Learning Freely Network

The German authorities are obsessed with the idea that dissidents there—read: Christians—might start a “parallel society.” Ironically, as one of the activists pointed out in a subsequent post, bureaucratic Germany easily qualifies as a “parallel society” on its own right because the authorities there have broken with European precedent and with all other European nations in completely banning home schooling.
Although the German authorities insist that home schooling is the culprit in creating parallel societies, in their insistence on departing from the rest of Europe, these authorities themselves, who were all educated in public school, have, ironically, created a parallel society!
You can join the forum linked below even if you speak no German. Your post will be understood by most readers. A Laigle’s Forum staffer posted that his ancestors had come to the New World to escape the persecution of the Anabaptists in Germany, and that many of his countrymen had then fallen in WW II to protect the world from a cruel German dictator who persecuted the Confessing Church (Bekenntniskirche). “How is it possible,” he asks,” that the lessons of that tragic time have not yet been learned?”
Below is the email that broke the news to the outside world. The press release is from German mainstream media, which is extremely leftwing. Note the reporter’s bias.

Also note that the parents were given permission by the local authorities to move the children and home-school them in Austria, so the Supreme Court is actually punishing the parents for complying with the local authorities, whom they court deems as somehow derelict in its duty. This is blatant anti-religious policy and makes almost no attempt to show any kind of compliance with the law.
Dear friends of educational freedom,
We just received the following heart-wrenching press release, which represents a heavy blow to all home schoolers and those interested in educational freedom.  Even though the families involved here are religiously motivated, this court decision has further-reaching consequences, which probably everyone will feel, because the Federal Court confirms here that failure to attend school and instead to be home schooled implies a risk to the well-being of children.
This conclusion had already been reached by the Superior State Court of Hamm and has now been confirmed by the highest German federal court.  Thus, the German authorities are given practically carte blanche to deny custody to home schoolers and non-schoolers on the grounds of endangering child welfare, and this extends even to foreign countries.  Thus, Germany is being increasingly isolated from international practices.
 
Only recently did we receive notice that Slovakia, one of the last countries in the EU not to allow home schooling, will now officially allow this educational approach starting in 2008.  Further information is available at  http://www.netzwerk-bildungsfreiheit.de/html/aktuelles.html.

After you register and sign in, you can discuss various topics and get involved and can also cooperate in various projects.  The forum is accessible via the internet site and can also be used via the email program per News Reader.  For the latter option, we will be writing precise instructions in the days to come.  Anyone who is interested in participating now can send me your request.  We hope to see as many participating as possible.
I would also like to mention the expanded site informing about the Neubronner family.  All updated information will be provided here, including various documents for downloading:
http://www.netzwerk-bildungsfreiheit.de/html/neubronner.html
Best wishes,
Jörg Großelümern
Netzwerk Bildungsfreiheit

Federal Court Terminates Child Custody Rights for Baptists
Karlsruhe (AFP) – the Federal High Court (BGH) has terminated the custody rights for two children of a Baptist couple from Paderborn because the parents are not sending them to elementary school and want to home school them for religious reasons.  In a decision, the court also sharply criticized the Youth Bureau of the city of Paderborn and terminated the city’s license as childcare givers.
Instead of securing the care of the children and asserting their obligation to attend public school, the Youth Bureau enabled the mother to travel to Austria with her children, where they are now taught by this woman [notice: “this woman” implies that she is no longer a mother. The reporter bought into the court’s opinion], who does not have an academic background in education.
The Federal Court thereby confirmed the opinion of the Superior Court (OLG) of Hamm that attending the State primary school serves “the legitimate purpose of upholding the State’s educational mandate.”  According to the judges in Karlsruhe, the public “has a justified interest in counteracting the formation of religiously or ideologically determined parallel societies and to integrate minorities in this area.”  However, such integration also implies that religious or ideological minorities do not delimit themselves and do not join in a dialogue with people of other faiths and ideologies.  According to the court, an important role of the primary school is “to practice and encourage this in the interest of true tolerance.”