| From the HSLDA E-lert Service: |
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| Date: From: Subject: | 2/13/2003 5:04:43 PM Home School Legal Defense Association Montana--Victory in on Senate Bill 276 |
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---------------------------------------------------------------------- From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- February 13, 2003 Dear HSLDA Members and Friends, Good News! Yesterday, the Montana Senate Education Committee voted 9- 1 to "postpone indefinitely" Senate Bill 276. This action effectively kills the bill. I testified before the Committee at the hearing on Monday, pointing out that there were three reasons why we opposed this bill. First, it would result in a violation of the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, placing Montana in jeopardy of losing all federal funding for education. Last year, Home School Legal Defense Association successfully lobbied Congress to add a provision that prohibited states from mandating that state assessments for homeschoolers. Second, this legislation was unconstitutional because it is fundamentally unfair for the state to test students on course content they have not been taught. S.B. 276 would have effectively eliminated the right of parents in Montana to direct the education of their children by requiring them to teach the public school curriculum. Third, after 20 years of homeschooling under Montana's current law, there was no reason to begin to impose state testing on homeschool students. This victory would not have been possible without the support of many Montana homeschooling families, many of whom attended the Committee meeting. The hearing room was packed to overflowing with almost 500 homeschoolers and representatives of nonpublic schools. Only one person, the bill's sponsor, spoke in favor of the bill, whereas over 50 people testified against it. We also thank all of you who called and wrote their senators opposing the bill. Each Committee member received an average of 300 letters in opposition to this bill. For more background information on this legislation visit our website at: http://www.hslda.org/Legislation/State/mt/2003/MTSB276/default.asp Sincerely, 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | |
