Brazilian Parents Sentenced to 50 Days in Jail for Homeschooling Their Daughters and Not Teaching Them «Diversity»

(ZENIT News / Sao Paulo, 06.23. 2026). – A judge in Brazil sentenced a couple to 50 days in prison for homeschooling their children, accusing them of «intellectual negligence» and of not teaching them «tolerance and diversity.»

During the 2020 pandemic, Audato and Ieda Denardi began homeschooling their daughters, Alice and Lorena, aged 15 and 11, due to deficiencies in the distance learning programs implemented in public schools. A judge in São Paulo accused them of «using their daughters as pawns in an ideological struggle (…) while completely excluding the involvement of the State.»

Homeschooling has been debated for years in Brazil. The Supreme Federal Court determined in 2019 that this practice does not violate the Constitution, although it requested that the National Congress regulate it. In 2022, Bill No. 1338/2022 was introduced and passed in the Chamber of Deputies, authorizing homeschooling under conditions such as the requirement that at least one of the parents or tutors has completed higher education, that students maintain a connection with a public or private school to follow and fulfill the national basic curriculum, and that they undergo periodic evaluations. The Bill stalled in the Senate, and parents who opt for homeschooling have been left without clear guidelines and subject to increasingly severe legal consequences, including imprisonment.

There are 75,000 families in Brazil that homeschool their children. The Denardis chose homeschooling to give their daughters a better education, but the Brazilian State Judge considered it an administrative offense not to register the children in a state-accredited school. He also

rejected the prosecutor’s advice regarding the acquittal of the couple, condemning and sentencing the Denardis.

Julio Pohl, legal advisor for Latin America of “Alliance Defending Freedom International,” supported the Denardi family in appealing the sentence and stated: “The prosecutor examined the witnesses and recommended acquittal. An independent educational psychologist found no signs of neglect. The girls themselves described a rigorous daily education. The judge convicted them anyway because the 15-year-old stated that she considers some song lyrics morally questionable and because the curriculum did not include state-approved content on gender.”

Ieda said: “As a mother, I cannot imagine a more dictatorial State than one that wants me in jail for choosing to exercise my right to direct my daughters’ education and care. My husband and I hope the court will recognize our right to choose the best education for our children and overturn this unjust conviction.”