California Court Finds No Free Exercise Right To Home School Children

In In re Rachel L., (CA Ct. App., Feb. 28, 2008), a California state appellate court rejected the claim by parents that they have a First Amendment right to home school their children because of their sincerely held religious beliefs "based on Biblical teachings and principles". The court held that assertions of this kind of general religious justification are conclusional and not factually specific. It added that "such sparse representations are too easily asserted by any parent who wishes to home school his or her child."