Illinois
Registration Bill in Immunization Clothing
One determined lawmaker wants all Illinois home schoolers to register, and believes her best chance of success is to use the guise of enforcing vaccination laws. Representative Ricca Slone (D-92) failed in her attempt last year to force home schoolers to register. She is trying again this year with House Bill 2756 which would require all home schoolers to register annually with the county health department. The registration must include the child’s name, address and age, and the parents must submit a birth certificate or other document to verify the child’s age. No exemptions are permitted from the registration requirement. Finally, the bill requires parents to file proof with the county health department that the required vaccinations and tests have been completed or a written objection has been filed as permitted.
Current law requires all children (including homeschooled children) to:
receive immunizations—measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, pertussis (up to a certain age), tetanus, polio and hepatitis b—unless the parents file a religious objection or have a written statement from a doctor that it is not medically advisable;
have health examinations at specified times—unless the parents file a religious exemption; and
undergo hearing and vision screening tests—unless parents object on constitutional grounds.
Home School Legal Defense Association opposes this bill based on its fundamental premise—that parents cannot be trusted.
Secondly, H.B. 2756 is discriminatory. Under current Illinois law, neither larger private schools nor home schools are required to submit any information to any government agency. H.B. 2756 would burden home school families with an annual registration, but not the larger private schools.
A third cause for concern is H.B. 2756’s potential effect on family privacy. What would the government do with all the information about private citizens collected under this bill? The more information the government collects about private individuals, the greater its ability to control us.
Finally, this bill would erode the constitutional right to home school. Although the bill provides no penalty for noncompliance, home schoolers who fail to submit could be harassed and penalized in a variety of ways.
As this newsletter goes to press, over 71 representatives—including a committee member who originally helped vote the bill out of committee—have committed to voting “no,” due in large part to your calls and visits. Should bill sponsor Ricca Slone try to force the bill to a vote on the house floor, we believe that there will be enough votes to defeat this onerous legislation.
Legislative matters can move very fast—too fast for HSLDA to send out alerts by regular mail. But, through e-mail, we can let our members know about dangerous legislation in a matter of hours. Only 25 percent of HSLDA’s Illinois members are on our e-lert list. If you have e-mail, please sign up today through our website, www.hslda.org. Check our website as well for updates on this bill’s status and efforts to defeat it. Often, it is the action our members take locally in response to HSLDA’s alerts that turns the tide against bad legislation.
Informed mom prevents warrantless search
When a western Illinois home school mom answered the knock at her door, she was surprised to find the local school superintendent, a truant officer, and a police officer. They demanded entry so they could inspect her home and educational program. This mother was not easily intimidated. She refused them entry and they left, saying “We’ll come back with a search warrant.”
This courageous mother immediately contacted Home School Legal Defense Association attorney Scott Woodruff, who intervened on her behalf. After several rounds of negotiations and telephone calls, the anonymous charges of educational and other types of neglect were dropped.
HSLDA commends this home school mother for her courage in standing her ground in defense of her constitutional rights and the sanctity of her home.
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Illinois
by
C.H. Chamberlain
“. . . Rustling through the leafy trees, and its mellow tones
are these, Illinois, Illinois . . .”
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