By The Special Guests Publicity Service
TRIAL SET FOR TEACHER FOR TEACHING: “When you put on your Jesus Glasses, you can’t see the Truth”
CONTACT: To schedule an interview, call Shauna Whitlock or Lynne Campbell of Special Guests at: 630-848-0750. Television inquiries: Jerry McGlothlin, 212-699-2518.
A California High School student named Chad Farnam filed a lawsuit against his teacher, James Corbett, in 1999, claiming that his first amendment rights were violated when his teacher repeatedly advocated “irreligion”.
Teacher Corbett is on tape saying things that many Christians would find incendiary at best and blasphemous at worst. For example, “When you put on your Jesus glasses, you can’t see the truth.”
Conducting Talk Show interviews on this topic is a spokesman from Home School Legal Defense Association.
During your interviews, your expert education guest can explain how Corbett’s lectures had been taped by Farnam (at first, for the purpose of note-taking) whose family heard the tapes and was moved to act.
Your audience will be encouraged as to how Farnam’s claims have gained new credibility with the decision by U.S. District Judge James Selna clearing the way for that the case to proceed despite a motion filed by Corbett’s attorney calling for a dismissal.
In addition to this ruling being viewed as a victory for Christians who don’t believe their faith should be attacked by those who claim to champion the First Amendment, it could also add new fuel to the argument that homeschooling should be protected in California.
Recently, the California Supreme Court left the door open for parents who homeschool their children to be prosecuted as criminals.
Now that a case is proceeding which quite possibly could expose the public school system as an institution that has failed to guarantee First Amendment protection, the homeschooling debate should be heating up. And what better guest than an expert from the world’s largest homeschooling organization? And what better time than now? Call now to book your expert interview guest.
HSLDA EXPERT SPEAKERS AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS:
The following guest experts are available to discuss home schooling and various education issues in the news. Each speaker’s geographic region is listed below.
About Dewitt T. Black III, Esq.
Speaker for interviews from: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Mississippi, Montana, No. Carolina, No.Dakota, Pennsylvania, So. Carolina, Tennessee.
Dee Black received his Juris Doctorate degree in 1973 from Memphis State University School of Law and his Master of Laws degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 1979.
Mr. Black has been practicing law for 32 years and is licensed to practice in his native state of Arkansas, in addition to the District of Columbia and South Carolina where he was in private practice for 11 years just prior to joining Home School Legal Defense Association. As Senior Counsel at HSLDA for the past 15 years, Dee and his wife, Ricci, have four children, all of whom have been taught at home.
About Christopher J. Klicka, Esq.
Spokesman for national shows and as a substitute speaker for states where the official designated spokesman is unavailable.
Christopher J. Klicka is Senior Counsel of the Home School Legal Defense Association as well as Director of State and International Relations.
Chris earned his B.A. from Grove City College in Grove City, Pennsylvania, and his Juris Doctorate from O.W. Coburn School of Law, Tulsa, Oklahoma. He is a member of the bars of the Virginia Supreme Court, the United States Supreme Court, the Fourth Circuit District of Appeals, and the U.S. District Court of Virginia (Eastern Division).
Since 1985, he has represented thousands of HSLDA member families with their legal conflicts both inside and outside of the courts. He has provided expert testimony before numerous legislative and regulatory bodies on behalf of home schoolers.
A frequent speaker, Chris has addressed home school conferences throughout the country and is often interviewed by the media. He is also author of several books including The Right Choice: The Incredible Failure of Public Education and the Rising Hope of Home Schooling, Home Schooling in the United States: A Legal Analysis, and The Right to Home School: A Guide to the Law on Parents’ Rights in Education.
Chris and his wife Tracy are home schooling their seven children, including a set of twins (Bethany, Megan, Jesse, Susannah, Charity, Amy, and John).
About Thomas “T.J.” Schmidt
For interviews from Arizona, Hawaii, Kentucky, Louisiana, New York, Oregon, and Washington State.
Thomas J. (Tj) Schmidt is the eldest of nine children and was home educated for nine years, much of that time spent on foreign mission fields.
Tj received his J.D. from Oak Brook College of Law while serving as a Legal Assistant at HSLDA. Now, as an HSLDA Staff Attorney, Tj answers general legal questions and assists members experiencing legal difficulties.
Tj and his wife, Susan, have two children, Josiah and Suzanna. They look forward to teaching all of their children at home.
About Michael Smith, Esq.
Spokesman for interviews in California and Puerto Rico.
J. Michael Smith is the President of Home School Legal Defense Association, an organization which he cofounded with Michael Farris in 1983 to protect the right of parents who choose home education as their way to satisfy the compulsory attendance law in the various states and Canada. Home School Legal Defense Association now represents over 54,000 member families. Michael Smith is an attorney licensed to practice in the states of California, the District of Columbia and Virginia. Mike received his undergraduate degree from the University of Arkansas and his Juris Doctorate from the University of San Diego.
After serving two years as a Deputy City Attorney assigned to the Criminal Division in San Diego, he went into private practice but after he and his wife, Elizabeth, decided to home school their children, Mike became involved in defending the rights of home schoolers in California. It became glaringly apparent that home educators could not afford attorneys, and as a result, Home School Legal Defense Association was established to defend and advance the constitutional rights of parents to direct the education of their children and protect family freedom.
He and his wife have four children. Their oldest daughter, Kari, is a paralegal in San Francisco. Their next daughter, Chrissy, was their first homeschool graduate and is a graduate of UCLA. Their two youngest children, Andrew and Erin, were also homeschooled and graduated from George Mason University. Mike has a simple purpose and message for his life work: Faith, family, and freedom.
About Scott W. Somerville, Esq.
Spokesman for Talk Show interviews from Washington, DC, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Ohio, Utah, Vermont, and Wyoming.
Scott Somerville is Executive Director of the Center for the Original Intent of the Constitution, and brief writer for the litigation team at the Home School Legal Defense Association, where he has worked as an attorney since 1992. He entered Harvard Law School in 1989, and graduated with honors in 1992. Scott graduated from Dartmouth College in 1979 as a Phi Beta Kappa, where he met and married Marcia Lawrence Somerville (Dartmouth, 1980). Before Harvard, Scott worked as a computer programmer. He and Marcia have home schooled all six of their children, with two now in college. Scott handles special projects for HSLDA’s President, writes briefs for many cases, and directs the Center for Original Intent. When Scott isn’t writing briefs, he’s writing action adventures for kids like his first novel, Olympus.
About Scott A. Woodruff, Esq.
Spokesman for Talk Show interviews from Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and West Virginia.
Scott A. Woodruff has been a staff attorney for Home School Legal Defense Association since 1998. He has defended thousands of homeschool families when their rights were threatened by social workers, school superintendents, state departments of education, law enforcement officials and others. He is currently responsible for helping HSLDA members with homeschool legal issues in 13 states.
He has testified on behalf of HSLDA members at hearings before legislative committees in nine states. His articles have been published in the Peabody Journal of Education and the Washington Times and he has been a guest on numerous radio shows.
After finishing law school at the University of Virginia in 1980, he worked for three years under John Ashcroft, then the Missouri Attorney General, and later U.S. Attorney General. He is a member of the bar of the United States Supreme Court.
He and his wife of 22 years, Jane, live in Lincoln, Virginia. Their son, who was homeschooled, is attending Baylor University on an academic scholarship. They continue to homeschool their two daughters.
Michael P. Donnelly, Esq.
Speaker for international and U.S. interviews on the German Homeschooled girl taken from her family.
Mike Donnelly gain national prominence conducting Talk Shows on the topic of the German Home Schooled girl who was taken away from her family for psychiatric evaluations for alleged “school phobia.” Mike valiantly exposed the dark deeds overseas to the light of international scrutiny.
Mike Donnelly joined Home School Legal Defense Association after nearly 10 years of corporate and private legal practice. Before his legal career, Mike served in the United States Army including combat service as a cavalry officer in the first Persian Gulf war. Mike attended law school at Boston University where he graduated with honors and was recognized for being in the top 10 in his class. Mike is a member of the New Hampshire and Massachusetts Bar Associations.
Previous experience for Mike includes founding a top-30 Internet marketing and advertising firm where he served as chief operating officer and general counsel followed by a private business consulting and law practice.
Serving on the board of CheNH (Christian Home Educators of New Hampshire) and the Marketplace Network, Mike is able to help Christian workers integrate their faith and work. CheNH is a Boston-based ministry.
Mike resides with his wife Patty and five children in Charles Town, West Virginia where they homeschool all five of their children.
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WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MERITS OF HOMESCHOOLING?
Homeschooled children consistently score well on standardized achievement tests. The most comprehensive study shows a 20 – 30 percentile point gap in favor of homeschoolers. For example if the public school average is the 50th percentile a homeschooler will on average be in the 70th or 80th percentile.
Homeschooling is the fastest growing education sector in America, growing at a rate of 7 to 15 percent per year. Some of the Reasons people homeschool include:
1. Safety of their children in public school, crime, drugs, and negative peer socialization.
2. The ability to teach from a religious perspective.
3. The belief that parents, in conjunction with a homeschool support group, can provide a better education than either a public or private school.
4. Desire to spend more time together as family for better quality of family life.
Homeschool graduates are more involved in community activities than the average public school student.
Homeschool graduates are significantly more politically active than the average public school student. Over 74 percent of homeschooled graduates aged 18-24 voted in an election in the past 5 years. Compare this to a token 29 percent of public schooled graduates who voted during that same time period.
Homeschooled students consistently win national geographic and spelling bee contests.
Posted on April 4, 2008