Carol Severson

Carol Severson, director of home education issues for the Illinois branch of the national lobby group Eagle Forum, told WND that she visited with the Channell family and heard one of the sons tell his story.

"This boy is thoroughly scared to death; you can see it in his eyes," she said.

Severson noted that one of the truant officer's concerns is that the Channell boys were not being socialized.
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Why Dennison singled out these families is a mystery, said Severson, a veteran homeschooling mom in the small town of Malden in Bureau County.
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Severson said that about five minutes after Horwedel left the Channell's home, the truant officer came to the door of a homeschooling family nearby.
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Severson, who received an immediate call from the mother of that family, believes that Horwedel was going down a checklist that could have had as many as 80 to 100 names.
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Severson contends that giving the regional superintendent any authority over homeschooling is a conflict of interest.

"If you're homeschooling, the superintendent is your competition," she said."It would be like Burger King telling Wendy's you have to do certain things a certain way, or I'm not going to approve you."

Public schools in Severson's area miss out on receiving about $5,500 or $6,000, depending on the district, for every school-age child that does not enroll.

"You can't have somebody [in charge] who has something to gain by saying, "Declined.You're done,'" Severson said.

Carol Severson, Director of Home Schooling Issues, Eagle Forum of Illinois

Carol Severson is the mother of four children ages 15-22, all of whom she homeschooled through high school.She helps operate a computer and software business and is also the Director of Home Education Issues for Illinois Eagle Forum, a political action group.In her spare time she writes curriculum reviews for a national homeschooling catalog company.She is the author of a book on homeschooling as well as having written many articles for national magazines on both homeschooling and using computers in your child's education.She is also a T-Tapp consultant, working with moms and children to promote healthier lifestyles through good diet and specialized exercises.

Carol Severson

illinois tapper@yahoo.com

Carol SeversonDirector of Home Education Issues with the Illinois Eagle Forum

But Carol Severson, a home education advocate with the Eagle Forum of Illinois, said she has heard complaints and concerns from at least two dozen families in the region over the last month - a level of government intervention she has not seen in more than 20 years of tracking home-schooling.

Parents are upset not only about the requests, but the confrontational tone they say government officials have taken.