Tracy, an American, and Bernard, a French national, are homeschooling parents. They met and married in the United States, while Bernard was stationed in Virginia during his service to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). They moved to France in 2011, where their son, Emmanuel, was born in 2014. Emmanuel is now 9 years old and is a dual Franco-American citizen.
They decided to homeschool him right away. His education at home has been going well, and he enjoys its international nature. He is bilingual and a gifted student, and he excels in swimming and piano. Homeschooling has provided Emmanuel what it provides for many children—an education that suits his interests, needs, abilities, and family life.
For six years, the family notified their governments that they were homeschooling and proceeded without issue. They were living in France from 2018 through 2021, and spent the next few years as residents of Luxembourg. When they moved back to France in 2023, Bernard and Tracy had a rude awakening: they would now have to contend with a law France passed in 2021 to restrict homeschooling.
The 2021 law prohibits homeschooling in France, with four possible exceptions. Families who want to homeschool and meet the vaguely defined criteria for an exception must still apply to their resident district for approval by the state each year. Only after approval is granted may a family in France lawfully homeschool.
In this case, Bernard and Tracy sought to meet the fourth exception to the law—that there exists a “personal situation” prompting them to homeschool Emmanuel.
But their request was denied.