We at Constitutional Home Educators Alliance fully support Education Liberty, believing a parent has the constitutional right to choose the method or venue in which they educate their children; but we do not support School Choice ESAs and the idea that it is the government’s responsibility to fund private or home education.
"Regrettably, experience tells us that with government funds come government strings in the form of regulation."
ESAs are government controlled and regulated funds placed on a debit card in your name to use for certain qualified educational expenses with promises of no strings attached. Sounds great, right? Regrettably, experience tells us that with government funds come government strings in the form of regulation. That regulation may come as a policy or a condition of what you will have to do in order to receive their funds. Any action you would have to agree to carry out, which was not a requirement prior to accepting an ESA, in order to receive those funds, those are strings - no matter how harmless they may seem.
Strings bind, tie, entangle, hang, suspend, confine, twist, and sometimes deceive. Like one tiny silver strand of a spider web floating through the air, alone, it seems harmless; but then another is added to it, and then another and another, until you find yourself ensnared in the complexities of a system from which you cannot break free.
Parent-directed and privately-funded home education must avoid those strings in order to retain our independence, sovereignty, autonomy, and most importantly, our freedom. We recognize the value of that freedom and are willing to pay the cost to keep self-funded home education unrestricted and free from government control. We understand there will be sacrifices that have to be made and for over a century we have found creative ways to stretch our time, money, and energy to provide a quality education for our children that is not limited to the words in a textbook.
"Parent-directed and privately-funded home education must avoid those strings in order to retain our independence, sovereignty, autonomy, and most importantly, our freedom."
This legislative session, Oklahoma has a multitude of well-meaning legislators pushing for the funding and implementation of ESAs. If you truly desire to retain your autonomy and freedom - whether a private school or home educating family - we need your help.
•We need you to go to our Website and educate yourself on the issues.
•We need homeschool support groups, coops, clubs, any organization who would like more information to invite us to come speak. (See our calendar for available dates)
•We need families who are willing to be the voice of reason to the legislators at our Legislative Impact Day on Tuesday, February 21.
•We need your financial support to print out educational materials to share with friends, family, and members of the legislative community.
•We need your prayers, support, and encouragement as we strive to ensure your homeschool freedom and parental rights are protected during this legislative session.
For more information, please visit our Website.
Contact us at info@constitutionalhomeeducators.org
