Brazilian Court Jails Homeschooling Parents for 50 Days Over Curriculum Gaps

3 articles · Updated · Crosswalk.com · Jun 23

Audato and Ieda Denardi were sentenced by a São Paulo court to 50 days in jail after being convicted of “intellectual neglect” for homeschooling their two daughters.
The court case centered on alleged gaps in the girls’ home curriculum, including no programs on gender and sex education, tolerance and diversity, and insufficient instruction in specific kinds of music.
ADF International, which represents the family, said the daughters are 15 and 11, speak multiple languages and are pianists; the parents are appealing to the highest court in São Paulo state.
Brazilian law leaves homeschooling in a gray area: the Supreme Federal Court said in 2018 it is not unconstitutional, but Congress has never passed rules to regulate it.
ADF said the Denardis are the first parents in Brazil to face a criminal conviction tied to homeschooling, a practice used by an estimated 70,000 children.