| From the HSLDA E-lert Service: |
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| Date: From: Subject: | 3/4/2003 3:54:32 PM Home School Legal Defense Association West Virginia--Calls Urgently Needed, House Education Committee Guts Homeschool Bill |
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---------------------------------------------------------------------- From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- March 4, 2003 Dear HSLDA Members and Friends, The West Virginia House Education Committee has amended Senate Bill 181 (which was written to abolish the four-year rule) so that it would totally repeal West Virginia's homeschool law and create a new instrument of repression. As it currently stands, the bill would give the State Board of Education power to write the rules governing homeschooling. This would be disastrous for homeschool freedom. Time is short. The legislative session is scheduled to end Saturday. ACTION REQUESTED 1. Please call your delegate TODAY OR TOMORROW and ask him to vote against SB 181. Your message may be as simple as, "Please vote against SB 181. Our elected representatives, not bureaucrats, should make the laws regarding home education." 2. You can go to our website at www.hslda.org/toolbox and enter your zip code to find the name and contact information for your delegate. 3. Come to the state capitol as soon as possible and visit with your delegate. Call your delegate and make an appointment and talk to him face to face to help him understand the importance of this issue. 4. Pass this email on to every homeschool family and every person you know who respects individual rights. Ask them to join in the fight for homeschool freedom. BACKGROUND The State Board of Education is hostile to homeschooling and views it as a threat to their near-monopoly of education. They resent families who take their children out of the government education system because each family's decision cuts thousands of dollars from the pool of money they control. It takes little imagination to anticipate what the board would do to homeschooling if the legislature gives them power to make the rules over us. They would suddenly have the power to enforce their "wish list" of homeschool restrictions. They will use their power to pressure homeschoolers to go back into the corrupt government education system. The legislature must not allow those who are hostile to us to govern us. Members of the state board are appointed bureaucrats, not elected representatives of the people. Because of this, they are not accountable to the voters. If an elected representative does not do the will of the people, he can be removed at the next election. There is no way for voters to remove State Board of Education members. In states where bureaucrats have power to write regulations for homeschoolers, we have found homeschoolers constantly on the defensive. Regulators have the propensity to write more and more regulations. We have found that regulators often push through regulations despite overwhelming opposition. The Maine Department of Education proposed a harmful rule about a year ago. One hundred thirty homeschoolers attended the hearing to oppose the rule, and many more wrote letters and sent emails. Not a single person testified in favor of the rule. The department adopted the rule anyway. In Iowa, the state department of education violated a homeschool regulation it had adopted. When this was brought to their attention they said, "Well, maybe we just need to change the regulation." Although there is a procedure that allows the West Virginia legislature to overturn a state board regulation, as a practical matter, it rarely happens. For more information on this legislation visit our web page at: http://www.hslda.org/Legislation/State/WV/2003/WVSB181/default.asp Thank you for standing with us for freedom in this most urgent hour. Very truly yours, Scott W. Woodruff HSLDA Staff Attorney {{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. 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