Last month, the journey to homeschool freedom for a French father, an American mother, and their bilingual son came to a joyful close. HSLDA supported this family, as we do in cases around the world where homeschool freedom is at stake.
Tracy and Bernard Tourneur’s quest for freedom started nearly two years ago. During the spring of 2023, the family sought approval from the local school district to homeschool their son, Emmanuel, in accordance with French law. Unfortunately, the district (an “Akademie” in France) denied their request, so the Tourneur’s took their case to court.
In July 2023, the Administrative Court officially rejected their request, leaving the future bleak. That same month, Tracy and Bernard contacted HSLDA for help.
I can still recall the initial conversation I had with Tracy in August, when I was speaking at a homeschool conference in Nairobi, Kenya. After some discussions, we retained an attorney on their behalf to appeal the decision. You can read about their case in the first issue of the 2024 Court Report.
The family moved to South Carolina that same month, due to fears surrounding custody of Emmanuel, which mounted as the case was pending. And Their fears were not unfounded.
The month before, just days before the Global Home Education Conference in Manchester, England, Emmanual was called in for questioning at the local police station. Tracy and Bernard’s son was questioned by the police for three hours. Imagine being forced to subject your son or daughter to questioning by police over your decision to homeschool them.
The Tourneur’s waited patiently in the United States for the hope of good news. Nearly 19 months after the trial court denied their initial request, the good news finally came. On February 12, the Administrative Court of Appeal of Versailles reversed the trial court ruling and granted the Tourneur’s request to homeschool their son.
Several comments in the Appellate court’s decision are noteworthy. First, the court found that Bernard and Tracy did meet the requirements of French law to homeschool Emmanuel. “The education provided so far in the family setting has been entirely satisfactory,” the court noted.
Second, the court found that the local public-school administration “cannot compel a family, under the pretext of compulsory education, to incur significant costs by enrolling the child in a private school.” Finally, more broadly examining homeschooling, the court concluded that in Emmanuel’s case, homeschooling “is preferable for the child’s well-being.”