You are not going to believe this. These parents in Texas refused to educate their nine children because they feel that the Rapture is imminent. They pulled all of the children out of private school and started “homeschooling” them. What is the really scary part? The Texas Supreme Court ruled in their favor.
The case involved Laura and Michael McIntyre. They pulled all nine their children out of their private school in 2004. Michael’s brother, Tracy, said that he never saw the children with any books or learning materials when they were supposed to be learning. Tracy overheard one of the kids say that they weren’t doing any school work because they were about to be “raptured.”
They used a previous case to argue their point. Wisconsin v. Yoder ruled that Amish people were not required to make their children go to school past the eighth grade.
The Texas Supreme Court’s decision said:
“No parents have ever prevailed in any reported case on a theory that they have an absolute constitutional right to educate their children in the home, completely free of any state supervision, regulation, or requirements. They do not have an ‘absolute constitutional right to home school.’”
The Justices have not ruled on the issue of whether or not the children are constitutionally entitled to an education. The 6-3 ruling was decided on technical grounds. They didn’t decide anything on the issue between religious liberties and educational requirements.
Texas doesn’t require homeschooling parents to register with any agencies. The program must meet “basic educational goals” in varied subjects. The kids don’t have to take any tests for it, though.
The family’s eldest daughter, 17-year-old Tori, ran away from them to return to school.
Tracy McIntyre complained to the school district that the children were not being educated. A school district attendance officer, Michael Mendoza, was seeking proof that the children were being educated. This prompted the parents to sue.
Featured image via YouTube screengrab.
