A senator from Iowa is proposing that school districts must regularly visit families who homeschool their children. Senator Matt McCoy believes that such a check-up is necessary following an incident involving a teenager who died from parental abuse and neglect.
The senator was referring to the case of Natalie Finn from De Moines whom authorities determined experienced starvation and torture at the hands of her parents last October. When Senator McCoy was given details of what the 16-year-old girl went through, he said it made him want to vomit.
"This young woman was essentially put through one of the most torturous forms of death I could think of," the senator said, according to Des Moine Register. Thus, he wants to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again. He is seeking to propose the quarterly visits for families who homeschool when the Legislature Oversight Committee opens again in January.
State Senator Matt McCoy has requested the Iowa Fatality Review Committee convene to investigate. https://t.co/mLG80ktBGS
— Matt McCoy (@mccoyforsenate) December 22, 2016
It was unclear when Finn stopped coming to classes. But a neighbor, Becca Gordon, related to KCCI how the young girl used to knock on their door to ask for food. The mother has a son who goes to the same public school as Finn when she used to attend it.
According to Caffeinated Thoughts, the girl was not currently enrolled this school year. It was also unclear if her parents have registered to homeschool her and her two other siblings.
Gordon added that neighbors reported the situation at the Finn household to authorities numerous times and there have been records of it with the Iowa police. She thought that agencies have taken a look at their case.
"We trust that something is going to happen, that they're going to follow up, that they're going to keep these kids safe," Gordon said. Unfortunately, that didn't happen for the teenager and she eventually died. Finn's parents, Nicole, 42, and Joseph, 45, were recently charged with murder, kidnapping, child endangerment with serious injuries and neglect.
PJ Media notes that the problem, in this case, is child abuse and the neglect of authorities to verify and give credence to the reports made on the Finns. It has nothing to do with homeschooling and the proposal from Senator McCoy might only be an invasion of privacy of families who have no incidence of neglect or abuse.
Are you a homeschooling parent? What can you weigh in on this issue? Share your thoughts in the comments!
