Appeals court hears home schooling case

LOS ANGELES, June 23 (UPI) -- Supporters and detractors of the home-schooling movement were in a California appeals court Monday, arguing whether such parents need a teaching certificate.

California's Second District Court of Appeal agreed to hear the case after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Attorney General Jerry Brown and home-schooling advocacy groups challenged an earlier appeals court ruling that said parents must hold state teaching credentials to home-school their children, the San Jose (Calif.) Mercury-News said.

On the other side of the argument is the California Teachers Association, which contends that without demanding certificates from parents "educational anarchy" will result.

The state's laws demand children between 6 and 18 years of age must attend a full-time public or private school or be taught by someone with a credential for the student's grade level. But, the newspaper said, the law has rarely been enforced for home-schooling parents and the earlier court ruling sent shock waves across the conservative movement.

Most legal observers said the issue will ultimately be decided by the California Supreme Court.