| From the HSLDA E-lert Service: |
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| Date: From: Subject: | 3/11/2002 1:34:35 PM Scott A. Woodruff, Esq., Staff Attorney of HSLDA Missouri--Legislation Would Raise Compulsory Attendance Age |
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---------------------------------------------------------------------- From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Missouri Members and Friends, The Missouri legislature recently acted on two bills that will negatively impact home education if passed into law. Both House Bill 1460 and its companion, Senate Bill 858, would allow metropolitan school districts to increase the age of compulsory attendance from 16 to 17. For the reasons detailed below, HSLDA strongly opposes these bills. ACTION REQUESTED Please call your senator and representative and give them this message: "Please oppose the compulsory attendance age bill S.B. 858. This bill is unnecessary, restricts parental choice, and wastes taxpayer money." (Refer to H.B. 1460 when you call your representative.) You do not need to identify yourself as a home schooler. If they ask, answer honestly. If they say, "This doesn't affect home schooling" respond courteously, "Can a high school dropout say he is home schooling in order to avoid compulsory attendance?" The correct answer is "yes." Then point out, "This does affect home schooling. Please oppose H.B. 1460 and S.B. 858." Call the Missouri capitol switchboard at 573-751-3659 and ask to be connected to your state representative or senator. If you do not know who your senator or representative is you can locate them through HSLDA's "Legislative Toolbox" located at: http://www.hslda.org/toolbox. HSLDA'S REASONS FOR OPPOSING H.B. 1460 AND S.B. 858 Children are BEST educated when PARENTS have the freedom to make individual choices regarding their children's education. These bills further limit the cherished right of parents to determine what is best for their children. When parental freedoms are respected, some parents will choose to continue educating their children beyond the age of compulsory attendance. Others, including those with children who have excelled academically as many home schoolers do, will cease education when the child reaches the age of compulsory attendance. This decision, however, must remain the prerogative of the parent, not the state. Raising the compulsory attendance age limits parental choice regarding the education of their children, thereby diminishing the effectiveness of education. If these bills are enacted, the compulsory attendance age will be fragmented across the state. This would be especially problematic for families who move from one school district to another. If a family with a 16-year-old graduate moves from a district with a compulsory age of 16, to a district with a compulsory age of 17, they would be required to continue the formal education of this student because of the higher compulsory age in the new district. A family will no longer know for certain what the compulsory attendance age is in the district they live in unless they contact the school district. Fracturing the compulsory attendance age will create problems in other areas of the law, including confusion regarding employment 16- year-olds. Beyond the infringement upon parental rights, these bills also propose a dangerous precedent for making substantive changes to the law. It is improper to delegate authority to a school district to restrict parental choice regarding the education of their children. Changes to the compulsory attendance law should be made by the legislature, and not be left to the whim of the local school district. BACKGROUND H.B. 1460 and S.B. 858 are identical bills that give metropolitan school districts the ability to raise the top end of the compulsory attendance age from 16 to 17. This change in would affect not only students who attend public schools, but also private school and home school students. Home schoolers would not know for sure what the age of compulsory attendance is in their area without contacting the school district, something they are not and should not be required to do. H.B. 1460 (sponsored by Representative Robert Hilgemann) passed out of the Miscellaneous Bills and Resolutions Committee on February 28, 2002. The bill is now before the full House but has not been placed on the calendar at this time. You can read the text of H.B. 1460 at: http://www.house.state.mo.us/bills02/bills02/hb1460.htm. S.B. 858 (sponsored by Senator Patrick Dougherty) was passed by the Senate Education Committed on March 6, 2002. The bill is now before the full Senate but has not been placed on the calendar at this time. Read the text of S.B. 858 at: http://www.senate.state.mo.us/02info/bills/sb858.htm. Both bills carefully exclude home schoolers, but this creates a "loophole" that will seriously damage the reputation of home schooling families in Missouri. If dropouts can avoid compulsory attendance by saying that they are home schooling, they will do so. We must not let this happen. Thank you for standing strong with us to protect the right of parents to educate their children. Sincerely yours, Scott A. Woodruff, Esq. {{JoinAd}} ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The HSLDA E-lert Service is a service of: Home School Legal Defense Association P.O. 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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. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | |
