Neo-Nazi homeschool network in Ohio exposed, but allowed to continue operating after investigation by state education department

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After being exposed by three separate outlets, a neo-Nazi homeschool network was placed under investigation by the Ohio Department of Education (DOE), which concluded that the group did nothing that violated state homeschool policies. The incident prompted debate around education policy between Republican and Democratic state lawmakers.   

Key Players

Anonymous Comrades Collective (ACC), an organization that runs an online blog dedicated to exposing Nazis, racists, and fascists, published the initial report that exposed the neo-Nazi homeschool network.

Katja and Logan Lawrence were found responsible for organizing the neo-Nazi homeschool network based in Upper Sandusky, Ohio, about 70 miles north of Columbus. Since October 2021, they have run the neo-Nazi Telegram channel “Dissident Homeschool,” posting under the aliases of “Mr. and Mrs. Saxon” to their more than 2,300 subscribers.

VICE News and HuffPost published secondary reports confirming the ACC’s investigation and were also primary sources of news regarding the Ohio DOE’s investigations into the neo-Nazi homeschool network.

Further Details

On Jan. 23, 2023, ACC published a report called “The ‘Dissident Homeschoolers’ of Upper Sandusky: Katja and Logan Lawrence,” exposing the leaders of a network that had organized under the Telegram channel “Dissident Homeschool.” 

“A place for dissident homeschool parents. Find material here that is not riddled with Current Year programming,” the channel description read. 

The posts, among others, include lesson plans and advice regarding homeschooling and raising children with the guidance of neo-Nazi ideals. The channel routinely expresses admiration for Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime. 

For instance, to celebrate its 1,000th subscriber, the channel posted a photo of Nazi youth holding the Nazi salute, with the caption: “It fills my heart with joy to know there is such a strong base of homeschoolers and homeschool-interested national socialists. Hail Victory.”

One of the ACC’s findings describes a “math assignment” created by “Mrs. Saxon,” which asks the student to interpret “crime statistics.”

“The goal is for the child to realize the demographics to be cautious around, not to have an unprepared conversation about what rape is,” the assignment explains to the parents.  

Another, the “IQ Study Test” reads: “The blacks – on average – have a much lower IQ than whites. Their average peaks at about 85, which rates them as ‘below average intelligence’. The average of whites is 103, which is considered ‘average intelligence’. Where you can find very few whites at the bottom of the bell curve, you can find up to four times as many blacks on the low end of the IQ graph.”

“Mrs. Saxon” described her interest in creating the “Dissident Homeschool” on a neo-Nazi podcast called “Achtung! Amerikaner,” saying, “We have our children’s best interest at heart and nobody can do a better job than we can because it’s our child. We are so deeply invested into making sure that that child becomes a wonderful Nazi.” 

The ACC identified “Mr. and Mrs. Saxon” after they revealed information about their hometown and personal lives in “Achtung! Amerikaner” podcasts and their Telegram channel. 

On Jan. 29, VICE News published an additional report confirming the ACC’s findings, indicating that the group chat channel was shut down a week prior. 

Outcome 

Ohio DOE investigates neo-Nazi homeschool group, concludes no wrongfulness

On Jan. 30, an Ohio DOE spokesperson told VICE News the department was actively reviewing the homeschool group’s compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements. “Parents or guardians who decide to home educate their students are completely responsible for choosing the curriculum and course of study. They select the curriculum and educational materials and take responsibility for educating their children. There is no state financial assistance for families who choose this option,” the state DOE website states. 

On Feb. 9, the Ohio DOE released a statement to VICE News, indicating in a summary of its findings, “While there are certain minimum requirements for home education, the Department of Education is not involved in the exclusion of a particular student from attendance in order to participate in home education. Moreover, the district’s superintendent’s review of home education is limited to ensuring that the minimum educational requirements are met and that the academic assessment report shows that a child is demonstrating reasonable proficiency.” 

The statement did not directly address the Lawrences and their “Dissident Homeschool” network, and the Upper Sandusky Police Department and county sheriff’s office both indicated no intention of investigating them.

State lawmakers debate public education and homeschooling policy

Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D) expressed frustration at the outcome, calling the state’s homeschooling system “broken.”

“If programs that perpetuate antisemitism, hatred, and bigotry are something the Ohio legislature and Ohio Department of Education unleashed when it allowed unfettered access to the structure of Ohio public education, then it must revisit those unwise decisions,” Kaptur said. “Hate should not be foisted on future generations or on Ohio’s communities. Ohio’s state government leaders must address this apparent failure of the system they created.”

“Some Republicans in Ohio are in such a rush to turn our public education system upside down that they’re missing the blind spots in other areas of education, like the lack of transparency when it comes to homeschooling that was exposed by the Neo-Nazi curriculum being taught and amplified in Upper Sandusky,” state Rep. Jessica Miranda (D) said.

However, state Sen. President Matt Huffman (R) told News 5 Cleveland that the discovery of a neo-Nazi homeschooling network was an isolated incident.

“I hope we’re long past the point in our society where we take the actions of one person or a small group of people and paint the entire group as though somehow they’re participating in that,” Huffman said. Huffman was also working on advancing a bill through the state senate that would redirect public education funds to private schools, VICE News reported.