Calling it the "'Worst Ever' Homeschool Bill", EAGNews.org is reporting that Ohio state senator Capri Cafaro (D) withdrew Senate Bill 248, also known as "Teddy's Law," after suffering severe backlash from constituents.
“SB 248 was never meant to be a policy debate about educating children in the home,” Cafaro explained. “It was meant to address weaknesses in the law pertaining to child protection. Unfortunately, the true intent of the bill to curtail child abuse has been eclipsed by the issue of home schooling.”
As we reported on December 19, Cafaro introduced the bill in response to the tragic death of Theodore "Teddy" Foltz-Tedesco, a 14 year old boy who was tortured and beaten to death by a man who was dating his mother. Teddy's mother, Shain Widdersheim, withdrew her son from school after teachers began to suspect the abuse and claimed she was going to homeschool him.
For some reason, Cafari reacted to the murder by crafting a bill that essentially blamed homeschooling for the murder of the boy. It required all prospective homeschooling parents to be subjected to in-home interviews by state officials, separate interviews with children and extensive background checks. Any parent who failed to meet whatever standards were being imposed by local social workers would then be subjected to a further round of investigations conducted by the federal government.
Citizens from around the country reacted with outrage to the bill and Cafaro, who is the daughter of a wealthy real estate tycoon, was forced to withdraw it.
“After consultation with Teddy’s family, we have collectively decided the best course of action is for me to withdraw SB 248, and instead pursue a more comprehensive approach to address the current challenges in the state’s social service and criminal justice system,” Cafaro’s statement also said, according to EAGnews.
Cafaro, 36, ran for U.S. Congress twice and lost and was appointed to a seat in the Ohio senate in 2007.
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