Previous Issue Current Issue Next Issue About Search Archives Advertising VOLUME XX, NUMBER 3 - disclaimer - May / June 2004 FEATURES The Best Preventative Medicine What are mandatory reporters? Quick tickets to a social services investigation DEPARTMENTS Freedom watch Same-sex marriage: Not a tangential battle Across the states About campus "Intelligence" takes on new meaning Active cases Members only Wanted: Words from the wise Around the globe Netherlands victory Canadian Supreme Court affirms parental rights Presidents Page Not in vain ET AL. HSLDA social services contact policy/A plethora of forms HSLDA legal inquiries Prayer & Praise On the other hand: a Contrario Sensu  «   LEGAL/LEGISLATIVE UPDATES   »  ACROSS THE STATES CA · DE · FL · ID · IL · IN · IA · KY · LA · MI · MO · NJ · NM · NY · ND · OH · OR · RI · SC · SD · TN · TX · VT · VA · WA · WV · WI · WY ILLINOIS Family avoidstruancy hearing In Wilmington, an anonymous tipster reported the Brown family to the Will County Regional Office of Education, claiming that the Browns were not "providing an adequate course of instruction in the prescribed branches of learning." The truant officer assigned to the case gave Mr. Brown one week to prepare for a truancy hearing. The Browns asked Home School Legal Defense Association for assistance. Senior Counsel Christopher Klicka immediately called the truant officer to explain that the family would not be attending the truancy hearing, and instead offered to provide the truant officer with evidence that the family was in compliance with state law. In a follow-up letter to the truant officer, Klicka detailed the right to homeschool in Illinois. He verified that the family was complying with the law and listed the subjects and curriculum the family taught. Satisfied that the Browns were providing an adequate education for their children, the truant officer dropped the case. — by Christopher J. Klicka