Senate Bill 11: An Act to Impose Testing Requirements on Homeschoolers

Sponsor:
Senator Clarence Kooistra
Representative Elaine Roberts

Summary:
Senator Kooistra and Representative Roberts have filed a bill that would strip parents of the right to choose which nationally standardized test to use, give the Department of Education virtually unlimited power to choose what tests homeschoolers must take, force homeschool students to take the tests at a public school (or allow a school employee into their home to watch the test being administered), and force school districts to forbid homeschooling if a child has a single unsatisfactory test result.

At the Senate Education Committee hearing, HSLDA attorney Scott Woodruff and other homeschoolers testified against the bill. Senator Knudson offered a motion to defer the bill to the non-existent forty-first legislative day, which would kill the bill. When the Chairman called for a vote, every Senator voted against SB 11 except Senator Kooistra. Your calls, e-mails, and visits to the Capitol made a tremendous difference. Thank you for standing with us for freedom.

Status:

01/03/2005		Prefiled.
01/20/2005		Scheduled for hearing in the Senate Education Committee
01/20/2005		Defeated in Senate Education Committee.

HSLDA's Position:
Oppose

Action Requested:
No more action is necessary.

Other Resources

Jan-20-2005 — South Dakota--Homeschoolers Defeat Onerous Testing Bill

Jan-19-2005 — South Dakota--Revised List of Senate Education Committee Members

Jan-18-2005 — South Dakota--Calls Needed Now to Stop Bill Reducing Homeschool Freedom

Bill Text