| From the HSLDA E-lert Service: |
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| Date: From: Subject: | 4/2/2003 12:12:23 PM Home School Legal Defense Association Missouri--Hearing Today on Compulsory Attendance Bill |
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---------------------------------------------------------------------- From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- April 2, 2003 Dear HSLDA Members and Friends, Your help is urgently needed today to help defeat a bill that would expand the government's control over school-age children. The House Education Committee will hold a hearing on House Bill 45 today, April 2, at 5:00 PM. H.B. 45 raises the age of compulsory attendance to 18 years of age across the state. HSLDA and Families for Home Education oppose this bill since it would increase the time during which the state has the potential to exercise jurisdiction over our children. ACTION REQUESTED 1. Call as many members of the committee as possible, especially your own representative if he or she is on the committee, and courteously express your opposition to H.B. 45. Your message can be as simple as: "I urge you to vote against H.B. 45. It wastes taxpayers' money. Statistics show that forcing older teenagers to attend school does not improve graduation rates." Remember that the committee members may not be familiar with the bills yet. Since these bills affect all residents, it is not necessary to identify yourself as a homeschooler. Go to our legislative toolbox at http://www.hslda.org/toolbox to find out who your state representative is. Members of House Education Committee: Jane Cunningham, (573) 751-1186 Brian Baker, (573) 751-2175 Bob Behnen, (573) 751-0224 Walt Bivins, (573) 751-9766 Jerry Bough, (573) 751-2565 Sharon Brooks, (573) 751-1309 Michael Corcoran, (573) 751-0855 D.J. Davis, (573) 751-1500 Gary Dusenberg, (573) 751-1487 Yaphett El-Amin, (573) 751-2198 Doug Ervin, (573) 751-2238 Kathlyn Fares, (573) 751-1285 Barbara Fraser, (573) 751-4163 Jeff Harris, (573) 751-9753 Esther Haywood, (573) 751-4468 Jim Lembke, (573) 751-2315 Bob May, (573) 751-5713 Danielle Moore, (573) 751-5226 Sherman Parker, (573) 751-2176 Sue Schoemehl, (573) 751-9804 Juanita Walton, (573) 751-5538 Kevin Wilson, (573) 751-9781 Yvonne Wilson, (573) 751-9758 Terry Young, (573) 751-9851 2. Please attend the hearing to show your opposition. The hearing will be held in Hearing Room 3 in the basement of the capitol building in Jefferson City at 5:00 PM, April 2. 3. Pass this on to others. Remember that H.B.45 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. These bills would require homeschool families to submit to at least one more year of governmental red tape and threat of legal action in the event of an alleged violation. They would restrict parents' freedom to decide if their older teenager 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. In an apparent effort to appease people with religious convictions, H.B. 45 creates a new exception to the compulsory attendance law. Children whose parents object to public school attendance because of religious beliefs would be excused from compulsory attendance, but it would require the family to submit a written notice. This would be tantamount to registration. A religious exemption would be desirable as a stand-alone provision. It is not, however, worth subjecting thousands of 16 and 17 year olds whose parents do not have religious objections to one or two years more of government control. Our freedom is not a bargaining chip that we will trade away for the hope of some other benefit. Thank you for standing with us to protect 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. 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Thank you for your cooperation. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | |
