Are we heading this way?

I am so tired at the moment and sleeping so much in the afternoon that despite promises to the contrary I don't have the oomph to blog much.

Added to that the depression at so many Local Authorities acting outside their legal duties and so many tales of what amounts to abuse and neglect on the part of the NHS on the lists I belong to, something that resonates all too clearly in my own life, I do not feel I have anything useful to offer.

However this so shocked me that I had to share it.

'Fourth, such policies criminalize childish, otherwise innocent behavior and in many cases create a permanent record that will haunt that child into adulthood. Moreover, by involving the police in incidents that should never leave the environs of the school, it turns the schools into little more than a police state. For example, 9-year-old Michael Parson was suspended from school for a day and ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation after mentioning to a classmate his intent to “shoot” a fellow classmate with a wad of paper. Despite the fact that the “weapon” considered suspect consisted of a wadded-up piece of moistened paper and a rubber band with which to launch it, district officials notified local police, suspended Michael under the school’s zero tolerance policy, and required him to undergo a psychological evaluation before returning to class. Incredibly, local police also went to Michael’s home after midnight in order to question the fourth grader about the so-called “shooting” incident.'

Link here.

Is so then surely we will have uprising here as well!

What are the Elective Home Education Departments of English and Welsh Local Authorities Up To?

A little late in the day for this as I have been distracted but it seems that the Local Authority Home Education Departments have had some sort of government directive and are sending blanket letters and questionnaires to known Home Educators in their area.

At the same time there is much noise and confusion on the lists (a phrase borrowed from a fellow home educator who shall remain nameless) about secret meetings with home educators who may or may not have the interest of all home educators at heart or just their own livelihood or the soothing of unexamined fears.

These talks seem likely to include Graham Stuart, who may or may not have our best interests at heart but has obviously learned nothing from the parliamentary petition secret committee debacle if he ever noticed it in the first place, just see if you can find the petition blogged by any of the avidly active HE political bloggers in a positive light.

As anyone who reads this blog even occasionally will know I have no time for interference in private family life by officials, local or otherwise, and I mean to walk the talk and to some extent already am.

Here Lou takes action on the ground,  click the text to go to her blog and read more.

FAO: Mr. John Heath,

(Principal Education Welfare Officer),

Cornwall Council,

County Hall,

Treyew Road,

Truro,

Cornwall,

TR1 3AY. 24^th 


September,2009.

jheath@cornwall.gov.uk


Dear Mr. Heath,

As a home educating parent in North Cornwall area, I wish to complain specifically about the behaviour of your EHE Co-ordinator for North Cornwall and more generally regarding Cornwall Councils approach toward home educating families.

The Cornwall Council Information for Elective Home Educators website states that;

“No visit will take place unless you have agreed to one and an appointment has been made”.


Update:

It seems  that some home edders have been contacted by services such as the school nurse offering services and assurance that no snooping is going on, so I think that this is another facet of the questionnaires and letters being sent with blanket coverage to all known home edders by some LA's and there is Graham Stuart in secret talks re new guidelines with some "unnamed" home edders, causing a lot of fuss on the lists as most will know, and now home edders being assured that services are just as available to them as any other child.

Hysterically funny and stupid, all done in secret and all causing distress, paranoia and consternation, lol,and rightly so , why not just tell us?

Anyone got a better explanation?

Do you want to be your childs primary parent or would you rather hand them over to the state?

If you think you can do a better job please sign http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Home-ed-families/.

I know we are all getting petition fatigue and I know that they just repeat their nonsense having not read or considered a single thing we have said, but it doesn't take long to sign and just send them the message that we are not going away and we are not giving in.

If you do not home educate you may think this has nothing to do with you but these power will surely creep into other relationships the state has with all parents.  You cannot predict the future, do not put your trust in politicians who do what they feel they must to retain power.  Send a message that you intend to keep the  responsibility for your child in your hands and sign the petition.

And if you are not British you can register your protest against the government's totalitarian and illiberal grab for our children here.