FLOOD THEM!

I know you'll be shocked to hear this, but I'm furious.

I ought to be transported to realms of bliss, since after a more difficult delivery than was expected, issue #4 of Secular Homeschooling finally came home last Friday. Which means that I get to spend a lot of time catching up with Buffy and her buddies while I stick labels and stamps on envelopes. (They don't mind if I work while we chat. They're used to my busy schedule.)

Instead, I'm fuming.

You saw (didn't you?) my last posting, about the idiots over at Natural News claiming that homeschooling is now illegal in California. As a California homeschooler, a homeschooling journalist, and a control freak with dangerously thin boundaries, this really steamed my clams. I spent precious hours posting on lots of forums and loops the information that homeschooling is fine and dandy in California -- better than ever, thanks for asking.

I really thought I might be going overboard, especially when my son pretended not to recognize me when I finally pulled myself away from the computer; so I figured that between that and posting here, my work was done and it was time to let it go, already.

Then I received this, via the email loop of my statewide homeschooling support group:
 
I have been told by many "well-meaning" friends and family, inside and outside the state of California, that homeschooling is illegal in CA unless one is a credentialed teacher. In fact, one site I googled stated that parents are still not in compliance with the law if they file a PSA [private school affidavit]. Can someone please clarify this for me. I was planning on filing my PSA this October, and now am wondering if this is what I am supposed to do.
 
[&%*$#@^?+!]
 
[that last bit was the noise I made on reading this letter. it sounded a bit like the noises that guy makes right before he turns into the Hulk.]
 
I have already contacted Natural News twice. No answer (other than an automated response).

I even went on to contact their ironically named publisher, Truth Publishing. No human answer.

I'm tired of this.

The initial ruling against homeschooling went through, in my not at all humble opinion, because of a fundamental misunderstanding of homeschooling and homeschoolers. They didn't realize how many of us there are, what it is we do, or how vocal we can be when we put our minds to it.

All of us -- Californians or not -- need to flood Natural News and Truth [sic] Publishing with mail.

Please put the word out to your homeschooling loops and let's get a letter-writing campaign going.

Here's the last letter I sent Natural News:
 
I am the editor of Secular Homeschooling Magazine, and a California homeschooler. I have contacted you twice regarding the article about homeschooling being illegal in California. You have neither replied nor taken the article down.

Are you aware that your misinformation is causing a great deal of stress to California homeschoolers who have already been through quite enough, thank you?

[I then posted the text of the letter above, explaining that it had just showed up on one of my homeschooling loops.]

I can only assume that, as you've had plenty of time to look into the matter and correct your mistake and have not done so, you are keeping this article up from nothing more than malice. I will be telling my readers so, both on my editor's blog and in an article in the next issue of SHM.

(Ticked off enough? Here’s hoping someone cares.)
 
Here's the contact page for Natural News:
 
http://www.naturalnews.com/Feedback.html
 
And here's the contact page for "Truth" Publishing:
 
http://www.truthpublishing.com/
 
Please, please, please send an email or two, and spread the word. It absolutely kills me that people who are considering homeschooling in California are not only being told by their nearest and dearest that they can't legally do so, but are finding confirmation of that idea on what looks to be a reputable news site.