PUERTO RICO

HSLDA Provides Spanish-Speaking Contact Attorney

In order to accommodate our Spanish-speaking clients in Puerto Rico, we have arranged for attorney Carlos Perez Sierra to be available to handle initial contacts by a government official for our Spanish-speaking members.

This is a modification of our original policy which instructed all our Puerto Rican members to call the HSLDA office in Virginia immediately upon contact from a government official.

Spanish-speaking HSLDA members in Puerto Rico should notify attorney Perez Sierra immediately if they are contacted. Attorney Perez Sierra's telephone number is (809) 747-0973. If there is no answer, call his beeper number: 759-1255 unit 7459. If he cannot be reached, make communications through the HSLDA office in Virginia by calling (540) 398-5600. If it is after regular business hours in Virginia, follow the emergency instructions given in the recorded message.

English-speaking members should contact HSLDA at our office in Virginia. However, if one of our lawyers cannot be contacted and you have immediate need for legal assistance as a result of a contact, please call attorney Perez Sierra at the above numbers (he is bi-lingual).

Procedures for handling telephone and in-person contacts were outlined in HSLDA's letter of December 18, 1995, to all Puerto Rican members.

Private School Legislative Battle

Some members in Puerto Rico have called to ask if the legislative battle involving private schools-which concluded in the previous legislative session-affected home education. At one time there was a proposal to add home education to the private school law; however, that provision was withdrawn and the law regarding home education remains unchanged.