Ten-year-old Amanda Kurowski was probably pretty nervous, as most girls that age are when faced with the prospect of starting at a new school. While she joined thousands of school-age children in having to make that adjustment, the reason young Miss Kurowski needed to make the change is rather unique.
In July, a New Hampshire District Court judge ordered that Amanda be sent to public school because her mother was homeschooling Amanda with a too “rigidly” religious focus. Judge Lucinda V. Sadler made the decision at the behest of Amanda’s father, Martin Kurowski, who argued that being taught in such a manner was preventing Amanda from receiving other, more secular viewpoints.
Yet while Amanda Kurowski was being homeschooled in basic subjects along with Bible study, she was also attending supplemental public school classes in art, Spanish, theater, and physical education, and active in extracurricular sports. Certainly she was not being completely sheltered from the outside world, and Judge Sadler agreed that Amanda’s schooling has “more than kept up with the academic requirements” of the public school Sadler compelled Amanda to attend.
While the tug-of-war over custody and affection between father Martin Kurowski and mother Brenda Voydatch has consumed most of Amanda’s young life – the couple divorced in 1999 – this spat is noteworthy because of its religious aspect. Amanda, like her mother, is a devout Christian whose homeschooling has helped shape her religious beliefs.
The ruling by Judge Sadler fails to account for a number of factors, though, and sets a poor precedent for future jurisprudence. It’s clear that Amanda was not living in a bubble because she was interacting with other children in both academic and athletic settings, nor was there any apparent physical or mental abuse in the case. Essentially the decision came down to the personal preference of both Judge Sadler and a court-appointed guardian for Amanda, who both believed that strong religious beliefs were not correct for a ten-year-old child to have. To them, it seemed better for Amanda Kurowski to worship at the altar of Hannah Montana and be exposed to the coarseness of public school culture several hours a day – conveniently they found an ally in Amanda’s father.
Over the last couple decades more and more parents have decided to take refuge from failing public schools by homeschooling their children, and often they turn out to be our best and brightest. In many states teachers’ unions have pushed back by making it more difficult to educate children outside the realm of organized schools, whether public or parochial, while federal law has shaped a curriculum which rewards teaching to a test rather than students learning how to think for themselves.
Judge Sadler’s ruling, which wasn’t based on rectifying any educational harm but simply showed a desire to instill a “tolerance for different points of view”, was an unnecessary incursion into the affairs of one family. In that bid for “tolerance”, Judge Sadler clearly failed in not attempting to mediate the middle ground of an appropriate parochial school where Amanda could continue her education in a setting with other children but reflective of her and her mother’s faith.
Brenda Voydatch attempted to raise her daughter with values of God and not necessarily of men, but political correctness prevailed in Judge Sadler’s court. In a culture which defines deviancy down, hopefully Amanda’s exposure to public school will be mercifully brief and her parents will find a more suitable learning environment for her.
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-Michael Swartz is a Liberty Features Syndicated writer.
September 22nd, 2009 at 3:31 pm
What about private religious schools? Don’t they teach academics side by side with religion. This seems odd.
September 22nd, 2009 at 4:01 pm
Reading news articles on this, the ONLY reason the court was involved was because it was a custody case.
Since this is how the world gets it’s stable of young terrorists (teaching only the dogma of hard-line religion), I take a dim view of home schooling. Too many parents just don’t have the ability to be good teachers. I haven’t found an article that tells whether the girl has been taught normal classes (science, etc) in addition to religious teaching, or just a religious view of all subjects. Obviously the latter would be damaging to a child’s development and higher learning.
In respect to the case, though, the father MUST have a say in his daughter’s schooling.
September 22nd, 2009 at 4:54 pm
I (surprisingly) agree with American Ideals. Were this not a custody case, it would not have entered the courts.
If a court ever independently intervened into a family’s personal decision to home-school their children and teach religion alongside other subjects, the alarming headline of this post would actually be alarming.
September 22nd, 2009 at 5:31 pm
The statistics just don’t support you, American Ideals. Homeschooling is tremendously successful. Home-schoolers consistently score much higher than public-schoolers, according to every study I’ve ever since.
September 22nd, 2009 at 6:43 pm
Well said Jamison.
“Too many parents just don’t have the ability to be good teachers.” Yeah because the parents are not unionized?
September 22nd, 2009 at 6:43 pm
If a court ever independently intervened into a family’s personal decision to home-school their children and teach religion alongside other subjects, the alarming headline of this post would actually be alarming.
And I would certainly agree with you, FredsFighter, if they ever overstepped their bounds by trying to do so.
Jamison – I don’t think that home schooling isn’t without it’s merits – but my biggest beef (outside of WHAT is taught) with home schooling is the lack of social interaction with their (non-family) peers.
September 22nd, 2009 at 6:51 pm
There is one other issue I have with home schooling – schools are one of the places abused and mis-treated children can be identified. Home schooling allows an abusive parent greater freedom to continue abusive practices without fear of being discovered.
September 22nd, 2009 at 7:18 pm
“schools are one of the places abused and mis-treated children can be identified.” On what planet?
September 22nd, 2009 at 7:27 pm
American Ideals: I have read the court ruling and in it the Judge states that Amanda meets all academic standards set by the state. That means Amanda is taught every course that is mandated by the state in their public schools and passed the tests on them. What you and everyone else missed so far int this is that due to a Supreme Court ruling in the Pierce V. Society Sisters case, no State can mandate that any child be taught by public school teachers only. That case dealt with the State of Oregon mandating that all students had to attend public school between the ages of 8 and 16. The reason was to assimilate the students.
I Quote from the ruling:
“The fundamental theory of liberty upon which all governments in this Union repose excludes any general power of the state to standardize its children by forcing them to accept instruction from public teachers only.”
Judge Sandlers ruling flies in the face of that ruling. Also if you go and read the New Hampshire laws nowhere does it state that in a child rearing dispute that a parent gives up their constitutional rights to a judge. By not giving a Parchocial school alternative Judge Sandler went against the Supreme Courts ruling. No Judge can select the type of schooling for a child unless both parents are delcared unfit.
September 22nd, 2009 at 7:45 pm
no State can mandate that any child be taught by public school teachers only.
As I said in an earlier post, my only point is the father must have say over his daughter’s education. The court is only involved because it’s a custody case.
The issue being addressed was one of a father’s rights, not one of government over parent’s rights – which would have been struck down, as we all know.
September 22nd, 2009 at 10:17 pm
This judge appears to have overstepped her authority and acted with anti-Christian bigotry and prejudice against the child’s interest.
The child was excelling academically where she was. The father had no legitimate argument for disrupting her education. Her education may suffer from being forced to spend 8 hours each day in the regimented public school setting.
It’s clear that some judges are animated by prejudice and bigotry towards Christians and homeschoolers.
I’m not going to live in a state where I run into these bigoted judges who would act against the interests of my children.
September 23rd, 2009 at 12:28 am
That’s a shame. Homeschooling worked great for me.
September 23rd, 2009 at 10:52 pm
The problem in our Justice System is that Judges work for the government and the government doesn’t want our children to be home schooled. Kids today are taught that they have no rights……..they are the perfect ‘sheeple’ for the government. State Government’s won’t get the Federal taxdollars if our children are homeschooled.
There is a HUGE scam in our Probate/Juvenile/Family court system called the Guardianship Racket that exploits our vulnerable citizens: elders, children, and the disabled.
Guardianship strips these citizens of their rights. Elder’s assets are plundered by these court ‘actors’; kids and the disabled are legally kidnapped for the Federal Grants to feed
State Government coffers. Goggle: Legally Kidnapped; Estate of Denial; National Association to Stop Guardianship Abuse;
Fathers4Justice; Abuse of Freedom; CPS Busters; DCF Watchdog; there are thousands of organizations across this country all fighting the same issue: corruption in these courts. Judges are putting their ‘wards’ into each other’s
facilties; ditto for GAL’s and Guardian/Conservators. Remember, Judges are no more than attorneys politically appointed to the bench. These GALs/Guardians/Conservators are mostly attorneys. Count how many attorneys are in the Legislature: they make the laws and give these attorneys in black robes ‘absolute Judicial discretion’ to decide upon the evidence. How many Appeals survive? Why, all the Judge in these lower courts have to do is cross every ‘t’ and dot every ‘i’ in their decisions as they are ‘given’ INTEGRITY they don’t have by the LAW.
The Public is being taxed, fined and made to attend state run/affilated programs to stay out of jail and when we can’t pay, we go to jail while they give themselves ‘free passes’.
Anyone can get arrested, the innocent (targeted citizens: activists, whistleblowers, etc.) have to PROVE their innocence. The prosecutor doesn’t have to turn over his/her file until the case goes to TRIAL meanwhile, he/she PRESSURES the person to take the state’s deal: pay a fine, attend a program, probation, etc or risk the FULL extend of the penalty of law if found guilty. Think cops don’t lie?
They are people too with prejudices, bias, bad days, etc and they have absolute authority……get a cop on a bad day and you better kiss his boots or you’re going to get tasered, arrested and charges bumped up against you.
Think we live in a free country? Try attending a tea party and you will be labled ‘a right wing extremist’. Try speaking out against Government and see how long it takes before you get falsely arrested or have your children legally kidnapped by CPS and the court.