Across the States
Legislative Victory
Oklahoma recently ended the 2007 legislative season, and homeschoolers have reason to rejoice. This year, Oklahoma faced a bill that was extremely hostile to homeschooling. However, with the quick and decisive action of hundreds of homeschooling families, homeschool freedom was preserved.
Of the many bills proposed in the legislature, Senate Bill 375 was by far the most threatening to homeschool freedom. Authored by Senator Jim Wilson, the bill would have required homeschoolers to notify their local school district of their intent to homeschool before the first day of each school year.
S.B. 375 would also have required parents to report to their local school district each child’s academic progress at the end of each semester. Additionally, the bill would have subjected homeschooled students to the jurisdiction of the local attendance officer, who could take temporary custody of any child found away from his home during normal school hours.
Before the bill began to gain much momentum, Home School Legal Defense Association sent out an e-lert to our members. Hundreds of homeschooling families went to work, first calling Senator Wilson and asking h im to kill S.B. 375. While he refused to listen to the overwhelming voice of Oklahoma homeschoolers, the Senate Education Committee heard their voice loud and clear. Following the committee’s refusal to even hear the bill, the committee chairman contacted both Oklahoma Christian Home Educators Consociation and HSLDA with the news that the bill was dead.
Thank you to all of the Oklahomans who stood up to fight for homeschool freedom!
— by Thomas J. Schmidt
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