Proposed home education changes in spotlight
A legal challenge is being launched against part of the Education Bill which is currently out for consultation.
It concerns home education and will give the department the ability to interview a child and assess work, interview parents and obtain personal information.
Currently education is compulsory but school isn't.
Under the new proposals, if parents do not comply, or a child fails an assessment, the department can apply for a school attendance order with a penalty for non-compliance of up to six months in prison for the parents.
Tristram Llewellyn Jones says this all but criminalizes home education in the Isle of Man: