25. Maintaining the Fundamental Foundation of Parental Rights and Responsibilities (5/96)

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Whereas the primary rights and responsibilities of people are given by God or nature and not by the state; and

Whereas parental rights and responsibilities for rearing children, especially in the areas of education, health, and welfare, are so fundamental that they cannot be realistically reduced to statutory or constitutional language; and

Whereas the state does not now have at any level of government (federal, state, or local) the authority to direct how a child should be educated, cared for, or nurtured; (For example, compulsory school attendance laws require attendance but do not require education.) and

Whereas once people ask the state for protection in areas such as education, health, and welfare, they give over authority to the state and allow the state (through laws, regulations, public and private agencies, professionals, and the courts) to direct how children are raised; and

Whereas by doing this, people would greatly increase the power and authority of the state; and

Whereas homeschoolers in Wisconsin working through Wisconsin Parents Association have shown that our freedom is best protected by the actions of families taking direct responsibility for the education of their children and informing people in their communities that homeschooling works;

Be it resolved by members of the Wisconsin Parents Association (WPA) that WPA will work to inform the general public and legislators that we are not asking federal or state legislatures to pass laws or constitutional amendments to protect the rights and responsibilities of parents or families. 5/96