[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1076 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1076

 Calling upon the courts to uphold the fundamental and constitutional 
   right of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their 
                               children.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 3, 2008

Mr. McKeon (for himself, Mr. Boehner, Mr. Blunt, Mr. Ehlers, Mr. Price 
  of Georgia, Mr. Hoekstra, Mr. Kline of Minnesota, Mr. Boustany, Mr. 
 Wilson of South Carolina, Mr. David Davis of Tennessee, Mr. Marchant, 
   Ms. Foxx, Mr. Feeney, Mr. Hensarling, Mr. Poe, Mr. Sam Johnson of 
 Texas, Mrs. Musgrave, Mr. Broun of Georgia, Mr. Pitts, Mr. Hayes, Mr. 
  Akin, Mr. Brady of Texas, Mr. Daniel E. Lungren of California, Mr. 
 Wamp, Mr. Campbell of California, Mr. Jordan of Ohio, Mr. McCarthy of 
   California, Mr. Franks of Arizona, Mr. McCotter, Mr. Forbes, Mr. 
 Bartlett of Maryland, Mr. Royce, Mr. Calvert, Mr. McHenry, Mrs. Bono 
 Mack, Mr. Hunter, Mr. Sessions, Mr. Herger, and Mr. Gary G. Miller of 
 California) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                     the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Calling upon the courts to uphold the fundamental and constitutional 
   right of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their 
                               children.

Whereas the modern homeschool movement in the United States demonstrates that 
        homeschooled children are a vital component of the American education 
        system;
Whereas homeschool graduates act responsibly as parents and as students in 
        colleges and universities, are valuable in the workplace, and are 
        productive citizens in society at large;
Whereas many studies confirm that children who are educated at home score 
        considerably above the national average on nationally-normed achievement 
        tests, and above the average on both the SAT and ACT college entrance 
        exams;
Whereas homeschooled children, such as 2007 Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow, are 
        receiving national recognition for their victories in national 
        competitions, national spelling bees and geography bees, and are being 
        highly sought after in nationally-recognized colleges and universities;
Whereas homeschooling families contribute significantly to the cultural 
        diversity important to a healthy society;
Whereas notable individuals such as Benjamin Franklin, John Quincy Adams, 
        Patrick Henry, Ansel Adams, Charles Dickens, and General Douglas 
        MacArthur all received a high-quality education at home;
Whereas over 2,100,000 children are being homeschooled nationwide;
Whereas the United States Supreme Court has ruled that parents have a 
        fundamental and constitutional right to direct the upbringing and 
        education of their children (Pierce v. Society of Sisters, 268 U.S. 510 
        (1925), Meyer v. Nebraska, 262 U.S.390 (1923), and Wisconsin v. Yoder, 
        406 U.S. 205 (1972));
Whereas on February 28, 2008, the Court of Appeal for the Second Appellate 
        District in Los Angeles, California, issued an opinion in the case of In 
        re Rachel L., that homeschool parents who did not hold a teaching 
        credential could not legally homeschool their children;
Whereas the initial California Second Appellate District Court of Appeal 
        decision would have had an adverse impact on approximately 166,000 
        children in California who are receiving a quality education at home; 
        and
Whereas on March 25, 2008, the Court of Appeal for the Second Appellate District 
        in Los Angeles, California, granted a motion for rehearing in the In re 
        Rachel L. case--the decision that required parents to hold a teaching 
        license in order to legally homeschool their children; Now, therefore, 
        be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives hereby commends the 
Court of Appeal for the Second Appellate District in Los Angeles, 
California, for allowing a rehearing in this matter and calls upon the 
court to uphold the United States Supreme Court's opinion that parents 
have a fundamental and constitutional right to direct the upbringing 
and education of their children.
                                 <all>