Switzerland’s supreme court rules parents have no right to homeschool their kids

GENEVA, Switzerland, September 18, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) -- Switzerland’s top court ruled that parents do not have a right to homeschool their children.

On Monday, the Swiss Federal Court ruled against a mother from the city of Basel who in 2017 had applied for permission to school her 8-year-old son at home. School authorities rejected the application and a cantonal court threw out the mother’s appeal.

When she brought her case to the Federal Court, the mother held that the appeal court’s decision was tantamount to a ban on private instruction at home, thus violating a constitutional right to privacy and family life.

The high court, however, rejected the mother’s argument, ruling that the constitutional right to a private life does not also apply to homeschooling. The court noted that no international treaty grants a right to homeschooling. 

In addition, the Federal Court ruled that Switzerland’s cantons may decide whether to authorize homeschooling or to ban it outright. In Basel, homeschooling is allowed if applicants can show that the child’s attendance at school is impossible. The Federal Court had ruled earlier that national law does not explicitly grant a right to private instruction at home. Nevertheless, it ruled that cantons may decide how they comply with federal requirements for basic education.