Ed plan barely passes

LYNN – School Committee members narrowly approved a home-schooling plan for five local children after School Superintendent Catherine Latham raised concerns about academic progress demonstrated by the children.?We feel pretty confident they are not making progress year to year,” Latham told committee members.Her views and an attorney?s remarks in support of parent Laura LeClair set the tone for a Thursday night committee hearing underscoring the legal limitations public school administrators face in monitoring children who are educated at home by their parents.Home-schooling approval requests are a routine item on the committee agenda and they are typically approved, although the committee voted 7-0 Thursday to deny the Vlado family?s request after school officials said someone other than a parent is educating the family?s two children.In addition to LeClair?s request, the committee approved two other home-school requests Thursday.LeClair?s home education proposal for her five primary school-age children cites state law in supporting her statement that she “…is uniquely qualified to educate her children because she is their parent.”LeClair?s proposal submitted to the School Department lists lessons in language arts, geography and arithmetic as well as good behavior and drawing among the subjects LeClair?s three daughters and two sons study under her supervision.The proposal indicates the study material is tailored to grade 1, 2, 4, 5 and 8 students, but Latham told committee members the study program used by the five children is “not at grade level.”?In my opinion, it does not meet thoroughness and efficiency of the Lynn public schools,” she said.Court decisions give public school officials “some supervisory capacity” over home-school programs, said school attorney John Mihos, but he added the United States Supreme Court has affirmed parents? right to educate their children at home and ruled that public schools must apply uniform standards to all local home-school arrangements they review.Home School Legal Defense Association attorney Robert Caprera told committee members LeClair and her husband “have a handle on the growth of their children.” He described both parents as “disabled,” and said LeClair has a partial college education while her husband is a high school graduate.The parents use what Caprera described as a “tutorial” method to educate their children and the children do not move on to another study level until they master the subject they are working on.?This family is one that has it together,” Caprera said.But committee member John Ford raised concerns about home-schooling, prompting this exchange with Caprera:?We have no idea what the parents? teaching qualifications are. I have a real fear of what will happen to these kids in 20 years from now,” Ford said.?Do you love your children, Mr. Ford?” asked Caprera to astonished gasps from the committee audience.?Yes, but if they had appendicitis, I wouldn?t operate on them,” Ford replied.Ford and committee members Charlie Gallo and Rick Starbard voted against the LeClair-Batista family?s home-school request while Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy, Donna Coppola, Patricia Capano and Maria Carrasco voted for it.Prior to the vote, Kennedy said the “law is far too protective of home-school families” and ties the hands of local educators attempting to follow state education guidelines on home school oversight while avoiding lawsuits.Latham said she “feels a responsibility for home-school children,” but acknowledged public schools cannot dictate curriculums used by home-school parents.?I worry that comes back to haunt us. It concerns me a child in the future might say, ?Why didn?t you help me??” she said.