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VERMONT

Time for a new law

Vermont has a relatively small number of homeschoolers, but a disproportionate number of legal conflicts. Time after time the department of education sends rejection notices to excellent homeschool families. In the spring of 2005, one family nearly went to court over questions about disability screenings, another family moved to South Carolina to maintain control of their child's special education program, several certified teachers were told they could not evaluate their own children, and multiple families began proceedings to seek a religious exemption from excessive official demands.

Vermont's homeschool law was enacted in 1987, when home educators were few and far between. Today, homeschoolers have proven that they deserve to be left alone. Vermont's law is unacceptably out of date.

Fortunately, Vermont homeschoolers are rising to the challenge of building better relationships with the legislature. Nearly 200 homeschoolers showed up at the state capitol on May 12 to meet their legislators, and Governor Jim Douglas spent half an hour meeting with them. Commissioner Richard Cate, appointed by Governor Douglas, has been building positive relationships with homeschool leaders such as Retta Dunlap.

Home School Legal Defense Association needs as many politically active homeschoolers in Vermont as we can get. If your teen is interested in making the Green Mountain State a better place for homeschoolers, please consider joining Generation Joshua. By networking homeschool activists, we can persuade the legislature to move Vermont's homeschool law into the 21st century.