| Though many parents have opted to home school | | | | upheld the removal order, which her parents |
| their children for religious reasons over the | | | | sought to have overturned. Unfortunately for |
| years, the alternative to traditional public | | | | Hubert and Gudrun Busekros, the appellate |
| schools gained momentum after the Columbine | | | | judge ordered them to undergo state-sponsored |
| High School shootings in Colorado. Each year, | | | | psychiatric testing. Advocates for the family |
| the number of children being removed from | | | | fear the tests will be used to remove the |
| public schools and schooled at home | | | | parents' other five children from the home. |
| increases. Public schools across the nation | | | | |
| have finally recognized that the trend is | | | | Now, a second German family is under attack |
| here to stay. Many recognize that the | | | | for home schooling. A Saxony court has given |
| alternative can be supplemented through the | | | | Youth Welfare the right to remove five |
| public schools, giving students a more | | | | children from the Brause home at their |
| rounded education. Thus, many school | | | | convenience with or without notice to the |
| districts now offer several home schooling | | | | family. Though the Youth Welfare office has |
| alternatives. This is not the case in some | | | | not taken action to date, Bert and Kathrin |
| other countries. | | | | Brause fear it may happen at any time. |
| | | | |
| During Adolf Hitler's reign in Germany, he | | | | According to a CBN report, the parents can |
| created the Ministry of Education, one of his | | | | regain custody only by placing them in the |
| first moves to control the minds of the | | | | public schools. They also must pay an |
| youth, Germany's future in his estimation. | | | | estimated $4,000 in court costs. The judge |
| The ministry controlled all public schools | | | | presiding over the case stated that the |
| and school-related issues. One of their first | | | | children were obviously well educated; |
| actions was to decree that all children must | | | | however, the parents had failed to provide |
| attend public schools, essentially banning | | | | their children with the opportunity to |
| all home schooling and private schools. That | | | | develop independent personalities. The latter |
| ban still exists today. | | | | was based on one daughter's stated opinion |
| | | | that matched the opinion expressed by her |
| Some German families continue to home school | | | | father; thus, the judge concluded that she |
| their children for religious reasons, since | | | | was incapable of independent thinking, which |
| they feel that German public schools offer an | | | | he deemed the public schools more capable of |
| anti-Christian viewpoint. Recently, the | | | | providing. |
| Ministry began enforcing the ban on public | | | | |
| schools alternatives. | | | | The Saxony ruling has increased fear |
| | | | throughout Germany among families that home |
| First, Melissa Busekros fell behind in her | | | | school. Many families have fled to other |
| math and Latin classes. Her parents began | | | | countries and are in hiding, fearing they |
| tutoring her at home to help her catch up. | | | | will be extradited back to Germany for |
| When the public schools found out, they | | | | prosecution. |
| expelled her. They then took action to remove | | | | |
| her from her home, arriving with 15 police | | | | Though even the United Nations has gotten |
| officers and a court order that stated she | | | | involved, government officials say they have |
| was to be removed with force, if necessary. | | | | a legitimate interest in countering the rise |
| | | | of parallel societies that are based on |
| The 15 year old was first taken to a | | | | religion or motivated by different world |
| psychiatric hospital in Nuremberg to remedy | | | | views. And here, I thought we defeated Adolf |
| her "public schools phobia". Then, she was | | | | Hitler and his narrow views during World War |
| placed in a foster home. The appellate court | | | | II. |