Missouri-Homeschooling and Divorce Court

A Missouri divorce case has been discussed at length within the homeschool blog community.    Dana at Principled Discovery has one discussion:

Homeschooling mother may be ordered to send children to public school

Today, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has an article about the situation.

Home-schooling at issue in St. Charles County divorce case
By Jessica Bock and Shane Anthony

One year into a tumultuous term on the Francis Howell School Board, Lisa Payne-Naeger pulled her children out of public school, choosing to educate them herself at home. After seeing firsthand the problems facing public schools, she said, she wanted a better experience for her son and daughter.

Eight years later, Payne-Naeger’s continued choice to home-school her children is an issue in her pending divorce, sparking public debate and rallying home-school supporters.

This disagreement has engaged local homeschoolers in support of Lisa Payne-Naeger’s home education preference for the children.

Some St. Louis-area home schoolers are organizing a demonstration at the courthouse when the trial begins. One group is planning a benefit event for the same week. “Friends of Lisa” is working to help protect her right to home-school, said Stephanie Rubach, one of the organizers.

This must be an extremely painful time for the Naeger children.  I’m a bit apprehensive blogging this, as this bit below does seem to be a parental inclination;  for the children’s sake:

It is not uncommon in home-school families for education to become a point of contention when parents decide to divorce, said Brad Haines, executive director for the Missouri-based Families for Home Education. But it is unusual for the cases to get public attention because most parents want to keep details of their divorce private.

Here’s hoping that the best decisions for the children can be made via the court system.

Tags: Divorce Court, Friends of Lisa, Lisa Payne-Naeger, Missouri home education, St. Louis Post-Dispatch