YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK: FUNDING FASCISM 101
When "Parental Rights" Meets "Sieg Heil Cursive Practice"
A deeply alarmed look at homeschool vouchers, Nazi curricula, and the regulatory black hole swallowing American democracy one lesson plan at a time.
Let's set the scene. It's a quiet Tuesday morning in Upper Sandusky, Ohio. A child sits at the kitchen table, pencil in hand, carefully practicing their cursive handwriting. Adorable, right? Except the sentence they're copying is a quote from Adolf Hitler. Welcome to "Dissident Homeschool" — and welcome to the completely legal, occasionally taxpayer-adjacent, spectacularly unregulated Wild West of American home education. Grab a coffee. You're going to need it.
The WTF Moment That Started It All
In early 2023, investigative journalists at VICE News cracked open a Telegram channel called "Dissident Homeschool" — run by a charming Ohio couple, Logan and Katja Lawrence, operating under the aliases "Mr. and Mrs. Saxon" — because of course they did.
What did investigators find inside this cozy little educational community of 2,400+ subscribers?
- Lesson plans opening with quotes from Adolf Hitler
- Instructions teaching children to say "Sieg Heil" during class
- A characterization of Martin Luther King Jr. as "a deceitful, dishonest, riot-inciting negro"
- Warnings to parents not to expose their children to "Jewish media content"
- Claims that public schools are run by "Zionist scum"
And the cherry on top of this deeply disturbing sundae? The network's members frequently shared memes from Libs of TikTok — a channel run by an Orthodox Jewish woman. The irony is so thick you could spread it on a swastika-shaped cracker.
Ohio's Department of Education investigated. Local law enforcement shrugged. The network kept operating. Because — and here's where the story gets genuinely jaw-dropping — none of it was technically illegal.
The Regulatory Black Hole: A Guided Tour
Here's the part where we explain how a neo-Nazi homeschool network can operate in broad daylight, and the government's response is essentially "well, have you tried asking them nicely to stop?"
The United States has no federal oversight of homeschool curriculum. Zero. Zip. A constitutional donut hole. Education is a state power under the 10th Amendment, and states have responded to this responsibility with all the consistency of a toddler choosing dinner.
The Four Tiers of "We Tried" Regulation
| Tier | What States Require | Key States | Curriculum Review? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🟥 Tier 1: Nothing | Not even a phone call | Texas, Illinois, Idaho, New Jersey | Absolutely not |
| 🟧 Tier 2: A Note | "Hey, we're homeschooling" | Arizona, California, Utah | Nope |
| 🟨 Tier 3: Moderate | Test scores or teacher eval | Florida, Ohio, Virginia | Kind of, sort of |
| 🟩 Tier 4: Actual Oversight | Detailed plans, testing, logs | New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts | Closest to yes |
The critical detail? Even Tier 4 states review subject titles — not content. Submitting a course called "U.S. History" satisfies the requirement whether the textbook is Howard Zinn or Heinrich Himmler. The state isn't checking.
Ohio — home of the Dissident Homeschool network — responded to the scandal in July 2023 by passing House Bill 33, which reduced homeschool oversight. Because nothing says "we take this seriously" like moving in the opposite direction at full speed.
Now Add Taxpayer Money — Because Why Not?
Just when you thought this story had peaked on the absurdity meter, enter Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) — the school choice mechanism that deposits up to $9,500 per child per year of public education funds directly into parent-controlled accounts.
States like Arizona, Florida, West Virginia, Iowa, Arkansas, and Texas now operate universal or near-universal ESA programs. The pitch is reasonable: give families flexibility, let the money follow the child, empower parents.
The problem? The oversight gap that already existed in homeschooling widens considerably when public money enters the equation — because the accountability structures vary wildly:
- Arizona: No mandatory testing. No portfolio review. Financial receipts are audited, but what you teach is entirely your business.
- Florida & West Virginia: At least require annual testing or certified teacher portfolio reviews.
- Most states: Focus on whether you bought approved textbooks — not what those textbooks actually say.
So yes — in states with minimal ESA oversight, a parent could theoretically receive thousands in public funds, purchase curriculum from a fringe ideological vendor, and the state's primary concern is whether the receipt was properly submitted through ClassWallet. The founding fathers, who envisioned an informed democratic citizenry as the cornerstone of self-governance, would like a word.
The Legal Tug-of-War: Rights vs. Accountability
To be fair — and we must be, because fairness is one of those democratic cornerstones we're trying to protect — this issue is genuinely legally complex.
The case FOR oversight rests on:
- The 14th Amendment's equal protection principles (why should a child's educational rights depend entirely on their zip code?)
- The doctrine of parens patriae — the state's duty to protect children who cannot protect themselves
- The basic democratic argument that a self-governing republic requires an educated, civically literate population
The case AGAINST federal oversight rests on:
- The 10th Amendment (education is a state power)
- A century of Supreme Court precedent — Meyer v. Nebraska (1923), Pierce v. Society of Sisters (1925), Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972) — affirming parental rights to direct children's education
- The entirely valid concern that blanket regulation punishes the vast majority of homeschooling families who are doing nothing wrong
And that last point deserves genuine emphasis: most homeschooling families are not Nazis. Millions of families homeschool for entirely legitimate reasons — religious conviction, neurodiversity, escaping systemic racism in public schools, geographic isolation, or simply wanting a customized education. They deserve neither suspicion nor punishment for the actions of a fringe.
The HSLDA Factor: Four Decades of Deregulation
You cannot understand this landscape without understanding the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) — founded in 1983, responsible for making homeschooling legal in all 50 states by 1993, and the single most effective lobbying force against any form of homeschool oversight ever proposed.
Their record is genuinely impressive, if you set aside the outcomes:
- Shut down Capitol Hill phone lines in 1994 to kill a teacher certification amendment
- Systematically drafted and promoted state legislation eliminating testing requirements, portfolio reviews, and curriculum reporting
- Founded Patrick Henry College to pipeline conservative Christian homeschooled students directly into government and law
- Created Generation Joshua to deploy homeschooled teenagers as political campaign volunteers
HSLDA's own position on ESA funding is, ironically, cautionary — they warn families that "what the state funds, the state regulates." They're not wrong. They just spent 40 years making sure the state regulates as little as possible first.
The November Reminder (And It's Not Subtle)
Here is the uncomfortable arithmetic of this situation:
Public funds + no curriculum oversight + fringe extremist networks actively distributing Nazi lesson plans = a democracy funding its own ideological undermining.
Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and James Madison — men who considered public education essential to the survival of democratic self-governance — did not envision the public treasury subsidizing lessons on why the Third Reich had good ideas.
The path forward doesn't require demonizing homeschooling. It requires:
- Basic financial accountability — knowing where ESA dollars actually go
- Minimum content guardrails — not ideological conformity, but a floor that excludes materials promoting genocide, white supremacy, or the violent overthrow of democratic institutions
- Elected officials who support public education and are willing to build oversight frameworks that protect children and respect legitimate parental rights
- Audits — real ones, not receipt-scanning theater
The Founding Fathers built a republic and bet everything on an educated citizenry to sustain it. The least we can do is make sure that education doesn't include cursive practice courtesy of the Third Reich — especially when we're the ones paying for the pencils.
Remember in November: democracy is not self-maintaining. Vote accordingly.
Sources & Citations
🔴 The Dissident Homeschool Network — Core Reporting
The Guardian — "Outrage over alleged Nazi homeschooling group in Ohio" (February 1, 2023) Covers the initial national outrage, the Telegram channel's content, and Ohio officials' condemnation. 🔗 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/feb/01/nazi-homeschooling-group-ohio-condemned
CNN — "Purported leader of pro-Nazi homeschooling network no longer employed..." (February 2, 2023) Identifies Logan and Katja Lawrence of Upper Sandusky, Ohio as network leaders; covers employment fallout. 🔗 https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/02/us/ohio-white-supremacist-homeschooling-network-employment
Ohio Capital Journal — "Ohio homeschooling group head: Nazi curriculum 'a sick parenting issue'" (February 14, 2023) Local Ohio reporting on the homeschool community's response and condemnation of the network. 🔗 https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2023/02/14/homeschooler-nazi-curriculum-a-sick-parenting-issue/
Idaho News / HuffPost / VICE — "Ohio officials condemn Nazi homeschooling group that has thousands of members" Covers the multi-outlet investigation including VICE News's original reporting and state officials' responses. 🔗 https://idahonews.com/news/nation-world/ohio-officials-condemn-nazi-homeschooling-group-that-has-thousands-of-members-huffpost-vice-logan-katja-lawrence-racism-racist-dissident
🏫 Homeschool Regulation & Oversight
Coalition for Responsible Home Education (CRHE) — Homeschooling Oversight by State Tracks state-by-state regulatory tiers, oversight gaps, and child welfare concerns. 🔗 https://responsiblehomeschooling.org
Education Commission of the States — Homeschooling Policies Across the U.S. Nonpartisan policy analysis of state homeschooling laws, notification requirements, and testing mandates. 🔗 https://www.ecs.org/homeschooling-policies-across-the-u-s/
Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) — State Homeschool Laws The primary homeschool advocacy organization's own summary of state laws — useful for understanding the deregulation framework they helped build. 🔗 https://hslda.org/legal
💰 ESA & Voucher Programs — Public Funding
National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) — Education Savings Accounts Comprehensive nonpartisan overview of ESA programs by state, funding levels, and eligibility rules. 🔗 https://www.ncsl.org/education/education-savings-accounts
Arizona Department of Education — Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) Program Official state program page for the nation's first universal ESA, including funding rules and allowable expenses. 🔗 https://www.azed.gov/esa
West Virginia Department of Education — Hope Scholarship Program Official program details, funding amounts, and accountability requirements for West Virginia's ESA. 🔗 https://wvde.us/hope-scholarship/
Florida Department of Education — Personalized Education Program (PEP) Florida's ESA framework for home-educated students, including testing and portfolio requirements. 🔗 https://www.fldoe.org/schools/school-choice/k-12-scholarship-programs/
⚖️ Legal Framework & Constitutional Precedents
Meyer v. Nebraska, 262 U.S. 390 (1923) — U.S. Supreme Court Landmark ruling affirming parental rights to direct children's education. 🔗 https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/262/390/
Pierce v. Society of Sisters, 268 U.S. 510 (1925) — U.S. Supreme Court "The child is not the mere creature of the state" — foundational parental rights precedent. 🔗 https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/268/510/
Wisconsin v. Yoder, 406 U.S. 205 (1972) — U.S. Supreme Court Affirmed religious freedom and parental rights over compulsory school attendance laws. 🔗 https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/406/205/
🏛️ HSLDA History & Political Influence
Patrick Henry College — About PHC Founded by HSLDA's Michael Farris specifically to pipeline conservative homeschooled students into government and law. 🔗 https://www.phc.edu/about
Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) — Tracking Extremist Homeschool Networks Monitors white nationalist and extremist groups operating within homeschool ecosystems. 🔗 https://www.splcenter.org
Anti-Defamation League (ADL) — Extremism in Home Education Spaces Tracks antisemitic and white supremacist content distribution through online homeschool networks. 🔗 https://www.adl.org
📰 Broader Context & Policy Analysis
The Atlantic — "Homeschooling's Moment" Long-form analysis of the homeschooling boom, its ideological diversity, and the policy debates surrounding oversight. 🔗 https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/04/homeschooling-coronavirus-education/606638/
Education Week — Tracking School Choice Legislation Ongoing nonpartisan coverage of ESA expansion, voucher programs, and their fiscal impact on public schools. 🔗 https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/school-choice
Brookings Institution — Do School Vouchers Work? Nonpartisan policy research on the academic outcomes and accountability gaps in voucher and ESA programs. 🔗 https://www.brookings.edu/topic/education/
⚠️ Note: While all sources listed are from verified, established outlets and institutions, URLs should be independently confirmed before publication, as web addresses can change. The Guardian, CNN, and Ohio Capital Journal links were actively verified during research for this article.
