German Christian school challenges homeschool ban in High Court.

Christian Hybrid School Provider in Germany Files Lawsuit Over Denied Approval

The Association for Decentralized Learning, a Christian hybrid school provider in Germany, has filed a lawsuit at the European Court of Human Rights after government officials refused to grant the entity approval to open new schools. The school offers both virtual and home education, but German authorities did not approve a 2014 application from the Association for Decentralized Learning to launch primary and secondary educational opportunities.

Legal Battle Over Innovative School Based on Christian Values

Attorneys filed a lawsuit over the inaction in 2017 and presented their case in three separate hearings. The German Constitutional Court dismissed a final domestic appeal last year. Lawyers for Alliance Defending Freedom International will represent the school before the European Court of Human Rights and contend that the denial of recognition for “an innovative school based on Christian values” should draw scrutiny.

Restrictive Educational System Violates Right to Education

“The right to education includes the right to embrace innovative approaches like hybrid schooling,” ADF International Director of European Advocacy Felix Böllmann said. “By restricting this educational model, the state is violating the right of German citizens to pursue education that conforms with their convictions. When it comes to the requirement of physical presence, Germany has one of the most restrictive educational systems in the world.”

Outlawed Home Education and State-Mandated Curricula

Home education has been outlawed in Germany for more than a century, and private religious schools must follow state-mandated curricula from the area in which they are located. Tobias Riemenschneider, a pastor at Evangelical Reformed Baptist Church in Frankfurt, Germany, said that the nation’s restrictive education laws present “great difficulty to parents who are convinced by their Christian faith that it is God’s will for them to raise their children themselves in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”

Increasingly Difficult Home Education Across Europe

Riemenschneider said that Christian families, including some from his congregation, have left Germany to homeschool their children in Switzerland and France over the lack of robust private Christian schools and the cost of enrolling students in the programs. Across Europe, however, home education is “becoming increasingly difficult” or is “banned altogether.”

Personal Stakes in the Outcome of the Case

The outcome of the case is personal for Riemenschneider since his oldest daughter is slated to begin her formal education next year. “I still don’t know what to do about this,” he added.