German parents lost their last legal appeal on September 11, 2006 when the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) allowed to stand a German Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) decision from November 2003 stating parents do not have a right to educate their children at home.
The case involved Fritz and Marianna Konrad, a Herbolzheim couple that wanted to homeschool their two children because they believed the public schools undermined their religious values.
In their legal battle to homeschool, the Konrads lost several court cases, including the one they appealed to Germany's highest court, the Federal Constitutional Court.
The American-based Home School Legal Defense Association reports approximately 500 children are homeschooled in Germany. Several parents who have attempted to homeschool have been fined and imprisoned because they have not complied with compulsory school attendance laws.
HT - Homeschool Buzz
