Home schoolers to appeal ruling

Home school advocates vowed Thursday to appeal a recent court ruling that bars parents from teaching their children without a credential.

Kevin Snider, a lawyer with the Pacific Justice Institute who is representing Sunland Christian School, which specializes in religious home-schooling, said he would ask Friday for a new hearing at the state appellate court level and also request a hearing before the state Supreme Court.

“What happened in this case is that the court went beyond the specific facts of this case and made a broad ruling as to the legitimacy of home schooling itself,” Snider said at an afternoon news conference on the Capitol lawn. State Assemblyman Ted Gaines (R-Roseville), who said he has home schooled four of his six children, said the Legislature would decide whether to get involved once the courts have reached a final ruling.

-- Nancy Vogel