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A mother and father in Brazil have been sentenced to 50 days in prison after a judge convicted them of "intellectual neglect" for homeschooling their two daughters.

Audato and Ieda Denardi began educating their daughters at home in 2020 after becoming concerned about shortcomings they observed in the public education system during the declared COVID-19 pandemic.

PARENTAL RIGHTS ATTACK:
These parents have been sentenced to prison for homeschooling.

According to a nonprofit ADF, a Brazilian judge convicted them of "intellectual neglect" after they did not teach their children SOGI, diversity, and an appreciation for mainstream music.… pic.twitter.com/HJWXehbQJz

— Drea Humphrey (@DreaHumphrey) July 9, 2026

According to Alliance Defending Freedom International (ADF International), the non-profit legal organization supporting the family's appeal, the couple saw significant improvements in their daughters' academic performance while incorporating their Christian faith and personal values into their education.

But a São Paulo judge ruled that their homeschooling program failed to provide an adequate education in part because it did not include programs on "gender and sex education" and "tolerance and diversity."

The court also concluded that because the girls, now 15 and 11, did not enjoy Brazilian "trap" or "sertanejo" music, their education had failed to expose them to sufficient cultural diversity, despite the fact that they are accomplished pianists who speak multiple languages. That apparently helped turn a disagreement over education into a criminal conviction.

The judge accused the Denardis of using their daughters as "pawns in an ideological struggle" by providing an unregulated education that excluded the state.

Yet according to ADF International, the conviction came despite the prosecutor recommending the parents be acquitted after hearing witnesses and reviewing the girls' academic and social development. An independent educational psychologist also reportedly found no evidence of neglect, while the girls themselves described receiving a rigorous daily education.

"As a mother, I cannot conceive a more dictatorial state than the one that wants me in jail because I chose to exercise my right to direct the education and upbringing of my daughters," Ieda Denardi told ADF International. "My husband and I are hopeful the court will recognize our right to choose the best education for our children and overturn this unjust conviction."

Julio Pohl, Legal Counsel for Latin America at Alliance Defending Freedom International, called the conviction "a grotesque abuse of the criminal law."

"The prosecutor examined the witnesses and recommended for acquittal. An independent educational psychologist found no sign of neglect," Pohl said. “The judge convicted anyway—because a fifteen-year-old said she finds some music lyrics morally questionable, and because the curriculum didn't include state-approved content on gender."

According to Pohl, "A parent has been sentenced to prison not for failing to educate her children, but for educating them according to her own values."

The Denardis were initially sentenced by a lower court in April 2026. Their prison sentences have been suspended while they appeal to the 7th Criminal Chamber of the São Paulo State Court of Justice.

The case has also drawn the attention of Brazilian lawmakers, with the parents recently appearing before members of Congress to urge legislators to establish clear legal protections for homeschooling.

Although Brazil's Supreme Court ruled in 2018 that homeschooling does not violate the country's Constitution, it also held that federal legislation would be required to regulate the practice. A homeschooling bill passed Brazil's House of Representatives in 2022 but has since stalled in the Senate, leaving homeschooling families in legal uncertainty.

The Denardi case appears to break new ground worldwide. While governments around the world have penalized parents for violating compulsory education laws, this case stands out because the judge cited the family's curriculum itself, and a failure to teach state-approved, ideologically driven programs that are controversial to many.