John correctly separated the two questions of a legal obligation to educate one’s children* and a North Carolinian’s right to expect taxpayers to provide it.
Roy is correct to say that as long as the state defines acceptable means of satisfying the obligation, the state will have to define what is or is not an acceptable school.
However, even if we allow the argument of Hood, Friedman, Jefferson, & Smith that tax-funded education is necessary to provide citizens which are able to govern themselves, it leaves open the question of what those citizens need to know. IOW, what is irreducible content of necessary education for the citizen.
Beyond that point, I don’t think you can argue that taxpayers still have the responsibility to fund it – nor the state to require attendance.**
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* BTW, the General Assembly last year boosted truancy to a class 1 misdemeanor, which category carries up to six month’s jail time and can be further elevated to a felony at the judge’s discretion. Playing hooky ain’t what it used to be.
** By my calculations, we’re saving our fellow taxpayers about $39,000 a year by teaching our own kids. From what I’ve seen so far, they’ll be pretty good citizens at the end of it, too.
