VERMONT, Sept 17 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Karen Maple, a homeschooling mother in Vermont, who was jailed September 1 for failing to present her 15-year-old child to the courts to be taken into custody by the state Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services, was released from jail this week since her bed in the jail was required for real criminals. Burlington, Vt., Judge Michael Kupersmith, who had jailed Mrs. Maple released her following a request from the state Department of Corrections, looking for room to incarcerate violent offenders.
LifeSite reported two weeks ago that Maple’s child Trevor was labeled as “learning disabled” so school authorities became suspicious when he began to show substantial academic improvement in testing that took place once he was being homeschooled. Mrs. Maple has been before the courts for two years in regard to her son’s homeschooling and has never been permitted to submit his favourable test scores as evidence of his positive achievement.
While the authorities say Mrs. Maple is to bring the child in to the Child Protection agency for testing for special needs, her refusal to comply is also based on the fact that the agency sought and received legal custody of her son. Religion Today reported that Vermont is the only state that does not give parents the automatic legal right to teach their handicapped child at home.