A court in São Paulo state has sentenced a Brazilian couple to 50 days in prison in connection with their homeschooling of their two daughters, according to court documents and legal representatives.
Audato and Ieda Denardi were found guilty of “intellectual neglect” in a ruling issued in April 2026. The decision is currently under appeal at the Seventh Criminal Court Chamber of the São Paulo State Court of Justice, and the sentence remains suspended pending review.
The case began after the couple homeschooled their daughters starting in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The prosecution had reportedly sought acquittal, concluding that the children were not suffering neglect and were demonstrating appropriate academic and social development.
ADF International, which represents the family in the appeal, said prosecutors did not support a conviction. Legal counsel Julio Pohl said, “The prosecutor examined the witnesses and recommended acquittal. An independent educational psychologist found no sign of neglect. The girls themselves described rigorous daily education,”
He added, “However, ‘the judge convicted anyway,’ he said, ‘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.’”
The court’s ruling cited deficiencies in the educational program provided by the parents, including the absence of content on “gender and sex education” and “tolerance and diversity.”
The decision also referenced the children’s cultural preferences, stating that the girls, aged 15 and 11, did not listen to certain popular music genres, including “trap” and “sertanejo,” as part of its reasoning regarding cultural education. The ruling noted both children are trained pianists and speak multiple languages.
In written reasoning, the judge said the parents were “using their daughters as pawns in an ideological struggle, subjecting them to a form of unregulated education, the effectiveness and quality of which lack adequate metrics within the Brazilian legal system, while completely excluding the state’s involvement.”
ADF International has described the case as the first criminal conviction involving homeschooling parents in Brazil. The organization says more than 70,000 children are currently homeschooled in the country, with no fully settled regulatory framework.
Audato and Ieda Denardi were found guilty of “intellectual neglect” in a ruling issued in April 2026. The decision is currently under appeal at the Seventh Criminal Court Chamber of the São Paulo State Court of Justice, and the sentence remains suspended pending review.
The case began after the couple homeschooled their daughters starting in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The prosecution had reportedly sought acquittal, concluding that the children were not suffering neglect and were demonstrating appropriate academic and social development.
ADF International, which represents the family in the appeal, said prosecutors did not support a conviction. Legal counsel Julio Pohl said, “The prosecutor examined the witnesses and recommended acquittal. An independent educational psychologist found no sign of neglect. The girls themselves described rigorous daily education,”
He added, “However, ‘the judge convicted anyway,’ he said, ‘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.’”
The court’s ruling cited deficiencies in the educational program provided by the parents, including the absence of content on “gender and sex education” and “tolerance and diversity.”
The decision also referenced the children’s cultural preferences, stating that the girls, aged 15 and 11, did not listen to certain popular music genres, including “trap” and “sertanejo,” as part of its reasoning regarding cultural education. The ruling noted both children are trained pianists and speak multiple languages.
In written reasoning, the judge said the parents were “using their daughters as pawns in an ideological struggle, subjecting them to a form of unregulated education, the effectiveness and quality of which lack adequate metrics within the Brazilian legal system, while completely excluding the state’s involvement.”
ADF International has described the case as the first criminal conviction involving homeschooling parents in Brazil. The organization says more than 70,000 children are currently homeschooled in the country, with no fully settled regulatory framework.
