Homeschooling German Family Awarded Political Asylum in U.S., Where is U.S. Media?
-By Warner Todd Huston
A federal immigration judge in Tennessee has awarded political asylum to a German couple who were threatened by the German government with having their children forcibly removed from their home because the couple chose homeschooling instead of sending them to state approved schools.
Uwe Romeike may now stay as a legal resident in Morrisstown, Tennessee, where the family moved in 2008 after being threatened by German authorities.
The Associated Press was one of the few Old Media outlets covering this story. Of the Romeike’s plight, the AP reported:
The Romeikes took their three oldest children out of school in Bietigheim-Bissingen in the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg in 2006. Romeike said the couple was fined the equivalent of about $10,000 over a two-year period.
Mr. Romeike told reporters that, “I think it’s important for parents to have the freedom to chose the way their children can be taught.” (yes, the AP spelled it “chose”)
This isn’t the only case of a German family facing the wrath of state sponsored schools negating the rights of parents to guide their own children’s education. In 2009 the Wunderlich family had their children seized by French officials at the behest of German authorities for the family’s violation of official German schooling policies.
Sadly, about the only people reporting on these incidents seem to be Christian groups and homeschooling networks on the Internet. Groups like the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA). As mentioned above, the AP has a story that has made its way around the wires, too, but there doesn’t seem to be much independent coverage of this by the Old Media.
This seems odd since it is quite an interesting story where it concerns international relations. The HSLDA says that this ruling is “embarrassing for Germany.” That may be but the rest of the media is silent.
“This decision finally recognizes that German homeschoolers are a specific social group that is being persecuted by a Western democracy,” said Mike Donnelly, staff attorney and director of international relations for Home School Legal Defense Associaton. “It is embarrassing for Germany, since a Western nation should uphold basic human rights, which include allowing parents to raise and educate their own children. This judge understood the case perfectly, and he called Germany out. We hope this decision will cause Germany to stop persecuting homeschoolers,” he added.
The HSLDA also notes that homeschoolers in Germany face increasing amounts of persecution.
“There is no safety for homeschoolers in Germany,” Donnelly said. “The two highest courts in Germany have ruled that it is acceptable for the German government to ‘stamp out’ homeschoolers as some kind of ‘parallel society.’ The reasoning is flawed. The fact is that homeschoolers are not a parallel society. Valid research shows that homeschoolers excel academically and socially. German courts are simply ignoring the truth that exists all over the world where homeschooling is practiced. They need to look beyond their own borders.”
This newest development is not being covered much, though ABC, and the AP covered the Romeike family back in March as the court case came before immigration officials.
Some might think that a democratic western nation losing some of its citizens to another democratic western nation through a case of political asylum would be quite a story for the media? Unfortunately, the story has an element of homeschooling so the story stays under the radar. And there certainly seems to be a bias of omission being committed against homeschooling in the American media.
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Posted by Warner Todd Huston on January 28, 2010 1:38 pm
» Filed Under 1st Amendment, AP, Education, Fox News, Government corruption, Government tyranny, Homeschooling, Indoctrination, Journalistic Malpractice, Journalistic incompetence, Liberal Media/Bias, MSM Censorship, Nanny State, News, Parenting, Social Engineering, Totalitarianism, U.S. Sovereignty, liberalism
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5 Responses to “Homeschooling German Family Awarded Political Asylum in U.S., Where is U.S. Media?”
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There isn’t enough information in that article to really make a judgment about Germany. Germany tends to be a very “strict by the rules” society, and there is no indication whether these children passed whatever national education testing there is, if there is any for home schoolers. Nor is there any indication of what was actually being taught by those parents in that home.
Does Germany have testing that home schooled children must pass?
Were those tests administered to these children?
Did they pass them?
Are the parents some sort of “way out” religious fanatics?
Are the parents qualified to teach their children at home? That is, do they actually have the amount of education necessary to do this?
And regarding this statement in the article: “Valid research shows that homeschoolers excel academically and socially.” That may very well be true in the U.S. but not true in another country.
So please don’t present a half-a**sed case as you’ve done here without ALL the relevant information.
PS: I am in favor of home schooling generally, but there have to be standards set and testing done to insure that children are being taught properly. Just because there are such standards in the U.S. does not mean other countries have them.
If you are so interested here’s an idea. Go research it for yourself instead of expecting me to spoon feed you.
to answer the questions before: no, there are no tests for homeschooled kids in germany because there should be no homeschooled kids there. so… they didn’t pass them.
they want to homeschool their kids because german schools teach darwinism and promote religious tolerance.
Huston, looks like you got your nose out of joint. I already know the answers. I just want you to write them as an educated journalist should—-WITH ALL THE FACTS, not just your peculiar biases.
This discussion shows that typical anti-American prejudices in Europe are totally right. Once again the Americans behave arrogant, considering theirselves as the ideal democracy. A state that shows totalitarian tendencies e.g. with its intelligences wants to blame a Europe state for religious persecution. Many Europeans think that the US are fanatically and ridiculously Christian and this case only lets us think we’re right.
We Germans have our system and it is good for stopping indoctrination and totalitarism. You might think that your system is better and it’s your right to think so, but it is unacceptable to insult the German system just because it doesn’t fit with your fanatic ideology.