| From the HSLDA E-lert Service: |
< BACK TO ARCHIVE |
| Date: From: Subject: | 6/23/2003 2:47:43 PM Home School Legal Defense Association Idaho--Task Force Considers Regulating Homeschoolers; Urgent Email Needed |
|
---------------------------------------------------------------------- From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- June 23, 2003 Dear HSLDA Members and Friends, In a surprise development, Idaho homeschoolers are suddenly faced with the possibility of mandatory registration, testing, and oversight. An Education Task Force appointed by the Governor is scheduled to vote tomorrow on recommendations for regulating homeschoolers. Your email and faxes are needed today and tomorrow morning to let the Governor's Task Force know homeschoolers do not need or want any more regulation. If the measures are enacted, any student who fails to register or who fails to score at grade level on the Idaho Standard Achievement Test (ISAT) could be forced to attend public school. The Education Committee has a number of members whom we believe are philosophically opposed to home education, including the Executive Director of the Idaho Education Association (IEA) and four professional educators, making the potential for harm more likely-- UNLESS the Task Force hears from you now. ACTION REQUESTED IMMEDIATELY email or fax this message (in your own words) to Governor Dirk Kempthorne and the members of the Task Force listed below: "Homeschooling works without needless government oversight. Please reject all recommendations to add restrictions on homeschooling freedoms. Studies document that more government regulations DO NOT make better homeschool students." Include a paragraph about the success of your homeschool too and send today or tomorrow morning to the following people: 1) Send an email or fax to all Task Force members. Begin "Dear Members of the Governor's Blue Ribbon Task Force..." and it will be routed to all 47 members. Email: cbrush@jobservice.us, Fax: 208- 332-7417. 2) Governor Dirk Kempthorne Email: governor@gov.state.id.us Fax: 208-334-2175 3) Lt. Governor James Risch Email: jrisch@lgo.state.id.us Fax: 208-334-2175 BACKGROUND Governor Dirk Kempthorne created his 2020 Blue Ribbon Task Force during October 2002. The 47 members of the Task Force were assigned to five committees including an Education Committee. Each committee was charged with the task of producing a "blueprint that will guide development of an efficient, effective system of government that we hope will serve Idaho for at least the next 20 years." Each committee then generated and considered "Draft Recommendations" attempting to fulfill this goal within the area of its jurisdiction. Recently, the Idaho Coalition of Home Educators (ICHE) received a report that a Draft Recommendation concerning home education was under consideration by the Education Committee. Ray Smelek, responded to the ICHE's inquiries and forwarded a copy of the Draft Recommendation which he had drafted in consultation with personnel from the Idaho Department of Education. The Education Committee is scheduled to consider the Draft Recommendation at its final meeting this Tuesday, June 24, 2003. If adopted, it would then be presented to the full Task Force on that same day. If approved by the Task Force, the Recommendation would then be forwarded to the Governor to begin the process of seeking its implementation. Mr. Smelek, to his credit, after hearing arguments from Barry Peters of ICHE, promised he will personally recommend to the Education Committee "no action" on the Draft Recommendation on Homeschooling. The Draft Recommendation requires: > Mandatory registration and oversight of all homeschoolers by their local school districts; > Required testing of all homeschoolers on the Idaho Standard Achievement Test (ISAT); > Forced remediation and reassessment of any homeschool student failing to score at grade level as required of public school students; > Truancy and juvenile criminal prosecution of students and parents failing to comply with these requirements. Please pray and take time to contact the Task Force and Governor. Your action will make a difference! Yours for freedom, Christopher Klicka 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 Email: 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 email 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 email from the email address you want to unsubscribe to: unsubscribe@hslda.org - To change your email 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 email 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 email address; hslda@hslda.org is for broadcast purposes only and is not intended to receive incoming messages. We cannot reply to any email sent to this address. If you have comments or questions, please send email to info@hslda.org or call HSLDA at 540-338-5600. HSLDA members can also email staff directly through the Members website at http://members.hslda.org/contact.asp. Thank you for your cooperation. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | |
