Every state in the US has a mandate that children must enroll in school at a certain age and stay enrolled in school until a certain age. Some disagree and believe that a person should be able to decide whether or not they attend school and not be punished for it if they don’t want to attend. With the desire to not attend school set aside, others may not want to go to school for reasons such as religion, work, their parents or they may want to homeschool.
In one relevant Supreme Court case called “Wisconsin v Yoder” in 1972, the court said that forced schooling must allow for religious exemptions if a family doesn’t want to send their kids to school. Many different religions and cultures would prefer to not send their child to school to better fit their lifestyle or respect their beliefs. That should be respected by everyone because it is the family’s choice and does not disrupt anyone else, the family should not be punished.
In another important Supreme Court case called Meyer v. Nebraska in 1923, the court ruled that the Educational laws have to respect individual liberties. That is including the rights of parents and teachers to choose educational content. Parents and guardians should be able to choose the information that is being taught to their children especially at young ages. The same should go for teachers; they should be able to teach what they feel comfortable teaching children.
Every family is different and has different wants for their children, so they should be able to choose how their children are educated. If a family does not want to send their child to school then their decision should be respected but once the child gets to about 15 or 16 years old they should be able to make the decision for themselves on how they are educated or if they wish to stop receiving it.
Although the argument could be made there is also good reason as to why the compulsory education laws are in place. The state law age mandates vary but all range roughly between 6-16 years of age enrolled in school depending on your state. Which is a very vulnerable time period for children to learn a proper, foundation of education. A supreme court case, Pierce v. Society of Sisters in 1925, had said that compulsory education is constitutional but private schooling cannot be outlawed. It is understandable as to why there are compulsory education laws in place. Everyone should grow up with some form of education.
There should be no one who tells you how to raise your children. A family should be able to choose how their children are educated or if they are educated. It should also at some point be the child’s decision when they are responsible enough and they should be able to continue on with their education as they please. If for some religious reason a family does not want to educate their child formally or if it is more fitting for their lifestyle it should be up to them with no punishment.
