of people claim to be doing something in the name of something else (whether it be God or homeschooling or love or safety or any other abused terms) means everyone should be policed. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyfaithe Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 Then every child in every state should have to have a 2 per year visitation. I hate it when I see these things, but how many children are abused who go to public and private schools that just slip through the cracks. I am sure the percentage is higher than kids who are homeschooled. It is a sad, sad truth that some children are abused and it is heartbreaking when a child is hurt by those that are expected to protected However, I don't think it is constitutional or even wise (not to mention economically feasible) to submit every family in America to a twice a year evaluation within their family home. ~~Faithe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoyfulMama Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 I know that child abuse has nothing to do with the type of schooling, but these stories make me a bit more amenable to some sort of supervision, even if it's 2 visits a year by a social worker. Two scheduled visits a year would not necessarily catch abuse. The visits are planned ahead, everyone knows about them, and it allows the families to try to put their best foot forward. What planned visits do most is to help to create a relationship between the worker and the family, and allows the worker to feel out if there might be more to monitor. Requiring social work visits to homes would require either (a) the DPW hires additional workers to take on this task, or (b) requires the school districts to hire additional workers to take on this task. In either case, the funding comes from the general taxpayer. I think it is a far wiser use of our funds to be mindful of our neighbors, NOT suspicious or petty or judgemental, and be willing to file reports of suspected child abuse or neglect when our hearts tell us so. Oh, and how do WE respond? Just because I am a homeschooler does not mean I am identical to all other homeschoolers. Same as all public school families do not look like all other public schoolers. We make the issue about what it is - a horrible case of child abuse, and not a story about a horrible homeschooling family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MistyJ Posted February 23, 2010 Author Share Posted February 23, 2010 I don't mean to say "two visits a year" is a solution. Let me retract that. It is just heartbreaking to me that this girl went through this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 Maybe I'm not feeling charitable and Christian enough today but this thread and the Pearl's thread really makes me hope there's a special place in hell reserved for these people. How can people do this type of stuff?!?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 I agree it's not unique to homeschooling. But the circumstances of this abuse could not have been hidden if the girl went to school. Just want to point out that many, many cases of abuse--even very horrific abuse--are not caught in a school setting. It does not make sense to subject the majority of loving parents to oversight as if they are criminals because there are some sick people in the world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfunnybunch Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 :grouphug: Something very similar happened in our community, except the girl did not escape. She was beaten to death. It makes me ill to think about what she went through. It makes me incredibly angry that parents like this use "homeschooling" as a way to isolate their children in order to hide the abuse. Blech. Cat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 There are evil people who abuse their children and homeschool. There are evil people who abuse their children and send them to public school. There are evil people who abuse their children and send them to private schools. Having social worker visit twice a year if anyone has a child is insane. I do believe there is a special place for those who harm children in the afterlife. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 :grouphug: It makes me incredibly angry that parents like this use "homeschooling" as a way to isolate their children in order to hide the abuse. :iagree:And would submit to a visit or a yearly note from a doc just checking on the kid if it would cut down on these horror stories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Sherry Posted February 24, 2010 Share Posted February 24, 2010 This incident took place in the greater Phoenix area. I know that child abuse has nothing to do with the type of schooling, but these stories make me a bit more amenable to some sort of supervision. http://www.azfamily.com/news/local/85028702.html Forcing all of society to bend to the consequences of the lowest denominator is NOT a good idea and will not solve the problem of child abuse.For one thing, there have been cases of children being abused while in foster homes, who have been taken out of their own homes. If the social service system were actually a viable solution to the problem of child abuse, I may think differently, but it is not. Most children are better off in their own homes, even under less than ideal circumstances. Many are more likely to be abused IF they end up in foster care, than they would be in their own homes. Thinking that the social service system is the solution to child abuse is a fairy tale. Yes, they are needed for horrendous situations, but in my opinion, that is all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Sherry Posted February 24, 2010 Share Posted February 24, 2010 :iagree:And would submit to a visit or a yearly note from a doc just checking on the kid if it would cut down on these horror stories. Well, if the info I am going by on your sig tells the whole story,you have one child, so a doctor visit for just one child would not even be much of a sacrifice for your family at all. There are some families with 5, 6 or even upto 10 or 12 children, and if the visits are not covered by insurance it would cost a fortune. In my opinion, the sacrifice that those families would be making, would not make any difference for the children in an abusive family. Sorry, it makes no sense to penalize the innocent for the crimes of the guilty. It only makes the innocent parents feel like they've done something to protect someone elses children, but in reality you cannot control the actions of everyone else and the government will use any excuse to pry more and more into your personal life, where they don't belong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted February 24, 2010 Share Posted February 24, 2010 I agree it's not unique to homeschooling. But the circumstances of this abuse could not have been hidden if the girl went to school. Two words: Summer Vacation. I can't imagine being so socially isolated that no one would notice that my kid hadn't stepped foot outside the house in months--esp. a teenager! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MistyJ Posted February 24, 2010 Author Share Posted February 24, 2010 :iagree:And would submit to a visit or a yearly note from a doc just checking on the kid if it would cut down on these horror stories. :iagree:That, or something. The girl who was tortured had rights, as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sputterduck Posted February 24, 2010 Share Posted February 24, 2010 We don't "answer for" this. It is not our crime to answer for. We seek justice. Some metal rods and a treadmill wouldn't be a bad idea for that couple. And no I don't think that because a minority of people claim to be doing something in the name of something else (whether it be God or homeschooling or love or safety or any other abused terms) means everyone should be policed. :iagree::iagree::iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nestof3 Posted February 24, 2010 Share Posted February 24, 2010 I agree it's not unique to homeschooling. But the circumstances of this abuse could not have been hidden if the girl went to school. I refuse to be treated like a possible criminal. She was hurt because of bad people not because homeschoolers don't have enough visitation. I refuse to accept responsibility for this. Nor will I allow random checks in my house for drugs or prostitution rings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted February 24, 2010 Share Posted February 24, 2010 I agree it's not unique to homeschooling. But the circumstances of this abuse could not have been hidden if the girl went to school. She could also have been kept home from school and abused without anyone claiming that she was being homeschooled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.