| From the HSLDA E-lert Service: |
< BACK TO ARCHIVE |
| Date: From: Subject: | 2/28/2002 6:19:53 PM Dewitt T. Black III, Esq., Senior Counsel of HSLDA Connecticut--Urgent Calls Needed on Raised H.B. 5535 |
|
---------------------------------------------------------------------- From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- February 28, 2002 Dear Connecticut HSLDA Members and Friends, Home schooling freedoms in Connecticut are in jeopardy! Raised House Bill 5535, just introduced in the Connecticut General Assembly would change Connecticut from one of the least restrictive states for home schooling to one of the most restrictive. Raised H.B. 5535 would do away with the favorable guidelines under which home educators have operated since 1990 and impose burdensome statutory requirements on parents. On Monday, March 4, 2002, the Joint Committee on Education will hold a hearing on Raised H.B. 5535 at 1:00 p.m. in Room 2C of the Legislative Office Building. Your telephone calls are vital in the effort to defeat this dangerous bill. REQUESTED ACTION Call as many committee members (listed below) as possible and give them this message: "Please vote against Raised House Bill 5535, which imposes unnecessary and burdensome restrictions on home educators. Home schooling has proved to be a successful educational option in Connecticut under current law." If possible attend the hearing on Monday and let the members of the Joint Committee on Education know of your opposition. These legislators need to know that home educators in Connecticut appreciate their freedom and do not want more state oversight. The goal is to defeat this bill at the earliest stage possible and send a clear message to prevent such onerous legislation from being introduced in the future. Members of the Joint Committee on Education: Sen. Thomas P. Gaffey, Co-Chair 800-842-1420 Rep. Cameron C. Staples, Co-Chair 800-842-8267 Sen. Mary Ann Handley, Vice Chair 800-842-1420 Rep. Nancy E. Kerensky, Vice Chair 800-842-8267 Sen. Thomas J. Herlihy, Ranking Member 800-842-1421 Rep. Robert W. Heagney, Ranking Member 800-842-1423 Sen. William A. Aniskovich 800-842-1421 Rep. Nancy Beals 800-842-8267 Rep. David H. Blackwell 860-240-8700 Rep. Antonietta Boucher 800-842-1423 Rep. Lawrence F. Cafero 800-842-1423 Rep. Michael J. Cardin 800-842-8267 Rep. Melody A. Currey 800-842-1902 Rep. Konstantinos Diamantis 800-842-8267 Rep. William R. Dyson 800-842-8267 Sen. Bill Finch 800-842-1420 Rep. Patrick J. Flaherty 800-842-1423 Sen. John W. Fonfara 800-842-1420 Rep. Mary G. Fritz 800-842-1902 Sen. Robert L. Genuario 800-842-1421 Rep. Demetrios S. Giannaros 800-842-8267 Rep. Kenneth P. Green 800-842-8267 Rep. Themis Klarides 800-842-1423 Rep. Denise W. Merrill 800-842-8267 Rep. Sandy Nafis 800-842-8267 Rep. Claudia M. Powers 800-842-1423 Rep. Felipe Reinoso 800-842-8267 Rep. Kevin Ryan 800-842-8267 Rep. Pamela Z. Sawyer 800-842-1423 Rep. Pat T. Shea 800-842-1423 Rep. Lewis J. Wallace 800-842-8267 Rep. Patricia M. Widlitz 800-842-8267 Rep. Roberta B. Willis 800-842-8267 BACKGROUND We at HSLDA do not know what prompted the introduction of this legislation or the extent of the support for its passage. But it is crucial that this proposal be stopped before it gains more momentum from favorable action of the Joint Committee on Education. This bill would create the following new restrictions on home instruction programs in Connecticut: - An annual notice of intent to home school must be filed with the superintendent of schools within 10 days after the start of instruction. - The notice must include the name of the person providing instruction and proof that the instructor has a high school diploma or its equivalent, a description of the subjects to be taught and the materials to be used, a schedule of days of instruction that consists of a minimum 900 hours per calendar year and the scheduling of an independent method of assessment of the child's academic performance, as approved by the commissioner of education. - The superintendent must evaluate the notice for completeness and maintain the notice as part of the school district 's permanent records. - The superintendent must review the results of an independent method of assessment of the child's academic performance or conduct a portfolio session with the parent. A portfolio session must display evidence of compliance with the instruction program described in the notice of intent. - The superintendent must send a letter by certified mail, return receipt requested, to any parent filing an incomplete notice or to any parent failing to file a required notice. Any child whose parent fails to comply with the notice requirements or any other provisions of the new law will be considered truant. - Each school district would be required to annually report the number of home schoolers to the Connecticut Department of Education. To view a copy of the bill, visit http://www.cga.state.ct.us/2002/TOB/h/pdf/2002HB-05535-R00-HB.pdf. For more information on this and other Connecticut bills, visit our website at http://www.hslda.org/legislation/state/CT/default.asp. Very truly yours, Dewitt T. Black, III HSLDA Senior Counsel {{JoinAd}} ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The HSLDA E-lert Service is a service of: Home School Legal Defense Association P.O. Box 3000 Purcellville, Virginia 20134 Phone: (540) 338-5600 Fax: (540) 338-2733 E-mail: info@hslda.org Web: http://www.hslda.org ---------------------------------------------------------------------- How To Subscribe: - Subscribe to the HSLDA E-lert Service at our website: https://secure.hslda.org/hslda/elert/account.asp?Process=Subscribe - Or send an e-mail with name and complete mailing address to: subscribe@hslda.org ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscription Information: - You subscribed to the HSLDA E-lert Service as: {{Email}} - To unsubscribe from the HSLDA E-lert Service send an e-mail from the e-mail address you want to unsubscribe to: unsubscribe@hslda.org - To change your e-mail address or make other changes to your subscription, visit the HSLDA E-lert Service account web page at: https://secure.hslda.org/hslda/elert/account.asp ---------------------------------------------------------------------- POSTMASTERS: This message is being sent to the most recent address we have for our subscribers. If this is an invalid e-mail address or you have other problems, please reply to webmaster@hslda.org. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- DISCLAIMER: This is considered a private and confidential message from HSLDA to its bonafide HSLDA E-lert Service subscribers. HSLDA cannot attest to the authenticity of copies posted, forwarded, or sent by any party other than HSLDA. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- NOTE: Please do not reply or otherwise use this e-mail address; hslda@hslda.org is for broadcast purposes only and is not intended to receive incoming messages. We cannot reply to any e-mail sent to this address. If you have comments or questions, please send e-mail to info@hslda.org or call HSLDA at 540-338-5600. HSLDA members can also e-mail staff directly through the Members website at http://members.hslda.org/contact.asp. Thank you for your cooperation. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | |
