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In a story that was apparently even linked by The Drudge Report , a homeschooling couple in Montgomery County, New York was arrested for failing to register their homeschool.  This stirred a bit of controversy as there was no evidence of abuse, nor even that the children were not being properly educated.  An anonymous tip led to an investigation which discovered missing paperwork.  They have since fulfilled their legal obligations, and the Superintendent of the Fonda Fultonville Central School District even issued a statement in the wake of the controversy.

All over missing paperwork.

Local reporter Marci Natale seems shocked at the events.  Closing the lead paragraph of her article Homeschooled kids: Did they fall through the cracks? she asks:

Again, over missing paperwork.

My concern after watching the video was not for the homeschooling family which neglected to file their paperwork, nor for the school district which appears to be attempting to work with the family to resolve the matter.  Instead, I wondered exactly what kind of world this reporter wants us to live in.

How much power are we willing to give the state to ensure the law is being followed by every citizen?  How much money are we willing to spend for the necessary staffing?  How much intrusion into our daily lives are we willing to accept?  Just so that no family in New York State slides under the radar and homeschools without filing the proper forms?

It is not the state’s job to go door to door, interviewing citizens, looking for people violating laws, statutes or codes.  How many Americans are currently driving without a license?  Some are violating court orders, some have sneaked out with their parent’s car and others have simply allowed their license to expire.  But we don’t send police officers door to door checking licenses.  They don’t make random stops to check for licenses.  Unless there is some reason, some probable cause, for an officer to check your driver’s license, you can possibly go on driving for years on an expired license.

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