Home School Legal Defense Association

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Please expand this article.
Further information might be found in a section of the talk page or at Requests for expansion.

Home School Court Report, February 2005

The Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA)[1] is a United States-based advocacy organization which defends and advances what it describes as "the constitutional right of parents to direct the education of their children and to protect family freedoms." [2]

HSLDA is organized as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization, located in Purcellville, Virginia.

HSLDA was founded by Michael Farris in 1983 for the purpose of defending homeschooling families. At that time, homeschooling was not specifically legal in most of the states of the US under compulsory education laws. Those who practiced homeschooling were often harassed or prosecuted. Through a combination of legal action and legislative lobbying, HSLDA played a large part in the legalization of homeschooling throughout the US. HSLDA's speech and debate league broke off to form the NCFCA in 2000.

The high point of HSLDA's existence was its central role in the 1994 defeat of language in bill H.R. 6. This bill would have required all teachers in the US, potentially including home educators, to have teacher certification. HSLDA used their grassroots lobbying system in each of the 50 states which coordinated members to contact their legislators about pending legislation. Their members overloaded the phone switchboards at Capitol Hill, and through the efforts of their members and other organizations, the bill was amended to remove the problematic language.[3]

The HSLDA publishes a bimonthly magazine, The Home School Court Report.

The HSLDA also publishes statements on its website regarding issues that do not directly relate to homeschooling, notably the organization's support of a Federal Marriage Amendment. [4]

[edit] Criticisms

Critics of the HSLDA say that its grassroots lobbying system consists of highly charged "e-lerts" that dictate position and action to recipients, often resulting in a barrage against legislators, which puts homeschoolers in a bad light. They also accuse the system of providing incomplete information and targeting government legislation which, according to those critics, is actually helpful to homeschoolers.[5]