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Acknowledging that parents have a natural liberty to direct the upbringing of their children, free of arbitrary and capricious external interference, and that the role of the state in childrearing should be secondary to that of the home,
Recognizing that variety in primary and secondary schooling is beneficial to society at large because it helps to combat the pernicious effects of intellectual and cultural homogenization and to promote the development and circulation of a diversity of perspectives in political and civic life, thus enhancing opportunities for people to discover truth and achieve happiness,
Concerned that education, if monopolized and centralized in the hands of the state, is prone to be used as a tool for indoctrinating children with illiberal values, especially in nations where suffrage does not exist or is not widespread,
Firmly stating our support for freedom of choice in primary and secondary education,
1. Defines, for the purposes of this resolution, the following terms:
State school: a primary or secondary school that is operated by the government;
Non-state school: a primary or secondary school that is operated by the private sector;
Homeschooling: the condition of receiving primary or secondary education in one's home under the supervision of one's parent, another adult relative, or a private tutor;
2. Affirms that parents and legal guardians have a fundamental right to remove their children from state schools or to keep their children out of state schools and, instead, to have their children educated in non-state schools or to have their children homeschooled;
3. Further affirms that people have a fundamental right, at their own expense, to establish non-state schools;
4. Permits the government to impose reasonable regulations, such as curricular requirements and standardized testing requirements, on non-state schooling and on homeschooling;
5. Forbids unreasonable regulations on non-state schooling and on homeschooling, including (but not limited to) regulations that impose curricular requirements on non-state or homeschooled students that unduly exceed or differ from the curricular requirements imposed on state-schooled peers; regulations that inhibit religious affiliation or instruction; regulations that require religious, moral, political, or economic indoctrination; and regulations that prohibit instruction in foreign or native languages;
6. Allows the government, with due process of law, to mandate that a parent or legal guardian (re)enroll a child in a state school if the child is not being adequately educated or is not making reasonable academic progress in a non-state school or homeschool compared to the education being received by state-schooled peers; and
7. Reserves to national or subnational governments, consistent with previous resolutions, the power to decide whether or not to give financial support to non-state schools, the power to decide whether or not to establish magnet/specialist schools or charter schools, and the power to devolve management and oversight of primary and secondary education in a non-discriminatory manner to local governmental units.
Edited by Adytus, Aug 9 2016, 08:29 PM.
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