MINNESOTA
Compulsory Attendance Bill Bad for Parents
On March 19, 1995, Home School Legal Defense Association distributed a legislative alert to our member families in Minnesota regarding Minnesota House File 341, now Senate File 330.
The compulsory attendance age is seven in Minnesota, but this bill would require any child enrolled before age seven to receive the school district's permission should the parents desire to remove the child from school. The ultimate effect of the bill would be to reduce the compulsory attendance age from seven to five for those enrolling children in school before age seven.
HSLDA is opposed to this proposed legislation. It would violate the fundamental right of parents to direct the education of their children, which is guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment Liberty Clause to the United States Constitution, as interpreted by the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Pierce v. Society of Sisters, 268 U.S. 510 (1922).
At the time of this writing, the bill has passed the House and entered the Senate Education Committee, but has not yet been debated. There is discussion among the authors and supporters of S.F. 330 to add amendments providing specific guidelines to the school district for granting withdrawal of students. We continue to urge opposition to this legislation. Please contact your senator and voice your concerns.
