Court refuses Brazilian mother’s ability to homeschool son, compels school enrollment
A Brazilian mother will appeal her case to the country’s highest court after her state’s top court ruled that she cannot homeschool her son and must put him in school.
A Brazilian mother plans to appeal her case to the country’s highest court after her state’s top court ruled that she cannot homeschool her son and must place him in the local school.
Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International, the legal nonprofit representing Regiane Cichelero, stated in a press release that the Santa Catarina high court’s decision also imposes financial penalties equaling about $20,000.
According to the case summary, Cichelero began homeschooling her son in 2020 when the COVID-19 lockdown closed public schools in her area. Once the schools reopened, she decided to continue his education at home, saying that “homeschooling ensures that I can impart our faith and values, which are so important to our family, to him on a daily basis — values that are consistently challenged and undermined in Brazil’s public school system.”
Local prosecutors and a judge challenged her decision, issuing fines and threatening to remove her son from her custody if she continued homeschooling. The latest court decision compels her to enroll her son in school.
In the release, Cichelero said of the ruling, “It is heartbreaking to be told that I cannot provide my son with the education I know is best for him.”
“The state’s decision not only punishes me with heavy fines but also strip [sic] me of the ability to raise my child according to my convictions,” she added. “No parent should have to fear punishment for choosing the best education for their child.”
ADF International noted that more than 70,000 children are homeschooled in Brazil, and international human rights law allows parents to decide what kind of education to give their children. Julio Pohl, legal counsel for Latin America at ADF International, called the court ruling a “disappointing setback for parental rights in Brazil.”
He later stated, “By deciding that Regiane cannot homeschool her son, the court has not only failed her family but also undermined protections for all parents across Brazil.”
