Compulsory Ed Proposal Nixed
    Home school parents believe that one of the main objectives of education is to prepare children for adulthood. Public schools tend to treat students as perpetual children and then expect them to suddenly behave like adults once they receive their diplomas.
    A bill was recently introduced in the Maine legislature to raise the compulsory attendance age from 17 to 18. Although many properly trained and educated students may be ready for some adult responsibilities by the age of 17, this bill would require them to continue to be treated as children.
    Studies show that raising the compulsory attendance age neither increases graduation rates nor decreases crime rates—the two arguments most frequently cited in favor of such legislation.
    After Home Educators of Maine President Ed Green testified against the bill in an education committee hearing, the committee unanimously voted to kill the proposal.