Shelby Sharpe, the attorney who filed Leeper, and his wife Martha
Long, long ago (1985), in a land called Texas, 150 families who wanted to educate their very own children at home were arrested or threatened with arrest. Whether they felt this was a calling from God or best academically or socially for their very own children the public school administrators did not agree and filed suit based on a Texas Education Agency policy. In that suit called Leeper v Arlington it was ruled that the parents had the right to educate their children at home as a private school as long as they were using a written curriculum (lesson plans) including reading, writing, spelling, math and good citizenship. The schools did not agree and filed an appeal. Parents won again in Appeals Court.
The Supreme Court of Texas in all their wisdom agreed with the lower courts that home schools were indeed private schools in Texas and home educating parents were free to teach their children at home.
Now 22 years later home schooling has grown exponentially in the state of Texas. With over 300,000 children being educated at home today in Texas we must not forget that it was a hard fought battle by these families to remain free of persecution. There have been small skirmishes over the years but today the legal decision of Leeper v Arlington still stands without the interference of legislation to regulate or control home education in our state
