W H Y C H A R T E RS C H O O L S

W O N T W O R KF O R C H R I S T I A N S

C a u f o r n i a

D e p a r t m e n t o f

E D U C A T I O N . " C h a r t e r

S c h o o l s : Q & A . "< H T r P * y / W W W . C D E . C A .

G O V / C H A R r E R / Q A N D A / > .

O c t o b e r 1 9 9 9 .

W h a t i s a

C h a r t e r S c h o o l ?

charter school is a

public schoolmay provide instruction in anyof grades K-I2. A charter schoolis usually created or oi anizedby a group of teachers, parentsand community leaders or acommunity-based organization,and is usually sponsored by anexisting local public schoolboard or county board of education. Specific goals and oper

ating procedures for thecharter school are

detai led in an

agreement (orcharter")be tween the

sponsoring boardand charter orga

nizers." [Emphasisadded.)

The majority ofcharter schools in California are classroom-

based, with children

going to a school siteeach school day. TTiis

paper focuses on charterschools which enroll home-schoolers. These programs

use a variety of titles:homcschooling; independent study: distance

learning; virtual, on-line,cyber, or computer-basedschools; co-op teaching;correspondence; work

study; or homestudy. What these"non-classroomb a s e d " c h a r t e r

schools have incommon is that thestudent completesmost of his

schooling withoutattending a classroom.

C h r i s t i a n

C h i l d r e n N e e d

C h r i s t i a n E d u c a t i o n

Just as the Christian lifecannot be lived only on Sundays while ignoring God the rest ofthe week, so Christian educationcannot occur in a void apart fromthe other school subjects. God isthe God of science, history, literature, arts, mathematics, and allother subjects. Instruction in all ofthese areas must point to Him andto His precepts. THIS CANNOTH A P P E N I N A C H A R T E R S C H O O L .

C h a r t e r S c h o o l s

C a n n o t O f f e r

A C h r i s t i a n E d u c a t i o n

The law clearly prohibits religious instruction in all publicschools, including charter schools: no"sectarian or denominational doctrine [shall] be taught, or instructionthereon be jjermitted, direcdy orindirealy" in public schools.

S o m e c h a r t e r s c h o o l a d m i n i s t r a

tors claim that parents may teachtheir own children religious doctrine

n i < < n > t v R r s n x A

F O R W H A T S H A L L I T

P R O F I T A M A N , I F H E

S H A L L G A I N T H E

W H O L E W O R L D . A N D L O S E

H I S O W N S O U L ?

O R W H A T S H A L L A

M A N G I V E I N E X C H A N G E

F O R H I S S O U L ?

— M a r k B 3 6 - 3 7

C A L I F O R N I A

C O N S T I T U T I O N ,A r t i c l e I X , S e c t i o n e .

" L a s t w e e k . I t a l k e d t o

A C h r i s t i a n l a d y w h o i s

A T E A C H E R I N A L A R G E

' B R I C K A N D M O R T A R '

C H A R T E R S C H O O L P R O

G R A M I N C O L O R A D O . S h e

S A I D M A N Y C h r i s t i a n

f a m i u e : s a r e u s i n g t h e

p r o g r a m a n d e n r o l u n g

t h e i r c h i l d r e n i n t h e

C H A R T E R S C H O O L . 1 A S K E D

H E R I F T H E T E A C H E R S

C O U L D T E A C H T H E B I B L E .

SHE SAID, 'No BUT WEC A N T E A C H V I R T U E S . ' I

A S K E D I F S H E W A S

A L L O W E D T O T E A C H T H E

C H I L D R E N A B O U T S A L V A

T I O N A N D S H E S A I D . ' W E

A R E N O T S U P P O S E D T O . '

I F Y O U C A N N O T T E A C H

T H E B i b l e a n d t h e c h i l

d r e n A B O U T J e s u s ,

w h a t I S t h e p o i n t O F

C h r i s t i a n e d u c a t i o n ? "

— a t t o f n e y C h r i s

K I . I C K A . " V i r t u a l c h a r t e r

S c h o o l s . " O c t o b e r 2 0 0 1 .

r R t i u t r . . P a h u

whether they are in a charter schoolor not. This is true only in the sensethat it is true for parents of anypublic school student—they maypray with him each morning beforesending him off to school, they mayteach Bible before or after school,and they may take him to churcheach Sunday. However, they maynot teach him any subject from aBiblical perspective during school.

N o n - C h r i s t i a n

P h i l o s o p h y a n d G o a l s

Trying to give children a Christian education within a systemwhich does not function from a Biblical perspective requires a continualshifting of perspectives, from secularto Biblical and back again. This creates a double-minded man, who

attempts to deal with life sometimesfrom a biblical perspective and sometimes from a humanist perspective.

If the goal of education is tobring children to a saving knowledge of Jesus Chtist, to raise themto glorify God and love the Lordtheir God with all their heart, mind,soul, and strength . . . If the goal isto raise children who know God'sWord and are able to apply God'swisdom to every situation theyencounter throughout their lives,then an education program isneeded which openly declares Christas Savior and King. THIS CANNOTH A P P E N W I T H I N A C H A R T E R S C H O O L .

N o n - C h r i s t i a nI n fl u e n c e s

There is no guarantee thatchildren in charter schoolswill be assigned a Christian teacher.Charter schools cannot lawfullyconsider religious affiliation whenhiring teachers or other staff. And

since charter schools cannotconsider religious affiliation

when enrolling students,. there is also no way of

knowing whether thef other students partici-^ p.iting in various school

activities arc Christians.

Privately homeschooling parents canensure that only professing C'hristians influence their children.

They can also maintain fullauthority over all activities which

provide opportunities for others todevelop relationships with theirchildren. THIS CANNOT HAPPEN INA C H A R T E R S C H O O L .

N o n - C h r i s t i a n

C u r r i c u l u m

Charter schools are prohibited by law from purchasing religious materials, and theyare prohibited from allowing religious materials to be used in theirprograms even if those materials arepurchased by parents or others. Parents of any public school studentmay supplement their children's education with Christian materials, butthis must be done outside of regularschool time.

In his "Preface to the HolyBible," Noah Webster wrote, "Thescriptures were intended by God tobe the guide of human reason."Biblical teaching is not merely supplemental, rather,it is essential andfoundational. Such

open recognition ofthis primary position of ScriptureC A N N O T H A P P E N I N

A C H A R T E R

S C H O O L .

n o n -

C h r i s t i a n

T e s t s

Beginningwith the

graduating class of2004, all public school students(including those in charter schools)must pass the California HighSchool Exit Exam (HSEE) in orderto get a high school diploma. Thecontent of the HSEE is dictated bythe California State Board of Education and is aligned with the secular content standards for each

subject area: "The concent standards also serve as the basis for thecurriculum frameworks, and all

adopted instructional materials andstate tests are aligned with them."

" H o m e s c h o o l p a r e n t s

O R I G I N A L L Y F O U G H T T O

B E S E P A R A T E F R O M

T H E P U B L I C S C H O O L S

I N O R D E R T O H A V E T H E

R I G H T T O C H O O S E T H E

C U R R I C U L U M T H A T T H E Y

B E L I E V E W O U L D B E

B E S T F O R T H E I R C H I L D .

P A R E N T S R E M O V E D T H E I R

C H I L D R E N F R O M T H E

P U B L I C S C H O O L S Y S T E M

B E C A U S E O F T H E N O N -C H R I S T I A N C U R R I C U L U M .

S O W H Y W O U L D T H E Y

W A N T T O G O B A C K T O T H E

S A M E H U M A N I S T I C

M A T E R I A L ? B U T T H I S I SH A P P E N I N G W I T H H O M E -

S C H O O L E R S W H O E N R O L L

I N C H A R T E R S C H O O L S

O R P U B L I C S C H O O L P R O

G R A M S F O R H O M E -

S C H O O L I N G . "

— C h r i s k u c k a

I N " V i r t u a l

C h a r t e r S c h o o l s . "

n i o T n R T R u u x a P a j u i j i

C A U F O R N I A

D E P A R T M E N T O F

E d u c a t i o n . " C a u f o r n i a

H I G H S c h o o l E x i t

E X A M I N AT I O N ( C A H S E E ) . "

2

" H o w C A N S C H O O I - S B E S T

P R E P A R E S T U D E N T S F O R

T H E H S E E ? I T W I L L B E

I M P O R T A N T T H A T S T U

D E N T S T A K E C L A S S E S

T H A T I N C L U D E I N S T R U C

T I O N I N S T A T E C O N T E N T

S T A N D A R D S F O R E N G

L I S H / L A N G U A G E A R T S A N D

M A T H . S t u d e n t s w i l l

N E E D T O U S E T H E I R

K N O W L E D G E O F T H E

C O N T E N T I D E N T I F I E D F O R

T H E T E S T . "

— H i g h S c h o o i . E x i t

E x a m i n a t i o n : Q a a

F O R T e a c h e r s .

R O Y M . H A N S O N .

" C H A R T E R S c h o o l s . "

T h e H o m e s c h o o l C o u r t

R e p o r t . H S U D A :

j a n / f e b 2 0 0 2 .

C h r i s t i a n H o m e

E d u c a t i o n :

T H E P A R E N T S H A V E

1 0 0 % r e s p o n s i b i l i t y .

T h e p a r e n t s h a v e

1 0 0 % a u t h o r i t y .

T H E p a r e n t s h a v e

1 0 0 % C O N T R O L .

The only way to opt out of havinggovernment bureaucrats dictatewhat your student will learn is toopt out of the government testsentirely. But THIS IS NOT AN OFnONI N T H E C H A R T E R S C H O O L S .

n o n - C h r i s t i a nC o n t r o l o f Y o u r

C h i l d ' s E d u c a t i o n

The discerning parent willnote that there is a difference between parental involvement,and parental control. God has notordained that parents should have agovernment facilitator, specialist,guide, teacher, advisor, or assessorfor the training of their children toHis glory.

It is important for parents to recognize that the God-ordainedfamily order is subtly underminedin government schools. Parents arethe ones who are responsible toGod for educating their children—not civil government. Roy Hanson,private and homeschool legislativeconsultant, stated it well:

When we choose not to look tothe government, but rather totake full personal responsibilityfor our ciiildren's education, we

.icknowledge the authority ofGod and His Word in ourlives. We teach our children tohonor God, His Word, and hisordained jurisdictions ofauthority and responsibility.We also teach them to be content with what God providesthrough our faith and diligento b e d i e n t l a b o r s .

- Children in clmrter schools are

public school students. Charter schoolsare funded by taxpayer monies and,according to the California Constitution. all publicly funded schoob mustbe under the "exclusive control of theofficers of the public schools." Thevery heart of homeschooling is thereturn of that control to the parents.T h i s c a n n o t h a p p e n w i i t i i n a

C H A R T f E R S ( : H C X ) L

N o n - C h r i s t i a n

Y o k i n g

barter schoob

offering independent study require the parents toenter into a contraa with the government school:

Each written agreement shall besigned, prior to the commencement of independent study, bythe pupil, the pupils parent,legal guardian, or caregiver, ifthe pupil is less than 18 years ofage, the certificated employeewho has been designated ashaving responsibility for thegeneral supervision of independent study, and all persons whohave direct responsibility forproviding assistance tothe pupil.

Do not be uneqtutUy yoked together ivith unbelievers. For whatfiUowship has righteousness withlawlessness? And what communionhas Ugiit with darkness?2 Corinthians 6:14

Blessed is the man who walks notin the counsel of the ungodly. . .f rom Psalm 1:1

N o n - C h r i s t i a n

F u n d i n g M e t h o d s

Some parents have looked atcharter schools as an

opportunity to "get back" some ofthe hard-earned money they pay intaxes to support public schoob. Thetruth is that when private schoolstudents switch to charter schools,

C a l i f o r n i a E d u c a t i o n

C o d e § S 1 7 A 7 ( c ) ( 8 ) .

" I T s o o n b e c a m e

A P P A R E N T T H A T T H E

T E A C H E R S W E R E

R E Q U I R E D T O T A L K T OT H E C H I L D R E N A T

T H E S E V I S I T S A N D A S S E S S

T H E M N O T O N L Y O N

T H E I R A C A D E M I C S , B U T

A L S O O N T H E I R P H Y S I C A L

A P P E A R A N C E . . . L O O K I N G

F O R S I G N S O F A B U S E

A N D / ' O R N E G L E C T A T

T H E I R D I S C R E T I O N . I H A D

G O T T E N S O U S E D T O

U V I N G M Y O W N L I F E A N D

H A D F O R G O T T E N J U S T

H O W I N V O L V E D T H E G O V

E R N M E N T I S I N T H E L I V E S

O F F A M I L I E S E N R O L L E D I N

P U B L I C S C H O O L S . "

L l T T T E R F R O M A H O M E -

S C H O O L i N C P A B e r * T T O A T T O R N E Y

C h r i s K u c k a . Q u o t e d f r o m" V i r t u a l C h a r t e r S c h o o l s . "

T o P A Y E N O U G H T A X E S T O

C O V E R T H E A D A F U N D I N G

F O R T W O E L E M E N T A R Y -

A G E C H I L D R E N . P A R E N T S

M U S T F I T T H E F O L L O W I N G

E X A M P L E E V E R Y Y E A R :

O W N A H O M E T H A T I S

A S S E S S E D F O R P R O P E R T Y

T A X E S A T A V A L U E O F

$ 1 . 5 0 0 , 0 0 0 , O R M O R E A N D

S p e n d o v e r $ 6 8 , 0 0 0 p e rY E A R O N I T E M S W H I C H A R E

C H A R G E D S A L E S T A X . A N D

H A V E A T A X A B L E I N C O M E

O F O V E R $ 9 0 . 0 0 0 P E RY E A R .

— " I W a n t M y M o n e y B a c k . "

T h e P a r e n t E d u c a t o r .

C h r i s t i a n H o m e e d u c a t o r s

p r e s s ; A p r i l / M a y 2 O O 0 .

" I t i s a l s o T R U E T H A T

Y O U R N E I G H B O R W I T H N O

C H I L D R E N P A Y S T A X E S

F O R S C H O O L S . W H A T I S

H I S F A I R S H A R E ? "

R A Y S T A U < E R . A

R e s p o n s e t o p a r e n t s :

F r e e d o m I s t h e I s s u e . 2 O O 0 .

it creates an additional tax burden.The best way for families to get thebenefit of more of their own moneyis to work toward reducing government spending.

Parents pay the same amount oftaxes whether their children are ina public school, private school,homcschool, or stay home with ahired tutor. The difference iswhether parents ndd to the taxburden by insisting that they get apiece of the tax fund pic. Andwhen parents consider the incredible spiritual cost to their children'sreal education by subjecting themto godless government schooling,it's easy to see why it's worth theextra cost of paying for your ownchildren's education.

D e s t r u c t i o n o f

C H R I S T I A N F r e e d o m

The charter school movementis a serious threat to true

family freedom for several reasons.First, when families participate incharter schools, they support theassumption among many "professionals" that parents arc incapableof raising their children withoutgovernment supervision. Second, as

larger numbers of families leave private educa

tion in favor of charter

schools, it weakens the private education movement by reducing theirnumbers. Third, as charter schoolmembers increasingly earn the reputation of wanting their "share" oftaxpayer funds, they become justanother specialinterest grouptrying to getmoney—at leastin the eyes of theLegislature.

C o n c l u s i o n

The charterschool

option may lookgood to manyChristian parents—at first glance.The financial cost of private homeeducation may seem high whencompared with the "free" benefitsoffered by the charter schools. Butwhen parents consider the cost oftheir children's future—their Christian discipleshif)—then the truthbecomes clear. The financial cost of

keeping children away from asystem that cannot openly proclaimChrist and His Word is a small

price to pay. The Christian education that is necessary to raise children to the glory of God SIMPLYC A N N O T B R R O U N D I N A C H A R T E R

SCHOOL. ©

C O P Y R I G H T F E B R U A R Y

2 0 0 2 B Y C H E A O FC a u f o r n i a a n d F a m i l y

P R O T E C T I O N M i n i s t r i e s .

CHEA of California and Family Protection Ministries arededicated to providing information, training, and support to parents desiring to give their children a Christian education at home. We have studied public school programs ofTering"homeschooling" for many years, including the charter schoolssince their inception in California in 1992.

This brochure briefly addresses some of our concernswith the charter school movement. We understand that thedecision of whether to enroll in a charter school is a difficultone for many families. If you would like more detailedinformation please order our in-depth paper from CHEA.

Information on private and homeschool freedomsand issues related to charter schools is available from Family

Protection Ministries through their bi-monthly Legal-Le^lativeUpeLtte newsletter.

C H R I S T I A N H o m e E d u c a t o r s A s s o c i a t i o n o f C a l i f o r n i a

( 5 6 2 ) 8 6 4 - C H E AP . O . B o x 2 0 0 9 , N o r w a l k , C a u f o r n i a 9 0 6 5 1 - 2 0 0 9

F a m i l y P r o t e c t i o n M i n i s t r i e s

( 9 1 6 ) 7 8 6 - 3 5 2 3P . O . B o x 7 3 0 , L i n c o l n , C a u f o r n i a 9 5 6 4 8 - 0 7 3 0

4