BREAKING: Police Seize 10 Children From Homeschool Family Because They’re Off-Grid

Written by: Off The Grid News Staff  Current Events May 7, 2015   

An off-grid homeschool family of 12 in rural Kentucky was raided, the mother arrested, and the 10 children seized simply because the government disagrees with their lifestyle and their educational choices, family members and friends say.
Until Wednesday, Joe and Nicole Naugler lived with their 10 kids in a cabin on 26 acres in Breckinridge County, about an hour southwest of Louisville.
“They are an extremely happy family,” family friend Pace Ellsworth told Off The Grid News.
Acting on an anonymous tip about the family’s off-grid lifestyle, sheriff’s officers entered the property and home Wednesday, and even blocked the access road to the family property, the family says. Joe and eight of the children were away, but Nicole – who is five-months pregnant – was home with the two oldest kids. Sheriff deputies then seemingly allowed Nicole and the two children to drive away but they got only a short distance before deputies pulled them over and took the two children away from the mom, who was arrested for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. (She says the arrest took place after she did not passively allow deputies to take the children.) Nicole was able to contact her husband and have a brief conversation.
Later, the sheriff ordered Joe to turn over the other children by 10 a.m. or be arrested for felony charges, the family says. He complied.
Deputies also threatened to impound the car, although a friend of the family convinced the deputies to allow Joe to have it back.
The family may be off grid, but they aren’t anonymous. In fact, they have Internet, as well as a Facebook page dating back to 2012 where they frequently post pictures and videos of their children, animals and their off-grid life. A May 5 post showed a video of a toddler, Mosiah, learning to walk. An April 24 post showed a happy family, gathering around a campfire, roasting marshmallows.
They also post pictures alluding to their faith. Their Facebook page — which has nearly 2,000 likes — is called “My Blessed Little Homestead.”
Child Protective Services never visited the home, said Ellsworth, who believes the arrests took place because of the parents’ choice of “unschooling” for their children, and because of their simple way of life that some would call backwards. The family’s Facebook page calls it a “back to basics life.” They have a garden and raise animals. Deputies apparently were concerned about whether the children’s needs were being met, but friends say they personally have no concerns — and that the children are blessed to have Joe and Nicole as their parents.
In unschooling, there is no set curriculum and the education is based on each child’s strength.
“You let your kids decide the curriculum,” Ellsworth told Off The Grid News. “In unschooling, education doesn’t take a backseat. It’s listening to what they’re interested in and fascinated in.”
It’s the way all children learned before the public education movement, he said.
“This is the natural way to live,” he said. “It’s actually a growing movement. They want to have a personal education and not a factory education.”
Ellsworth called it “whole-life homeschooling.”
“They are completely open about their life,” he said. “Everyone is learning by living. They are all extremely intelligent.”
The family will have huge legal bills, and friends have set up a GoFundMe campaign here. More information about the family can be read here and here.
“They are industrious people trying to teach their children how to live right,” the GoFundMe website said. “Through no fault of their own, they will now be faced with significant legal expenses.”

http://www.offthegridnews.com/current-events/police-seize-10-children-from-off-grid-family-because-theyre-homeschooled/

Homeschoolers have always struck me as a little weird in always wanting to talk about what they're doing, go to meeting and conferences, post on the internet about what they're doing, etc.

It's a total violation of OPSEC.
Do what you think is best for your family, but why paint a target on your back by being so vocal? There's not safety in numbers, there's exposure in numbers.

The more people know, all it takes is one busybody or malignant state-worshiper.

Where are the children?  Let's pray for the children.
This is really scary.  

Homeschoolers have always struck me as a little weird in always wanting to talk about what they're doing, go to meeting and conferences, post on the internet about what they're doing, etc.

It's a total violation of OPSEC.
Do what you think is best for your family, but why paint a target on your back by being so vocal? There's not safety in numbers, there's exposure in numbers.

The more people know, all it takes is one busybody or malignant state-worshiper.

Is there a significant home schooling movement in Ireland?  

Quote from: Iuvenalis

Homeschoolers have always struck me as a little weird in always wanting to talk about what they're doing, go to meeting and conferences, post on the internet about what they're doing, etc.

It's a total violation of OPSEC.
Do what you think is best for your family, but why paint a target on your back by being so vocal? There's not safety in numbers, there's exposure in numbers.

The more people know, all it takes is one busybody or malignant state-worshiper.

 

Having been a homeschooler I don't think we are weird at all.  I think the social media activity is just what this generation uses for communication.  I don't use it myself,  but it is a way of life for this generation.  They were not painting a target on their backs because homeschoolers should not BE targets for government kidnap programs.  The problem is the GOVERNMENT, not the family.  Don't blame the victim.

If it had not been for vocal homeschoolers back in the 80's I would not have been doing it in the 90's.  We need more people "out there" so that the main stream sees it as normal and beneficial and to draw out the nanny state so it can get smacked down for over-reacting to "tips".  I hope organizations like HSLDA will be all over this.

Homeschooling is becoming more of an accepted position now than ten or fifteen years ago and it's because the word is getting out.  However, with growth homeschoolers do become a target by statists and those who see homeschooling as a threat to "collectivist" thinking.  

In this case, let's see if we can find out if there is actually more to the story.  

Some additional information on this family (from a blog, so take it for what it's worth):

Here Are 7 Surprising Things You Need to Know About Joe and Nicole Naugler

Did you hear about the Kentucky off-the-grid homesteaders who allegedly had their ten children taken away because they were homeschooling? If not, you’ll probably hear about it soon, it’s rapidly going viral.

As the outrage machine kicks into high gear, here are seven important things you should know.

1. Homeschooling is legal

As with every other state, homeschooling is legal in Kentucky. The only requirements are that parents notify the school board of their intent to homeschool, and that they provide 185 days of instruction in the same subject areas as the local public schools. There are no assessment requirements, no curriculum requirements, no requirements that the children be working near grade level. Parents can meet the subject requirements any way that they see fit—including through unschooling, as Joseph and Nicole Naugler state they were doing.

Noncompliance with Kentucky law can result in truancy charges, but CPS doesn’t take children away for noncompliance, and they certainly don’t take children away if the parents are in compliance with Kentucky’s lax homeschool regulations.

Remember, child protection proceedings are not open to the public, so we have no way of verifying what the Nauglers are claiming is actually true. Just because they claim the children were taken away because of homeschooling doesn’t mean that’s why the police were called or why CPS got involved.

2. The CPS Complaint

Nicole Naugler posted the following photograph of the CPS report in a private Facebook group. As you can see, unlike what the Nauglers are stating publicly, the children were not removed because they were homeschooling—the accusation that the children were not enrolled in school is one small portion of a lengthy complaint.
image

Here’s the clearer version of the photo.

Notice that the allegations include the father threatening a neighbor with a weapon, that the property includes numerous piles of garbage, scattered broken glass and nails, and mention of the family residing in makeshift tents. The photos posted on the Nauglers’ Facebook page and blog back up those allegations.

The following comments were posted either on Nicole Naugler’s personal facebook page or on the family page by people claiming to know the Nauglers. I cannot verify the veracity of the claims, but they certainly present a different narrative than the one presented by the Nauglers. (Note: these posts have since been deleted by the Nauglers)

Posts by another homeschool mom:

And, a comment left by an off-the-grid homeschool mom on the Relationship Homeschooling page.

3. Living Conditions

The Nauglers have extensively docuмented their lives online, and the picture they paint on their blogs and social media is of a family living in conditions that are quite troubling.

Before I continue, let me make it clear that I have zero problem with living off-the-grid. It’s probably not something I would do because I like my air conditioning a little too much, but I’ve got no objection to sustainable off-the-grid homesteading with children, so long as living conditions are safe and basic needs are met.

The Naugler’s “cabin” is a three-walled shanty, where they claim they put up some sort of 4th wall in the winter. They’re living in this shack with ten children, including infants and toddlers.

As you can see from the comments on this photo just posted to their facebook page, some people are confused as to whether this is even the cabin.

Here’s another photo, and again, remember that there are twelve people living in this shack, including small children.

And the inside of the “cabin.” As you can see, there are only three walls, and while they claim that they had a fourth wall up during the winter, we’re going to have to take their word for it. In searching all of the pictures on the family Facebook page, I was unable to find any photos of the “cabin” taken during winter that are anything other than close-ups of the children in bed.

The platform along the back wall is where the whole family of twelve sleeps.

Again, I have no problem with off-the-grid living, but this isn’t a cabin or even a tent, it’s a glorified lean-to with little protection from the elements.

You can see the rest of the photos here.

The Nauglers did have a prefab building placed on the property originally, which, despite being essentially a large, uninsulated shed, at least had four walls and sturdy construction. For reasons that aren’t explained, in August of 2014 they decided to return the prefab building and build what you see here. Again, this is how they weathered the winter of 2014/2015, one of the snowiest winters on record across much of the US.

4. This was not their first contact with CPS

In her November 12, 2013 blog post Nicole Naugler wrote that they were contacted by CPS just eleven days after moving into their prefab building on the property.

To be clear, just because you’ve had CPS called on you does not necessarily mean that you’ve done anything wrong. However, this does mean that they were on the child protective services radar over questions about their living conditions long before this allegedly vindictive call was made (if one even was made, again, we’re going by their version of events).

5. Possible identification abuse

On her personal facebook page, Nicole Naugler states that several of her children don’t have birth certificates or other forms of ID. Homeschooling Alumni Reaching Out defines identity abuse as, “one’s parent, guardian or primary caretaker “not providing you with, withholding, or destroying any of your identification docuмents: driver’s license, social security card, etc.”

As the Naugler children are still minors, this isn’t as severe a problem as if they were adults whose identification was withheld, but it is a troubling sign none the less. This will make it more difficult for them to establish their identity as adults, as the stories of Alecia Pennington, Cynthia Jeub, and Eleanor Skelton demonstrate.

6. Previous run-ins with the law

Joseph Naugler has multiple arrests, including for passing bad checks and for driving without registration or proof of insurance, and for failure to appear in court on those charges.

7. The audio recordings

The Nauglers posted the audio of their interactions with the police online. I’ve mirrored it on Soundcloud because their hosting is overloaded. I encourage you to listen for yourself. During the course of the conversation, Nicole Naugler told the officer that she wouldn’t report a neighbor for abuse even if the child was bloodied from beatings. The recordings also include Nicole Naugler refusing to answer in the negative when asked by the sheriff’s officer about whether they would use weapons against law enforcement.

It’s quite disturbing and the exchange raises the specter of another Ruby Ridge scenario. That’s not to say that the Nauglers would start a fire fight that involved their children, but listening to the audio on the ground, Nicole Naugler certainly did nothing to dispel the concern that the children were in imminent danger if police didn’t act to remove them from the situation.

In conclusion

Do these seven things justify the removal of the Naugler children? Ultimately, I don’t think we know enough about what is going on to make such judgments. The lack of proper housing is certainly disconcerting and would seem to justify the removal, but the Nauglers are not being forthright of about whether they are or are not staying at this property and in which part. What these things do demonstrate, at the very least, is that this family desperately needs help and they ought not be lifted up by homeschoolers as martyrs for the movement.

Photo Credits: Header photo from http://www.saveourfamily.info/, other photos from Naugler family’s Facebook page unless otherwise noted

Edit 10.05.2015, 04:45 AM, EST: It’s been fun kids, but I’m closing the comments. Making threats against law enforcement and child protective services crosses a line and I have better things to do with my time than monitor for threats of violence. This is why we can’t have nice things.

http://kathrynbrightbill.com/post/118481565656/here-are-7-surprising-things-you-need-to-know

A further update:

Kentucky Homeschool Kids to Remain in State Custody After Father's Oldest Son Claims He Was sɛҳuąƖly Abused

Alex Brow, the oldest son of the Kentucky "off-grid" father who lost custody of his 10 children last week, speaks with reporters outside a Breckenridge County courtroom on May 11, 2015.

By Samuel Smith
May 13, 2015|2:05 pm

The estranged 19-year-old son of the father of 10 Kentucky homeschool children who were seized by police last week due to concerns with the family's off-the-grid lifestyle testified in a Monday custody hearing that his father physically and sɛҳuąƖly abused him as a small child.

Joe and Nicole Naugler's hopes of getting their 10 children back in Monday's hearing was crushed after Alex Brow, Joe Naugler's adult son from a previous relationship who hadn't seen his father since he was removed from his custody at the age of four, testified in Breckenridge County Court that his father is a very "mean" and abusive man.

Although the public and media were not allowed in the courtroom for the hearing due to the fact it concerns children, Brow, along with Breckinridge County Sheriff Todd Pate, spoke with media outside the courtroom after the hearing and said only reason why he decided to make an appearence was to help his brothers and sisters.

"I am very worried about them," Brow told a local NBC affiliate. "My care under Joe was very abusive, very physical and very sɛҳuąƖ."

"He's a very mean man. He likes to feel power and he likes to manipulate people," Brow added. "If it's not his word, it's no one's word."

According to WBKO, Brow explained that when he was younger he lived with Joe Naugler in another state, but his upbringing wasn't as "primitive" as the Naugler's current homestead in rural Western Kentucky. However, Brow added that the short relationship that he had with his father was "dysfunctional."

"I got all of the beatings. I got most of the mental abuse. There was a lot of sɛҳuąƖ abuse towards me. We had a very dysfunctional relationship."

The court determined that the 10 Naugler children, who reportedly range in age from three months to 15 years, are to remain in state custody for at least another week while the state's Cabinet for Health and Family Services continues with its investigation into the family's child-fort-like homestead. Another court date is scheduled for next Monday.

Although Brow's allegations definitely raise concerns, the reasons why the Naugler children were removed from the home have nothing to do with allegations of physical or sɛҳuąƖ abuse.

The Naugler children were taken into state custody last week after an "anonymous" complaint was filed with CHFS alleging that the family's living conditions inside of their "cabin," which sits on a 28-acre homestead, is not suitable for young children to live in. Additionally, the Nauglers were reported for not having their children registered with the public school system.

According to an affidavit filed by CHFS, the homestead has one "shed" and two "tents" that don't have a running water supply. The family contends that the homestead has a septic system, outhouse and a generator for electricity. Family spokesperson Pace Ellsworth told The Christian Post on Monday that the homestead will soon have solar panels.

"We have allowed CHFS to inspect our property and interview our children multiple times. After every visit they have confirmed, and confirmed again today that our children are happy, healthy and well cared for and that our property is sufficient for their needs," Joe Naugler wrote in a statement posted to the family's Facebook page, Blessed Little Homestead. "Despite that, the judge decided as a result of the deliberations in today's hearing that our children will remain in CHFS care while they continue their investigation."

Naugler attempted to discredit his oldest son's comments by writing that it was his son's upbringing away from his custody and "strained" relationship with his biological mother that have impacted his views of his father.

"Alex, my 19-year-old estranged son, testified in today's hearing. We are both heartbroken with the way Alex's upbringing away from us and his strained relationship with his mother have affected him," Naugler wrote. "Although we are sad our children will not be returned to us today, we have nothing to hide."

"We have cooperated with all requests made to us by CHFS and will continue to do so," Naugler continued. "We are confident that throughout this process Nicole and I will be shown to be the good parents that we are and that our family will be reunited."

Although Naugler's Facebook post claims that the family has been cooperative with the state's investigation, Nicole Naugler was arrested when she tried to drive away from the sheriff and his deputies last week when they arrived to take custody of her children. Additionally, Sheriff Pate told reporters that the family has been resistant whenever the police have gotten involved in the matter.

Pate also said that supporters of the Naugler family and their "off-the-grid" lifestyle have sent threats to the police department. Pate warned that people need to hear both sides of the story before rushing to judgement.

"There have been some threats against the department through email, some nasty phone calls," Pate said. "People are hearing one side of the story. I'm not entitled to tell the rest of the story."

The Christian Post reached out to Ellsworth for further comment on Wednesday. However, he could not be reached by time of publication.

http://www.christianpost.com/news/10-kentucky-homeschool-kids-to-remain-in-state-custody-after-fathers-oldest-son-claims-he-was-sɛҳuąƖly-abused-139074/

I've been following this story closely since it's infancy, and I still have many mixed feelings about it.  While some of the Naugler's decisions regarding the rearing of their children seem far less than ideal, I still believe the CPS was out of their bounds to take the children. The Naugler's lived a very primitive lifestyle, sure- but their children weren't abused, and from what I've seen and heard they are all happy and healthy. The lifestyle the Naugler's live isn't much different than how people were living 100 years ago.


My husband and I are expecting our first right now, and all of these horror stories about CPS are quite unsettling. Even in rural Kansas, where I live, CPS oversteps their bounds. We have some homeschooling friends that nearly got their children taken away because of a water break in their house. The water line broke in the middle of the night. The next morning the were served a letter saying that if the water wasn't fixed within x amount of days,, all 8 of their children would be taken away. That's absolutely ridiculous. The family of course was going to fix it right away. Why not help them get the problem under control instead of threaten to take their children?
Another family I know had their children taken away because they didn't have a stovetop to cook on, even though they had other ways of cooking. That is ALL it took to get their kids taken away.

I've watched news reports of ex-CPS employees admitting that some corrupt CPS employees took requests from gαy and lesbian people, and others, for certain children. Yes, homos picked out kids they wanted, and CPS found a reason to remove those kids from their homes and adopt them out to the homos.

CPS gets money for every adoption. Adopting kids out is a big money-maker for them.

We would like to live as off-grid as possible, and we intend to homeschool. I think it's crystal clear that these types of conservative families are being targeted. When flaming liberals are at the top, it's not hard to believe.