France moves to ban homeschooling in 2021 - CatholicCitizens.org (2024)
France’s president explicitly intends the move to stifle religious instruction of children.
By LifeSite News, October 2, 2020
French president Emmanuel Macron announced on Friday morning that he intends to outlaw homeschooling for all children except those who have a health condition that would justify staying away from school. He also intends to step up control on private independent schools that receive no public funds, in particular through inspections on the curricula taught there, by more severely implementing a recent law that requires such schools to teach a “common core” defined by a high authority for education.
However, it seems clear that measures against civil liberties — one of the first of which is the right of parents as primary educators of their own children — are increasingly being undermined. The COVID-19 crisis has already accustomed many people to government interference with their comings and goings, wearing masks and generally feeling at fault whenever they step outside.
The new law would come into force in the school year 2021–2022 for all children aged between 3 and 16. It was already under Macron’s presidency that education became compulsory for tots of infant school age. With a comfortable majority at the National Assembly, the ruling La République en Marche party, which Macron led to victory in 2017, is expected to validate the draft law the government will present in accordance with the president’s wishes.
Macron’s announcements were part of a series of measures aimed at fighting what he calls “separatism,” a strange expression he uses to designate the aims of “radical Islamists” who want to substitute the laws of the French Republic with sharia law. He quoted the example of a clandestine school where young Muslims were found in a plain, almost windowless room, taught by women in niqabs and learning mostly prayers and the Koran, in order to justify his wide-ranging attack against freedom of education.
Emmanuel Macron was speaking at a public event in Les Mureaux, one of the many suburban towns around Paris where immigrants from many countries, mostly in North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa, form the majority. Les Mureaux was the theater of ethnic riots in 2005 and has since been considered a hotspot for radical Islam, with the shooting of a police commander and his girlfriend in 2016 in an attack claimed by the Islamic State. Many of these migrants are Muslim: Muslims represent anything from 4 to 8 or 9 million souls in France, according to different sources. Repeatedly, terrorist attacks in France have been committed in the name of Allah by such migrants, legal or not.
According to Lionel Devic, president of the “Fondation pour l’Ecole,” an association that supports the creation and functioning of independent schools in France, “it is clearly established that not a single perpetrator of terrorist attacks in France came from independent schools.” In his statement, he added that “Emmanuel Macron lucidly acknowledged that Islamist separatism can be traced back to public schools and private schools under contract with the state.”
However, it seems clear that measures against civil liberties — one of the first of which is the right of parents as primary educators of their own children — are increasingly being undermined. The COVID-19 crisis has already accustomed many people to government interference with their comings and goings, wearing masks and generally feeling at fault whenever they step outside. This new infringement on personal rights and liberties will seem a small one to a large majority who have already handed over their educational rights to the State, which controls the vast majority of educational institutions at all levels, while “free schools” under contract with the state, which account for most of the official Catholic schools in France, are required to follow the public curriculum in exchange for having their teachers and professors paid for by public funds.
SUBSCRIBE to LifeSite’s daily headlines Email address SUBSCRIBE U.S. Canada World Catholic In his lengthy speech, Macron set the debate by saying: “The problem is this ideology, which asserts that its own laws are superior to those of the Republic. As I have often said, I am not asking any of our citizens to believe or not to believe, to believe a little, or moderately. That is not the business of the Republic. But I am asking every citizen, whatever his religion or absence of religion, to respect absolutely all the laws of the Republic.”
He was speaking about Islam, but the subject goes wider than that. Since the separation of Church and State in 1905, after the restoration, and in light of the anti-Catholic laws that followed the deeply secularist and anti-Catholic Revolution of 1789, there exists a dichotomy between the “secular” Republic and the natural moral laws that believers judge to be higher than laws enacted by a majority of voters or legislators.
This is true, for instance, of laws that facilitate divorce, legalize contraception, decriminalize abortion, or establish “same-sex marriage,” to name but a few. The powers that be have repeatedly denied citizens the right to oppose these majority decisions, in particular by banning a wide range of actions aiming to prevent or discourage abortion. The demand for “absolute” respect for the laws of the Republic should be read in that light. Former president Jacques Chirac, who would later be echoed in more or less the same terms by Marine Le Pen, stated this very clearly: “No to a moral law that would supersede the civil law.”
By using this reasoning, Macron has clearly chosen to lump very different types of believers together: instead of pledging to track down and overpower historically violent, radical Islam, which as a religious system does not distinguish between the temporal and the spiritual, and which entered into France through massive, politically uncontrolled immigration, he is targeting homeschooling and independent schools that many Catholics have turned to — as well as parents who have watched in desperation as their children spent months and years in official schools with official methods not learning to read, write, and do arithmetic. As luck would have it, it was only last Friday that an official government report showed that standards in mathematics in government and government-funded primary schools have plummeted between 2014 and 2019 in fifth grade.
Macron complained of “illegal,” “undeclared” schools where children are receiving poor instruction and ideological programming; he denounced the parents who pull them from music or swimming classes in State schools. But he is using them as an excuse to exercise ever more control on perfectly legal homeschooling and independent education.
Today, some 50,000 students of compulsory education age are homeschooled in France. Officially, parents are required to tell the local authorities that they are homeschooling their child or children, and they will typically be visited once a year by academic inspectors. They are allowed to homeschool only their own children; parents are not allowed to club together to give group lessons. The numbers of homeschooled children are rising every year, as Macron noted in his speech; he is therefore going against the trend that clearly indicates what French parents want.
Roughly the same number of students go to fully independent schools, many of which are primary schools where reading and writing and other subjects are often taught in a traditional way. A number of these schools are Catholic, even though Islamic and Jewish and even secular independent schools do exist, and they often “save” children from public schools who were floundering unhappily in “whole language” schemes that one commentator, Benoît Neiss, emeritus professor at the University of Strasbourg, accused of provoking “the abortion of the mind.”
Macron’s objective is by no means hidden. During his speech, he outlined his strategy against radical islam — by means of which and under whose pretext he is in fact attacking primary parental freedoms and rights, especially those of Catholic parents. He said:
The third pillar of our strategy is school. It is oh, so essential, and you can see that as I move forward, I am entering, if I may say so, into the intimacy of our republican life. School is the republican melting pot. It’s what makes it possible for us to protect our children in a complete way from any religious sign, from religion. It is truly the heart of the space of secularism, and it is this place where we form consciences so that children become free, rational citizens, able to choose their own lives. The school is therefore our collective treasure. It is what allows us in our society to build this common thing that is the Republic.
Macron said very clearly that the school of the Republic aims “to protect children from religion.” You read that correctly. This is Masonic naturalism in its most recognizable form.
He added:
On this subject, in the face of all these excesses that exclude thousands of children from education to citizenship, from access to culture, to our history, to our values, to the experience of otherness that is at the heart of the republican school, I have made a decision — and I realize this, and we have debated it a lot with the ministers — that is no doubt one of the most radical since the laws of 1882 and those ensuring school co-education between boys and girls in 1969. From the start of the 2021 school year, school instruction will be made compulsory for all from the age of 3. Homeschooling will be strictly limited, particularly to health reasons. We are therefore changing our paradigm, and it is vital.
In the same vein, he said: “The Republic was built around the school, which trains more than individuals; it raises citizens, it shapes free minds. That is why I am convinced that the Republic will resist, through schools, those who want to fight or divide it, and it is through schools that we will allow all our children to access knowledge, culture, and republican civic-mindedness, and thus to fully become men and women citizens.”
Homeschooling can be done in a place other than the child's home. Please note: Homeschooling must only bring together children from one and the same family. The above law exists to stop schools from opening illegally, which is a serious crime in France.
French President Emmanuel has since spoken out strongly against radical Islam and the new bill aims to prevent hard-line beliefs from being imposed on the country's children. Other measures in the legislation include ways to ensure schools can stand against demands to tone down religious and sex education classes.
Until recently, homeschooling was legal in France and parents merely had to declare it to the authorities each year. However, as of the 2022–2023 school year, a new law strictly limits homeschooling in the country. As a result, parents wishing to homeschool their children will have to get prior authorization.
The right of parents to educate their children has been factually abrogated by the law of August 24, 2021 reinforcing the respect of the principles of the Republic. Emmanuel Macron had announced on October 2, 2020 that he wanted to ban home schooling completely.
In the United States, homeschooling is lawful in all fifty states. The U.S. Supreme Court has never ruled on homeschooling specifically, but in Wisconsin v. Yoder, 406 U.S. 205 (1972) it supported the rights of Amish parents to keep their children out of public schools for religious reasons.
More specifically, socialization, or the lack of it is one of the most commonly-mentioned disadvantages of homeschooling. Kids need to be around other kids to make friends their age and develop social skills. Schools are usually the place where children bond with other people and learn to interact with their peers.
One of the most common homeschool problems is that the homeschooled child can sometimes become socially isolated. As well as this homeschool issue, children can struggle with school withdrawals, loneliness, and lack of motivation.
Homeschooling promotes good communication and emotional closeness within a family. Research shows that the two most important factors in reading and overall educational success are positive home influence and parental involvement; homeschooling provides both.
For any stay in France exceeding 90 days, you are required to apply in advance for a long-stay vis. In this instance your nationality does not exempt you from requirements. Whatever the duration of your planned stay, the duration of your long-stay visa must be between three months and one year.
Countries with the most prevalent homeschooling movements include Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Some countries have highly regulated homeschooling programs as an extension of the compulsory school system; few others, such as Germany, have outlawed it entirely.
Homeschooling is legal in all 50 states, but each state has different homeschool laws that regulate how parents can homeschool their children. Some states have very restrictive homeschooling rules, such as subject, reporting, and testing requirements, while others are more relaxed.
The statutory minimum school leaving age in France is 16. There are, however, a few specific cases where young people may enter employment before the age of 16, such as employment in their parents' company, sporadic work or taking up an apprenticeship at 14, to name a few.
Legal Status. In Japan, home schooling is not formally permitted. The School Education Law obliges parents to send their children aged seven to fourteen to primary and lower secondary education schools. High school is not mandated.
So, adjusting to predict the number of homeschoolers included in non-compulsory school ages, Dr. Ray estimates that 5.56% of all school-age children in the United States were homeschooled during the 2021-2022 academic year. This corresponds to roughly 3.1 million homeschoolers.
Research has shown that being homeschooled does not impact a child's social, emotional and psychological development, or their achievement levels – in fact, they often achieve more – but it is a huge, expensive commitment to make.
As a rule, Mexican families homeschool without significant interference from the government. The Mexican constitution states in Article 31 that it is an obligation of every Mexican citizen to have their children attend either public or private institutions in order to receive a proper education.
For more information on compulsory education regulations in China, you can visit the Ministry of Education and the General Office of the State Council websites. The illegality of homeschooling in China unfortunately translates to a lack of homeschooling support groups in the country.
When the Federal Republic of Germany was created in 1949, the compulsory attendance idea made its way into Article 7 of the Grundgesetz (constitution). In September 2006, the European Court of Human Rights upheld the German ban on homeschooling, in a religious-freedom case that began in 2003.
Proverbs 1:8 gives the command to children to follow their father's instructions and not to forget their mother's teachings. However, it does not mean that all children should be homeschooled. Reading the verse in the context, we need to remember that in the time of the Bible, there were no formal schools for children.
These psychologists warned parents that their children may experience difficulty entering “mainstream life” and may not grow up to be “complete people” if taught at home. And a study of parents whose children attended public schools reported that 61% believed homeschooled children were isolated (Gray, 1993).
Research suggests homeschooled children tend to do better on standardized tests, stick around longer in college, and do better once they're enrolled. A 2009 study showed that the proportion of homeschoolers who graduated from college was about 67%, while among public school students it was 59%.
Because one parent may not be able to work, homeschooling may put a financial strain on the family finances. Homeschooled children may also have more limited access to extracurricular activities including sports, and they may not have the same level of social interaction as they would in public school.
According to Evidence for Homeschooling: Constitutional Analysis in Light of Social Science Research, “studies demonstrate that homeschooled students are well socialized.” “Several studies found no significant difference in the social skills of homeschooled and non-homeschooled students.
Homeschooling allows you to take all the time you need to ensure learning is taking place. Likewise, if your child is ready to move on, you do not need to waste time on redundant or repetitive lessons. Homeschooling children can move through educational materials at a faster pace than their peers.
New Harvard Study: Homeschoolers Turn Out Happy, Well-Adjusted, and Engaged. Homeschooled children fared better than children who attended public schools in many categories.
Homeschooled students perform much better than their counterparts in formal institutional schooling. Peer-reviewed studies indicate that 69% of homeschooled students succeed in college and adulthood. Homeschooled students tend to perform above average on their ACTs and SATs.
People choose to homeschool for many different reasons. Some parents are concerned about bullying or other threats to their children's well being. Some are unhappy with the academic standards and believe they can do a better job at home. Others want a more individualized education plan for their children.
Yes an American can retire in France. For visits longer than 90 days you will need to apply for a visa de séjour temporaire (a residence visa). You cannot apply while on vacation in France, you ust apply for this residency visa from your nearest French consulate in the U.S.
You can also be comforted by the fact that France has a low crime rate, with the US government advising that there is a “moderate risk from crime in Paris, and minimal risk from crime in Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Rennes, Strasbourg, and Toulouse.” And reassuringly, it follows this up by calling Paris “generally a safe ...
You can probably guess where most American expats choose to settle in France. That's right: the City of Light. Île de France, the region around Paris, is officially home to about 15,500 Americans (so around exactly half of all Americans in France), making it the clear top choice.
Understand the legalities of home schooling your children in France... Home schooling in France has been legal since December 1998; annual registration is compulsory. A declaration must be made each year at the Mairie of the place of residence and at the school inspectorate (inspecteur d'académie or rectorat).
Homeschooling is currently illegal in the following countries: Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Lithuania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, San Marino, Sweden and Turkey.
Homeschooling, or l'école à la maison, is legal in France. That said, expats wishing to pursue this option must register annually with the school inspectorate.
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