Abusive parents who homeschool their children don’t have to worry about a teacher noticing or reporting their children’s bruises or other physical manifestations of abuse. This allows them to push farther and abuse their children in more extreme ways than they might otherwise. A number of young adults who were homeschooled and later placed in school have recounted that their parents’ abuse toned down when they ceased homeschooling because they were aware their abuse could be seen and reported if they went too far. In most cases of abuse in homeschooling situations, children were physically abused before being homeschooled, but for many their withdrawal from school marked the beginning of a new phase in their abuse as their parents found they could abuse without restraint.
Some children have suffered physical abuse at the hands of Christian homeschooling parents espousing what they argued was “biblical” discipline. In some extreme cases, homeschooling parents have become convinced that their children are possessed by demons, and in other cases homeschooled children have led a life of severe punishment for small infractions after their parents unfairly determined that they were “rebellious.”
Physical abuse was involved in each of the following cases in the HIC database:
- Boy by Joel Love
- 4 Children of Patrick and Angel Henderson
- 2 Children of Christopher and Kathryn Williams
- Caden McWilliams
- Elwyn and Mary Crocker
- Daughter of Kevin and Felicia Boon
- Charlie, and 1 sibling
- Children of Thomas and Denise Atkocaitis
- 3 Children of Arthur and Jenny Peterman
- 5 Children of Travis and Amy Headrick
- Boy by Jennifer Franklin and Randell Howell
- 5 Children of Yenier and Sarah Conde
- 7 Children of Kenneth and Kelly Fry
- Children of Randy and Katherine Swopes
- Son of Jimmy and Amy Jones
- 6 Children of Timothy and Barbara Krause
- 10 Children of Jonathan Allen and Ina Rogers
- Matthew Tirado
- Sophia Brito, and 1 sibling
- Amina Krouser
- 6 Children of Jennifer and Sarah Hart
- 19 Children of Mansa Musa Muhummed
- Boy by Melvin Bledsoe and Joy Anderson
- Children by John McCollum and associates
- Son of Brandy and Russell Jaynes
- 6 Children of Sara Anne and Jonathan Woody
- Savannah Leckie
- Peter Kema, Jr., and 3 siblings
- Girl by Hyacinth Poouahi
- Alysha Quate, and 2 siblings
- Sabrina Ray, and 4 siblings
- 11 Children of Alejandro Aleman and Kristen Meyer-Aleman
- Jeffrey Franklin
- 2 Children of Joseph Myhre
- 13 Children of Anna Marie Lloyd
- 3 Children of Ryan Rechtzigel and Angela Stewart
- David Martinez
- Elizabeth Thomas
- Wesley Jordan
- Jack Garcia
- Malayia Knapp, and 8 siblings
- Natalie Finn, and 4 siblings
- 3 Children of Joshua and Brandi Weyant
- Boy by RCMP officer
- 7 Children of Austin and Annie Wiggin
- 2 Children of Trisha Meyer
- 5 Children of the ‘Springs Monster’
- 3 Children of Jessie Tribby and Anna Patterson
- Gypsy Blancharde
- Dominique Moceanu
- 14 Children of Daniel and Jenise Spurgeon
- Children of Lev Tahor
- Daughter of Julio Valladares and Linda Richmond
- 2 Children of Timothy Hogan and Patricia Haugstad-Hogan
- 10 Children of Odalis Sharp
- Colt Clark
- 3 Children of Echo Terry
- 3 Children of Jim and Paige Nachtigal
- Shaun Tara and 5 siblings
- 2 Children of Bruce and Deborah Leonard
- Daughter of Aravindan Balakrishnan and Sian Davies
- Janiya Thomas
- Adrian Jones, and 7 siblings
- 16 Children of Jonathan and Allison Schumm
- 4 Children of John Paul and Danielle Woolley
- Girl by Rob and Marie Johnson
- 2 Children of Quincy Hazel and Sabrina Golden-Hazel
- Son of Charlie Mayes
- Isaiah Torres
- Sarah, Chris, Rebecca, and Daniel Smith
- Victoria Evans, Alloma Gilbert, and Christopher Spry
- 3 Children of Chianna and LaTrecia Hendrix
- Cassandra and Moira B.
- Khyra Ishaq
- Stoni Blair and Stephen Berry
- 4 Children of David and ReJeana Moss
- 6 Children of John and Carolyn Caminiti
- 14 Children by Roland and Jacques Robidoux
- Son of Tina Graham and Vernon Widner
- 9 Children of James and Lucinda Haskin
- 3 children of Stanley Lacefield and Cicely Mason
- 4 children by Rita and William Meserve
- Pridine Fru
- Raysate Knight
- 7 Children of Sonia Kubisak
- Stacy and Jeremy Beckman
- 4 Children of Raymond and Ida Thurmond
- Children of Christine Baughman
- Shane Alan Coffman and 5 Siblings
- 10 Children of Dave and Wonda Dixon
- Aaron Norman
- Dayna Broussard, and 53 children by Eldridge Broussard
- 13 children of Winnfred Wright
- Aziza Kibibi, and 7 siblings
- 2 Children of Kimberly and John Quebe
- 2 Children of Estella Rosendo
- Gregory Jean Jr.
- 7 Children of Jeffrey and Danita York
- 5 Children of Jessica Banks
- 4 Children of Sylvia and Michael Wenger
- Children by Tony Alamo
- 2 Children of Latisha Lawson
- 28 Children of Kathy and Dan Blackburn
- 3 Grandchildren of James and Cheri Crawford
- 2 Children of James and Anne Cardona
- 4 Children of John and Margie Cantrell
- Grayson Bell
- 5 children of Charles and Suzan Sealock
- Katelyn Pendleton
- 2 children of Brenda Frazier
- 5 children by Patrick and Sherry Kelley
- Judah Cobble
- 9 boys by Nathan and Tammy Jessop
- 3 children of Pamela Christensen
- Raashanai Coley
- Charlie Bothuell V
- 16 children of Richard Jay Swank
- 15 children of Bill and Debbie Rettew
- Children of Martin and Kathleen O'Brien
- Antonio Rader
- 3 children of Kate Parker
- 2 children of Jessica Botzko and John Westover
- 2 children of Emily Miller
- Rainbow Lord, and 2 siblings
- Son of Christopher and Trina Pope, and 8 siblings
- Ariel Winter, and 1 sibling
- Georgia and Patterson Inman
- 2 Children by Barbara Dean Baldwin and Tommy Lee Baldwin
- 2 children of Sandra and Jeffrey Weller, and 4 siblings
- 2 daughters of Johann and Kimery Jorg
- Donovan McKee
- 10 children of Sharon and Reed Leonard
- 7 Children of Thomas Halbesleben and Jessica Halbesleben
- M. L. Lloyd III
- LoReyna Barea
- Milton Baker III
- 2 children of Arthur and Lori Allain
- Anna Farmer
- 6 children of Lora and Aubrey Thomas
- 3 children by Iliana, Rogelio, and Tim Archuleta
- 2 children of Erin and Jennifer Pickel
- 2 children by Albert and Nancy Cusson
- Boy by Christina Thomas and Peggy Starr
- Christopher Smithburg
- GW by Jeffrey "Adam" Kraft and Michele L. Buckner-Kraft
- 4 children of Juan Carlos Sanchez and Bobbi Sue Pack
- 8 children of Jamie Marie Hicks and Vernon Courtney Lovell
- Korresha Crawford, and 4 siblings
- Lauren Kavanaugh, and 5 siblings
- Shenna Grimm
- 3 children of Eraca Dawn Craig and Christian Jessica Deanda
- Bradley Warren and 2 siblings
- Trenay Cheire Duchane, and 1 sibling
- Genesis Sims
- Cheyenne Noell Wolf
- Laree Slack
- Josef Smith
- Tyler Raines
- Conrad and Ricky Morales
- Shane Graham and 10 Siblings
- Minnet and Jasmine Bowman and Sister
- Child of Daniel Ballard
- Colin David Jones
- Teddy Foltz-Tedesco and 2 siblings
- Emani Moss
- 3 Children of Fernando and Sophia Richter
- 1 Child of Rene Tibucio Valenzuela
- 3 Grandchildren of John Pierre Baker and Betty Jo Miller
- Jessyca Mullenberg
- Michaela Watkins
- Child of Jacole Prince
- 4 Children of Alisa S.
- Erica Lynn Parsons
- 9 Children of Robyn and Graydon Drown
- 6 Children of Zion and Glenda Lea Dutro
- 2 Children of Paul and Amanda Lavoe
- 15 Children of Robert Hale (Papa Pilgrim)
- Child of Ardee Verlon Tyler and Penny Sue Tyler
- 2 Children of Ingrid Brewer
- Children of Earl and Deborah Dinkler
- Esther Combs
- Child of Robert Hohn and Shannon Watterson
- Child of Samuel and Diana Franklin
- Child of Steven and Mikelann Renwick
- Child of Tai-Ling Gigliotti
- Dominick J. (Andrew) Diehl
- Joseph Beebe
- Christopher Forder
- Lucas Ciambrone
- Viktor Alexander Matthey
- Timothy Boss
- 2 Children of Richard and Christine Dodson
- Ricky Holland
- Valerie Smelser
- Ame Deal
- Jaquan Porter
- Alex Pavlis
- Child of Tammy Renea Andrews
- 6 Children of Anya James
- 2 Children of Earnest and Windie Perry