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LEGAL/LEGISLATIVE UPDATES
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ACROSS THE STATES
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Committee recommends law changes
On September 10, 2004, the Arkansas Legislative Joint Auditing Committee submitted its report recommending changes to Arkansas' homeschool law. The recommended changes are as follows:
| >> | Parents should be required to notify their local school district when moving from the district; |
| >> | The Arkansas Department of Education should maintain a database profiling every student's enrollment, grade level, and standardized test results; |
| >> | Procedures should be developed to address students who do not demonstrate satisfactory progress on standardized tests; and |
| >> | The department of education should develop procedures to follow up on students not sitting for the tests and should work with local school districts to enforce truancy laws. |
According to Jerry Cox, President and Executive Director of the Arkansas Family Council, home educators can expect a bill to be introduced in the upcoming legislative session containing the recommendations of the auditing committee. Such an attempt to impose additional restrictions on homeschools would be unwarranted and based upon inaccurate assumptions. Furthermore, no such requirements are imposed on other nonpublic educational options in Arkansas, such as private or parochial schools. Home School Legal Defense Association will work with state leaders to oppose any effort to enact laws granting more state control over homeschools.
— by Dewitt T. Black
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