New Hampshire
Dangerous bill defeated
Representative Kathleen N. Taylor (District 11, Strafford County) introduced House Bill 1408, which threatened to give every city and town broad new power to enact its own truancy ordinance, while providing no accountability to the state. It invited abuse of home school families, and threatened to sweep more families into the social services system.
Current law allows school districts to make "bylaws" concerning truants, and to compel them to attend school. H.B. 1408 would have taken this power away from individual school districts, but given every city and town power to make its own unique ordinances regarding truancy.
Part of the bill stated that violation of such an ordinance would not mean a child was "in need of services" or a "delinquent." Violation, however, could have been the basis of a charge of child neglect against the parents. Some officials who think home schooling is their biggest "truancy" problem may have felt the bill gave them a "blank check" to harass home school families.
Notified of the bill's threat by state Representative Dan Itse, Home School Legal Defense Association and Christian Home Educators of New Hampshire alerted home schoolers across the state and asked them to work to defeat it. Many home schoolers contacted their representatives, and at the hearing before the Children and Family Law Committee, home schoolers packed the room to show their opposition. The committee heard the message and voted to disapprove the bill. Subsequently, the House of Representatives followed the committee's lead and defeated the bill as well.
— Scott A. Woodruff
