When a California court ruled that two children could not be taught at home, it became a cause celebre for those claiming that home-schooling was being outlawed.

In fact, the ruling has less to do with the right to educate children at home and more to protect children from neglect and abuse — a reminder that complex issues often defy easy categorization.

Lost amid the ensuing culture-war debates over parental control versus public schools is the specific child-welfare case heard by the California Court of Appeal for the Second Division.

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