| From the HSLDA E-lert Service: |
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| Date: From: Subject: | 7/30/2003 5:00:00 PM Home School Legal Defense Association Hanover County, Virginia--Important Religious Exemption Meetings |
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---------------------------------------------------------------------- From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- July 30, 2003 Dear HSLDA Members and Friends, Early last week Hanover County Public Schools sent a letter to homeschoolers who are on record in Hanover County as having a religious exemption inviting them to participate in focus groups to discuss religious exemption policy. This creates an opportunity for homeschool families to have additional impact. RECOMMENDED ACTION 1. If you received an invitation, call Rosemarie Stocky (Director of Instructional Support) at 804-365-4615, and tell her you would like to participate. I will forward a review of the issues likely to be discussed. 2. If you received recognition of your religious exemption in another county, you probably did not receive an invitation. You may call Rosemarie Stocky and ask to participate in the focus group. If you have any question about how this could raise possible legal issues for your family, please call me. 3. Rosemarie Stocky has asked that people contact her by Friday, August 1, if they are interested in being in the focus group. MEETING WITH SCHOOL OFFICIALS On Wednesday, July 23, Joe Guarino of Home Educators Association of Virginia and I met with Yvonne Wellford (an attorney for the school system), Dr. Rosemarie Stocky, Dr. Jamelle Wilson (incoming Assistant Superintendent for Instructional Leadership), and the outgoing Assistant Superintendent for Instructional Leadership. We had a lengthy discussion about the status of religious exemption policy and regulations. These officials now understand the need for revising the exemption policy better than before. BACKGROUND About July 1, Superintendent Stewart Roberson sent two letters. The first was sent to reassure families who file a notice of intent. This letter said, in part, that "...the revised regulation does not address families..." who file the notice of intent. This is only partly true, however. The revised regulation affects all families, including those now filing a notice of intent, who may apply for the religious exemption in the future. A second letter was sent to families with recognized religious exemptions. It said that families whose religious exemption had already been acknowledged would not need to take any further action concerning their exemption for the 2003-2004 school year. It also said families applying for an exemption would not be subject to the new regulation for the time being. Your phone calls helped persuade the Board to suspend the operation of the new regulation, allowing time for re-examination. Thank you for working to help to protect the freedom to homeschool in Hanover County! We must not accept the Superintendent's apparent assumption that homeschoolers who file the notice of intent do not care about what happens to our fellow homeschoolers under the religious exemption. A policy that hurts one group hurts the other. Many families switch from one option to the other at some point in time. The freedom to exercise both options must be protected fully. All homeschoolers must continue to help when the freedom to practice either option is threatened. Sincerely yours, 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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