| From the HSLDA E-lert Service: |
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| Date: From: Subject: | 2/14/2003 5:48:08 PM Home School Legal Defense Association Maine--Legislation Would Raise Compulsory Attendance Age |
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---------------------------------------------------------------------- From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- February 14, 2003 Dear HSLDA Members and Friends, Each year HSLDA works to defeat legislation that would expand the government's control over school-age children. Legislative Document (LD) 390 raises the age of compulsory school attendance from 17 years of age to 18 years of age. This would apply to all children in the Maine, including homeschoolers. We oppose all attempts to expand the compulsory attendance age since it would increase the years the state has jurisdiction over our children. LD 390 will receive a hearing in the Joint Education and Cultural Affairs Committee on Wednesday, February 19 at 9:00 AM in Room 214 of the Cross Building. This is the same room where the hearing on LD 160 was held on Feb. 11. ACTION REQUESTED 1. Attend the committee meeting to show your opposition. 2. Call as many of the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee members listed as you can and express your opposition to L.D. 390: "We urge you to vote against L.D. 390. It wastes taxpayers' money. Statistics show that compelling 17 year olds to attend school does not improve graduation rates." 3. Pass this on to others. Remember that L.D. 390 would affect all parents, not just those who homeschool. BACKGROUND Raising the compulsory attendance age will not reduce the dropout rate. In fact, the two states with the highest high school completion rates (Maryland, 94.5% and North Dakota, 94.7%) compel attendance only to age 16, but the state with the lowest completion rate (Oregon, 75.4%) compels attendance to age 18. (Figures are three year averages, 1996 through 1998.) Most states (29) only require attendance to age 16. Older children who are unwilling to learn can cause classroom disruptions and even violence, making learning harder for their classmates who truly want to learn. When California raised the age of compulsory attendance, unwilling students were so disruptive that new schools had to be built just to handle them and their behavior problems, all at the expense of the taxpayer. This bill would require homeschool families to submit to another year of governmental red tape and threat of legal action in the event of an alleged violation. It would restrict parents' freedom to decide if their 17 year old is ready for college or the workforce. Some 17 year olds who are not academically inclined benefit more from valuable work experience than from being forced to sit in a classroom. Thank you for your efforts for freedom! Sincerely, Scott A. Woodruff HSLDA Staff Attorney {{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. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | |
