<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2BETi0_0vjkPRr700" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2BETi0_0vjkPRr700" width="1320" height="743" >CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WCHS) — Calls for homeschool oversight are ramping up in response to a child neglect case involving an 8-year-old girl who escaped her house with handcuffs on.Laura Southworth, 54, had custody of two of her children, two grandchildren and lived with them in her South Hills home that Charleston Police described as "extremely messy."Southworth told police she handcuffed her 8-year-old granddaughter because she was making a mess, trying to leave and stealing food. Police said she was handcuffed overnight for 13 hours and managed to escape early in the morning. After escaping, the child ran to the neighbor's house still wearing the handcuffs and Southworth was charged with child neglect and unlawful restraint.Eyewitness News has since obtained Southworth's letter of intent to homeschool the three school-aged children in her care.In October 2022, she wrote to Kanawha County School expressing frustration that her kids were still being counted absent even though they were virtual."I expect that upon return of the Apple devices this will be the end of our association with Kanawha County Schools and that my already submitted letter of intent to homeschool will be enforced," Southworth wrote in the letter.Laura Southworth's letter of intent to homeschool by Anna Saunders on ScribdShe attached all needed documentation, and according to Kanawha County Schools, she turned in the assessments that are required by state law for grades 3,5,8 and 11.However, according to data released by the West Virginia Department of Education, only a third of families complete the assessments.Kanawha County Schools Superintendent Tom Williams said the county has similar numbers to the state when it comes to turned-in assessments and his hands are tied from an enforcement standpoint because parents do not have to tell them what grades their children are in and can hold back and advance as they please. He said this makes it hard to enforce when a parent could say their child is in 9th grade when school records say otherwise.“My understanding, even if they’re not on level, there’s not a lot we can do to bring them back into the school system," he said.This is why Williams proposed that there should be a dedicated and state-funded home school social worker at each county who could make home visits.“They still don’t have to give us information," Williams said. "The state could give us a social worker and that social worker, throughout the year, could go to the students that are being homeschooled and just check in. See where they are academically, see the conditions of the home. At least it would have a set of eyes on children to make sure they’re okay.”The West Virginia Principals Association put out a news release on Wednesday calling for similar resources.Executive Director Mickey Blackwell said he hopes that in the special legislative session this month and in the legislative session of 2025, lawmakers will provide support for "constructive, sensible oversight" for homeschooling."We request proper funding for this needed accountability in the forms of social workers, counselors and full-time administrators in every West Virginia public school," Blackwell said. "A lack of regular, official oversight in the home school environment has been a long-term concern by school administrators and employees for far too long and we are seeing the unfortunate results."However, the West Virginia Home Educators Association does not agree. President Roy Ramey said any form of assessment or oversight is too much.“Why would we ever ask someone who doesn't test and educate like we do to test in a way that’s not consistent with what we’re doing? It’s doesn’t work," Ramey said.In cases where children fall through the cracks, like this most recent one in Charleston and Kyneddi Miller’s case, the homeschooled Boone County girl who apparently starved to death in her home, Ramey said the blame is misplaced. He said the issues here are with Child Protective Services and the criminal justice system, not homeschooling.“All of the issues that we’ve talked about are child neglect issues.," he said. "None of it has to do with homeschool, so if you increase the homeschool regulations, all you’re doing is making it more difficult for homeschoolers to pursue that endeavor."Melody Sheppard is a homeschool parent who runs the Homeschooling in West Virginia Facebook group and the West Virginia Homeschoolers Legislative Watch group.She responded to written questions from Eyewitness News on homeschooling oversight and said that proper legislative response would be more funding for CPS rather than to regulate homeschool."We have MANY homeschoolers who felt they were rescuing their child out of a physical, emotional or sexual situation in their own public school," she wrote. "They are concerned about the possibility of the very people they fled now being suggested to have a greater authority over their home. "Since Kyneddi Miller's case, Governor Jim Justice has expressed interest in "tightening up" home school regulations.There have been attempts previously by Delegate Shawn Fluharty, D-Ohio, to enact Raylee’s Law. This was named after a Fayette County child who was pulled from school and later died at the hands of the adults in her home.This proposed legislation would allow counties to prevent or delay parents from homeschooling their kids if there is an active or pending child abuse or neglect case against them. It has come in years previous, but during the 2024 regular session for the first time, an amended version passed the house but was never taken up in the Senate.Fluharty said the bill is ready to go again and he does not see why this could not be taken up during the upcoming special session.“There’s no oversight in place and what we’ve tried to do and what I believe we need to have in place is to close that loophole and make sure these children are taken care of," Fluharty said. "This is about targeting individuals who are taking advantage of a system that allows for these loopholes. Since Raylee’s Law, I guess we’ll have Kyneddi’s law next - how many of these children are we going to read about before we take action?”Williams said he is also in favor of the legislation that the West Virginia Association of School Administrators is proposing that they consider yearly in-person assessments.“If you’re truly doing what your job is to homeschool your students, and there are many wonderful parents who are doing a great job homeschooling students, then they wouldn’t be afraid to do something like that because it would let them know also your child’s doing great in reading may need a little work in math. It gives them information to help them as well.”Sheppard pointed out that assessments are already done every year. Assessments just do not have to be turned in to the county until the end of the select grades."It is the responsibility of the county superintendent to manage this information, and the county superintendent has the legal authority to obtain any grade assessment (within the past 3 years) and to seek termination of homeschooling if the required assessment results are not submitted," she wrote.All four Sothworth kids are now in CPS custody. Eyewitness News reached out to the Department of Human Services to find out if CPS had any prior involvement or referrals in the Southworth house. A DoHS spokesperson said the agency was aware of the "serious and troubling circumstances involving Laura Southworth.""DoHS is legally prohibited from disclosing any records or information related to CPS involvement, including whether or not a referral was made. While we understand that confidentiality laws may be frustrating, DoHS is required to uphold the protections outlined in W. Va. Code 49-5-101," the statement said. "While W. Va. Code 49-5-101 (d) allows for public disclosure in cases involving child fatalities or near fatalities resulting from abuse or neglect, this inquiry does not meet those criteria, and therefore, the Department is unable to provide further information."</div></body>

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Child neglect case renews calls for homeschool oversight

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WCHS) — Calls for homeschool oversight are ramping up in response to a child neglect case involving an 8-year-old girl who escaped her house with handcuffs on. Laura Southworth, 54, had custody of two of her children, two grandchildren and lived with them in her South Hills...