Homeschooling is safe for most children, but at-risk children have no protections.
The Homeschooling's Invisible Children project examines how policy and procedure fail to protect children when homeschooling is used to isolate and harm them.
To date, we've analyzed over 500 cases that have resulted in over 230 deaths of homeschooled children.
Because of policy failures, abusive caregivers can use the cover of homeschooling to hide and escalate abuse.
Only two states prevent caregivers convicted of crimes against children from homeschooling, and only one stops caregivers from withdrawing children from school during active CPS investigations.
We've found that caregivers are able to withdraw kids from school to “homeschool” to hide abuse and neglect.
Cases that involve known withdrawal from school show higher fatality rates, higher prior social services involvement, and increased risk for imprisonment and food deprivation, suggesting that withdrawal is deliberately used to hide these crimes.
39% of total cases involve known withdrawal from school.
49% had contact with social services prior to the withdrawal
33% withdrawn after school expressed concern/reported abuse, or after an investigation was closed.
Social isolation in homeschooling environments can make it difficult for harm to be noticed and addressed.
Homeschooled children lack guaranteed access to mandated reporters and other outside observers who can report or intervene
Just over one-quarter of cases (27%) come to light from abuse being reported, or by direct intervention from authorities.
In the majority of cases, there is no report or intervention: 61% (n=315) of cases come to light too late, when the victim is dead or dying, or as a side effect of circumstances irrelevant to the victim
We've found that homeschooling hides severe abuse that would be noticed or reduced if the victim were in school.
63% of total HIC cases involve imprisonment, food deprivation, or both.
Children cannot be imprisoned by caregivers while physically at school
Some children have access to food at school; all have access to mandated reporters to whom they can report mistreatment, and who may notice progressive emaciation
