ATLANTA (AP) — The deaths of two homeschooled children who were found buried in their father’s backyard in Guyton, Georgia, have inspired a bill to increase the scrutiny of public school withdrawal requests.
The Savannah Morning News reports a House bill introduced Thursday would bar parents from removing children from public schools to avoid complying with attendance and discipline laws.
If a withdrawal request seeks to circumvent legal requirements, the school system must notify investigative authorities.
Sponsor Rep. Bill Hitchens says the bill seeks to prevent another case similar to that of Mary and Elwyn “JR” Crocker Jr. Elwyn was last seen alive in 2016, and his sister was last seen in October. Their bodies were discovered in December.
Reps. Jon Burns, Wes Cantrell and Ron Stephens are also sponsoring the bill.