HSLDA: The Romeike Story

Romeike Update: I need your help!

November 7, 2013

Dear HSLDA members and friends,

On November 26 the Supreme Court will decide whether or not to hear our German homeschool asylum appeal, Romeike v. Holder.

I am asking you to join me and thousands of others in a special day of prayer and fasting on November 17 to ask God for favor on behalf of this precious family.

In 2010, a federal immigration judge granted the Romeikes asylum. He recognized that, for this family, returning to Germany would mean certain persecution with outrageous fines, criminal prosecution, and—every parent’s worst nightmare—the physical seizure of their seven children just because they homeschool. This judge rightly said that America should be a refuge for those who are persecuted.

But the Obama Administration revoked their asylum protection in 2012. HSLDA appealed their case to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. In April 2013 a three-judge panel upheld the administration’s ruling and told the Romeikes that America would not be a shelter for them.

In Romeike v. Holder, we are asking the Supreme Court to uphold America as a place of refuge for those who are persecuted for their faith. I feel good about our argument, but we must all recognize that the Supreme Court takes a very limited number of cases—so please pray that the Court will agree to hear our appeal.

This is not the only important case being examined that day. The Justices will also decide whether to hear cases involving the strength of our constitutional religious freedoms in the ObamaCare-related cases, Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood v. Sebelius.

Will you please join me on Sunday, November 17, asking God’s mercy on our nation, protection for religious freedom, and that the Supreme Court will hear the Romeike family’s appeal? They are, in my opinion, modern day pilgrims.

Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers. May God bless you!

Michael P. Farris

http://www.hslda.org/legal/cases/romeike.asp?src=slide&slide=Romeike_pray_and_fast_mark_calendar_Nov_17_2013&pos=1

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Please feel free to forward, email, share, etc – thankyou

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From the Smiths:

Needing help for your home schooling journey:

https://hef.org.nz/2011/needing-help-for-your-home-schooling-journey-2/

And

Here are a couple of links to get you started home schooling:

https://hef.org.nz/getting-started-2/

and

https://hef.org.nz/exemptions/

This link is motivational:https://hef.org.nz/2012/home-schooling-what-is-it-all-about/

Exemption Form online:https://hef.org.nz/2012/home-schooling-exemption-form-now-online/

Coming Events:https://hef.org.nz/2013/some-coming-events-for-home-education-during-2013-2/

Beneficiaries: https://hef.org.nz/2013/where-to-for-beneficiary-families-now-that-the-social-security-benefit-categories-and-work-focus-amendment-bill-has-passed-its-third-reading/

From the organisers of the Petition: Nederlandse Vereniging voor Thuisonderwijs
www.thuisonderwijs.nl

We wanted to share a little update about what is currently happening in the Netherlands. On the 14th of November, the Education committee of the House of Representatives will hold a round table discussion about the constitutional freedom of teaching. Tonnie Nijenhuis, Chair of the NVvTO, has been invited to participate. This discussion can be followed live at http://www.tweedekamer.nl/vergaderingen/livedebat/index.jsp? choose “Thorbeckezaal”.

On November 14th, 14.00 local time, we will also present both the Dutch and international petitions to the House of Representatives. This means the petitions will close the day before. Please help us gather just some more signatures by sharing our petition widely in the coming final days.

Home educators have been featured recently on the radio, newspapers, magazines and on television. We are involved in various activities to help stop the ban. We want to show everyone what home education can look like in a positive and playful manner. Two new websites have gone public: www.ditisthuisonderwijs.nl, “this is home education” and www.rechtopthuisonderwijs.nl, with arguments for the “right to home educate”. We will translate those in English as well.

A ‘Friends of Home Education in the Netherlands’ Facebook page was created to invite the international community to connect with our home education community here in the Netherlands. Please go there for updates and for fun and interesting stories about our country.

More information can be found at www.home-education.nl

Kind regards,
Nederlandse Vereniging voor Thuisonderwijs
www.thuisonderwijs.nl

“Stop the Ban on Home Education in The Netherlands.”

Please sign this Petition

View the petition

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Please feel free to forward, email, share, etc  – thankyou

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From the Smiths:

Needing help for your home schooling journey:

https://hef.org.nz/2011/needing-help-for-your-home-schooling-journey-2/

And

Here are a couple of links to get you started home schooling:

https://hef.org.nz/getting-started-2/

and

https://hef.org.nz/exemptions/

This link is motivational:https://hef.org.nz/2012/home-schooling-what-is-it-all-about/

Exemption Form online:https://hef.org.nz/2012/home-schooling-exemption-form-now-online/

Coming Events:https://hef.org.nz/2013/some-coming-events-for-home-education-during-2013-2/

From Nadine in the Netherlands:

“I’m a Dutch homeschooling mom of three and I need your help. Our government wants to ban homeschooling in The Netherlands, making it 100% illegal.

“Please consider sharing & signing the international petition on your Facebook page and network. I truly believe an international petition can put pressure on our government so we can keep homeschooling our three awesome children.

Thank you for considering!” https://www.change.org/petitions/stop-the-ban-on-home-education-in-the-netherlands

Nadine, mom of T (7) L (5) and M (3)

“We are glad the Wunderlich children are home where they belong,” HSDLA Director of International Relations Michael Donnelly told WND. “They should never have been taken. We will continue to support the family until complete custody is restored and they are permitted to homeschool in peace – either in Germany or elsewhere.”

But he said Germany’s alarming treatment of homeschoolers has surfaced in another case.

“We are gravely concerned about the case of Thomas and Marit Schaum, a family who face criminal charges over homeschooling. The prosecutor is demanding the parents each go to jail for six months,” he said.

“Germany’s national policy of persecuting homeschooling families must stop and we plan to continue the fight for freedom and for the rights of thousands of others in Germany and around the world to homeschool their children.”

Listen here to the full interview (click on link to view the whole video):

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Needing help for your home schooling journey:

https://hef.org.nz/2011/needing-help-for-your-home-schooling-journey-2/

And

Here are a couple of links to get you started home schooling:

https://hef.org.nz/getting-started-2/

and

https://hef.org.nz/exemptions/

This link is motivational: https://hef.org.nz/2012/home-schooling-what-is-it-all-about/

Exemption Form online: https://hef.org.nz/2012/home-schooling-exemption-form-now-online/

Coming Events: https://hef.org.nz/2013/some-coming-events-for-home-education-during-2013-2/