Agency: No tax dollars went to Nazi homeschoolers

COLUMBUS --- An investigation by the Ohio Department of Education determined an Upper Sandusky couple did not utilize any tax dollars for their neo-Nazi curriculum and homeschool channel. "We reviewed based on the information we have about the parents, and we are not able to find they are receiving taxpayer dollars for anything," State Superintendent Stephanie Siddens said at a February Ohio Board of Education meeting. Siddens said the issue was horrendous, but no evidence of the Afterschool Child Enrichment funds were used for the homeschool, nor were students enrolled in the College Credit Plus program. February's meeting was the first time the Ohio Board of Education had conducted a formal discussion on the issue. A report from a Nazi-outing group called Anonymous Comrades Collective was released and reported by VICE News at the end of January revealing "The Dissident Homeschool," a Telegram channel created by an Upper Sandusky couple under the aliases Mr. and Mrs. Saxon, was sharing neo-Nazi curriculum online. "Maybe we need to understand what's going on as we always do on every subject. Maybe we need to consider something that makes sense. Because Nazi homeschooling is a moral issue," said District 2 Board Member Teresa Fedor. According to a VICE News report, the Ohio Department of Education determined the couple did not violate any laws or homeschooling regulations, despite the materials used. During the meeting, Fedor asked the department to review the compliance issue and suggested the board reviews laws, what is and is not compliant with testing requirements and what local school boards should do when faced with the issue at the state board's next meeting. She also said the board does not support Neo-Nazi homeschooling. "I think we should look at what other states are doing. The least we should do is prohibit offensive curriculum," Fedor said. "We certainly don't want to promote hate teaching for our children in the state of Ohio. It is a legislative issue, but we shouldn't be afraid of the issue." The Dissident Homeschool was removed from the Telegram app earlier this month. Prior to the removal, there were over 3,000 subscribers. Telegram did not show who or where individuals subscribed to the channel were located. "Ohio does have a long and proud tradition of home education," Board President Paul LeRue said Tuesday. "We don't want the tradition of home education to be submerged by this. Obviously, Nazi curriculum doesn't have a place anywhere." Currently, over 50,000 students are homeschooled in the state of Ohio. There are two bills currently making their way through the Ohio Senate regarding education, Senate Bills 1 and 11, which seek to prohibit further regulation and increase tax credits for homeschoolers. Cynthia Peeples, the founding director of Honesty for Ohio, a coalition that works toward honesty in education, has called for a transparent investigation into the homeschooling network and demanded full accountability from state and local leaders about the use of the Nazi-based curriculum in educating children. "The Upper Sandusky neo-Nazi homeschooling network is yet another example of how politically-fueled hate, extremism, and discrimination have taken root in Ohio," Peeples said. "We call on every Ohioan to condemn the systems and leaders that empower hateful ideologies to take root in our communities."