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Alberta Home Education Association

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Something Special Happened

22.02.26.Something Special Happened ---banner

The heart cry of the special needs families in the home education community, to be seen and treated as equals, has finally been heard and responded to. It is with a thankful and joyful heart that we are able to confirm that special needs families will have access to supports equal to that of the public system. AHEA has worked hard to see that this issue was addressed. Our discussions specific to this topic started in July of 2020. AHEA has had two very specific goals in our advocacy - philosophical agreement and practical action, as explained in our previous article A Special Report. Our initial focus was refined to one very clear and pointed question:

The answer to our question was clearly given within the Throne Speech delivered by the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta on February 22, 2022. It was an exciting moment when these words were heard…

We had seen some initial movement on this issue this last fall, which was encouraging. However, the fact is that the practical action was still of help to some families and not all, and not as full in scope as we wished. We wanted to see the kind of course correction that will result in more than a nod in the direction of home education families. Our idea of the practical side of this question had seen us focus on requesting three specific items:

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When School Is Polluted By Politics

22.02.07.Polluted-School-Building When School Is Polluted By Politics

Dear School Parents,
Somehow school has become complicated. It has become polluted by politics.
Education is about equipping our children with tools to learn and live their lives.
There are still ways for this to happen...

You have options and help. And yes, you also still have parental rights.  Let us point you to two things that you may find helpful.

1. You can decide to explore options outside of 'the system.' You have choices and can personally accept the responsibility that you have entrusted to the system. You and your home are the most consistent factors that your children have in their lives. "Parental involvement is the key to your child's success" is a phrase that echoes throughout the education system. Home education is relationship based learning that creates an environment for life-long learners - parents and children both!

If you wish to consider home education, we'd like to offer you this free booklet - the ABCs of Home Education. Here you will learn about the legality and framework of how home education works. Take some time to explore all the information under our Home Education Info tab. We are here to help you!


2. You can invest in learning more about the state of your parental rights. Join AHEA's Learn and Live Series for 2022 - Parental Rights In Perspective. There are sessions every other month lined up that will provide an opportunity for you to examine and reflect on where we really are.

Parents are largely unaware that their rights are actively 'in play' or even undermined. Apathy is how we are allowing our rights to be affected. Parents should not forget this inalienable birthright of theirs, that it is a prerequisite to responsibility, and that it is a blessing to our children. We believe that our God-given responsibilities require us to see, and be free to make, appropriate choices for our children and families. 

Home education is not being alone, but rather choosing to engage in ways that are positive and appropriate in your view. Being able to make that call as a parent is not only your right, but your responsibility. We support you in it. Subscribe to our mailing list to get more info and so you don't miss the next parental rights session!

Let's equip our children and ourselves for the future.


AHEA is an independent voice for parents that home educate, though our work often has far reaching implications in supporting and advocating for choice, parental rights and the family in general. If you would like to support AHEA in our efforts please click here.


Feel free to share with your friends that may find this topic and our work of interest. Thank you!

Worth Dying For

2021-11-11-worth-dying-for Worth Dying For

Remembrance Day makes us all pause, at least for a minute, and remember those who died in service of something greater than themselves. They were those with a hope and a future. Yet they were willing to give it all up… all. Let us then pause and consider...

Who were these men, sometimes barely out of boyhood, who risked it all? Who, far too often, gave their all. Where did this courage come from? How had they been taught and what? What deep conviction would draw this level of courage to the surface and sustain them during the most difficult of times? How could they endure the loss of innocence and friends, of life or limbs?

We do not often hear of the men who are willing these days to die for their country, their beliefs or even for their families. In the time that has since passed under the bridge, unnoticed yet impactful changes have occurred while we have been swinging our legs and chattering like magpies. Deep and dangerous currents move about us and we have sat too long unaware.

What is worth dying for these days? How has the pride of our country, that used to be there, been lost? Where does morality come from that makes the value of sacrifice plain? Can that be found in a sustainable form outside of a faith in God? Where is a love to be found that makes one willing to lay down their life for a friend or, even harder, an enemy? 

There is no way to avoid the truth of our struggle today...

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A Special Report

A Special Report "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet."

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet" is a quotation from William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. On this topic, no matter what terminology is used, it has been a privilege to focus time and effort on some very special people in our home education family. Webster's website says that the word special stresses having a quality, character, identity... of its own.

AHEA knows that those of you who have these exceptional children in your home have faced extra challenges because of your choice and commitment to home educate, since you've felt it provides the best environment for your child. We, in turn, made a commitment to you to seek to address this issue, and we have. It has been a regular discussion point in our advocacy work with the government for over a year now.

Last fall we invited families with special needs to participate in a survey on this topic. We collaborated with another stakeholder so that we could gather data from a wider group. The resulting information from respondents confirmed what we had heard and seen. As was shared in a Political Update blog last November, "There is no funding for diagnosis and support for children with diverse learning needs under The Home Education Regulations, The Guide to Education, and the Funding Manual." This is a serious problem that affects a great many of our home education families.

  • 38% had more than one child with special needs
  • 11% were single parent/caregivers
  • 90% were traditional, parent-directed home educators
  • 77% were formerly in the public system
    • 59% left within 1-3 years and another 27% left after 4-6 years

Everyone AHEA has spoken to about the topic has been very kind and cares about the needs that we are discussing. People have not been calloused, whether or not they personally have a child that may require additional support. However, and this is a big HOWEVER, caring needs to result in some very specific actions in order to be of help. Families don't want empathy - they want the kind of support that will make a real difference in their life. 

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The French Lesson

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France has started to restrict home education. This from a country that most would have called 'free.' You might wonder what threat home education poses to France. The New York Times reported that the new law, "… aims to combat extremist ideas at every level of French society. Among a range of steps, it toughens conditions for home-schooling, tightens rules for associations seeking state subsidies, and gives the authorities new powers to close places of worship seen as condoning hateful or violent ideas."[1] The legislation that was being debated contained 51 articles, of which the home education ban was tucked into the 21st spot. "In the article that prompted the most virulent debate, and over 400 proposed amendments, it places severe limits on home-schooling without banning it, as originally proposed. Educating children at home is viewed by the government as a source of the "separatism" that undermines French values…"[2]

Understanding the threat means we have to understand the language. "Separatism is the advocacy of cultural, ethnic, tribal, religious, racial, governmental or gender separation from the larger group… Groups simply seeking greater autonomy are not separatist as such. [1]"[3] This makes tolerance come to mind, which traditionally was understood to mean being able to co-exist with people who had different cultures, beliefs, thoughts or practices, perhaps agreeing to disagree, and not forcing your position on others. Restated, it is respecting the freedom of people to make choices for themselves. In the western world, this has had the largest latitude possible because infringement on these freedoms was antithetical to its foundational principles, derived from a Judeo/Christian worldview.

Is there an inherent predisposition in a government's perspective on religion that dictates its position and views of education in general and of home education specifically? Well, in France today this connection is indisputable. It is critical to learn that when the language of law is left too broad, it may be argued in one context and applied in other ways when passed. We must be cognizant of this danger and discerning when reading, acting and voting.

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