Why Did This Off-The-Grid, Homeschooling Kentucky Family Lose Custody Of Their Ten Kids?

A Kentucky family that practices an “off-the-grid” and “back-to-basics” lifestyle, and whose kids are homeschooled, has had their ten kids taken by the state’s child protective services for reasons that are not clear, Raw Story is reporting.

The Naugler family of Breckenridge County, Kentucky (about an hour south of Louisville) lives in a cabin on a 10-acre farm. They call their lifestyle “back to basics,” according to a website set up to help the family.

“Joe and Nicole Naugler live on a homestead in rural Kentucky. They live a very simple life. They garden and raise animals. They are industrious people trying to teach their children how to live right. They have ten children who are homeschooled on the homestead. They contribute to the success of the family crops and livestock, all while learning about the amazing beauty of life.”

Most importantly, they practice what they refer to as “un-schooling.” Un-schooling is a form of homeschooling in which children follow no set teaching schedule and no set curriculum — the children direct their learning, with little direction from the parents.

For the Naugler family, that means that the children learn through “natural experiences” — play, travel, working on the farm, and learning on their own.

The Kentucky family believes that they were targeted by the state because of their un-schooling. Officially, however, Kentucky’s child protective services showed up at the family’s home to take custody of the kids because of an “anonymous complaint.”

On Wednesday, Breckenridge County Sheriff’s deputies showed up at the family home and, according to the family, entered the home without a warrant and without probable cause. Eventually, all ten of the family’s children were taken into state custody, while mom Nicole — who is five months pregnant and who claims she was slammed abdomen-first into a police car — was taken to jail.

As Raw Story writer Travis Gettys notes, we may never know why the State of Kentucky chose to round up the Kentucky family’s ten kids into state custody; by necessity, child abuse complaints and related proceedings are almost always kept secret in order to protect children’s privacy.

But friends of the Kentucky family believe they were targeted because of their “free range” lifestyle and, more specifically, because of their practice of un-schooling.

As of this post, Nicole Naugler has been freed from jail, while her ten kids remain in state custody. It is not clear when the Kentucky family will be given a chance to argue their case in court and be allowed to convince authorities to give them custody of their kids again.

[Image courtesy of: Naugler Family]