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| Date: From: Subject: | 11/10/2003 3:01:14 PM Home School Legal Defense Association New York--Calls Needed To The NY Board Of Regents To Stop Homeschool Discrimination |
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====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== November 10, 2003 Dear HSLDA Members and Friends, Do you want your child to have the option of attending college in New York someday? Do you want a homeschool diploma to mean something? If your answers are yes then we need you to continue to contact the Board of Regents in order to stop the unnecessary discrimination against homeschool graduates seeking admission to colleges in New York. This past June, many of you contacted them. Although they heard us, there is still no change. New York is the only state with a statewide policy requiring homeschool graduates to obtain a GED or a letter of recognition from their local public school district to gain admission to college. Even homeschoolers already in college must now pass the GED test to graduate! Let's stop this discrimination by informing the Board of Regents, who govern the college system in New York and ask them to change this policy now. REQUESTED ACTION Please contact your Board of Regent and at-large members and deliver this message: "Please immediately rescind the policy issued by the Deputy Commissioner of Higher Education (Oct. 11, 2002) regarding homeschool graduates seeking admission to college and financial aid. This policy discriminates against students with homeschool diplomas and forces them to obtain a letter of recognition from the public school (who usually do not give these letters) or obtain a GED. A GED carries the stigma of a drop out; homeschool graduates are high school graduates." Write or call the Board of Regents below: Robert M. Bennett, Chancellor - Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming 201 Millwood Lane Tonawanda, NY 14150 Phone: (716) 694-6783 Adelaide L. Sanford, Vice Chancellor - At Large New York State Education Department 55 Hanson Place Brooklyn, NY 11217-1580 Phone: (718) 722-2807 Diane O'Neill McGivern - Kings and Richmond 95 West Entry Road, Country Club Grounds Staten Island, NY 10304 Phone: (718) 667-6334 Saul B. Cohen - At Large 82 Taymil Road New Rochelle, NY 10804 Phone: (914) 633-7889 James C. Dawson - Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Montgomery, St. Lawrence, Saratoga, Schenectady, Warren and Washington 2 Birchwood Drive Peru, NY 12972 Phone: (518) 643-9289 Robert M. Johnson - Nassau and Suffolk 2 Skunk Hollow Road Huntington, NY 11743 Phone: (212) 229-7200 Anthony S. Bottar - Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Oneida, Onondaga, and Oswego 407 South Warren Street Syracuse, NY 13202 Phone: (315) 422-3466 Merryl H. Tisch - At Large 9 East 79th Street New York, N.Y. 10021 Phone: (212) 879-9414 Geraldine Chapey, - Queens 107-10 Shore Front Parkway, Apt. 9C Belle Harbor, NY 11694 Phone: (718) 634-8471 Arnold B. Gardner - At Large 120 Delaware Avenue Buffalo, N.Y. 14202 Phone: (716) 845-6000 Harry Phillips III - Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland and Westchester 71 Hawthorne Way Hartsdale, NY 10530 Phone: (914) 948-2228 Joseph E. Bowman, Jr.- Albany, Columbia, Greene, Rensselaer, Schoharie, Sullivan and Ulster ED 124, School of Education, University at Albany 1400 Washington Avenue Albany, NY 12222 Phone: (518) 442-4987 Lorraine A. Cortes-Vazquez - Bronx 130 William Street, 9th Floor Manhattan, N.Y. 10038 Phone (212) 233-8955 Judith O. Rubin Judicial District I - New York 911 Park Avenue New York, NY 10021 Phone (212) 535-6942 James R. Tallon, Jr - Broome, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Madison, Otsego, Schuyler, Tioga, Tompkins United Hospital Fund, Empire State Building 350 Fifth Avenue, 23rd Floor New York, N.Y. 10118-0110 Phone (212) 494-0777 Milton L. Cofield - Cayuga, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne, Yates 98 Hickory Ridge Road Rochester, N.Y. 14625 Phone (585) 248-8494 BACKGROUND Beginning in the 2002-03 school year, homeschoolers are experiencing an increase in discrimination due to the implementation of a previously dormant New York State Education Department policy. This policy is preventing colleges from recognizing a 9-12 grade homeschool education as being sufficient to enroll in either a State University of New York or community college. A private diploma issued by the parent, which millions of homeschool students across the U.S. receive, is not recognized by the state of New York. The Deputy Commissioner of Higher Education issued a policy statement October 2002 saying a homeschooler must produce either a GED, a letter from their school district recognizing the legitimacy of their academic program, or they must enroll in a special GED program that requires completion of 24 specific credit hours in college. Homeschoolers often do not want to obtain a GED since it carries the stigma of a dropout. Homeschoolers are not dropouts; they are completing a full high school education. In addition, most school districts refuse to provide documentation legitimizing a homeschool education because of the liabilities involved. They will not recognize any homeschool program as sufficient, even if the family has followed the requirements of the law. The "special" GED option is difficult for many homeschool students who do not want to take all of the 24 credit hours required. This makes it difficult for them to complete their majors in fields other than those covered by the 24 credit hours. Homeschoolers are also facing colleges who refuse to grant them financial aid, even though they are eligible. Although there are some state-specific grants and financial aid monies available governed by state law, many of these colleges are violating the federal Higher Education Act, which clearly states that any student who "has completed a high school education in a homeschool setting" is eligible for federal financial aid. The U.S. Department of Education allows for homeschoolers to self-certify their homeschool diplomas. Colleges should ask no further questions and place no additional obstacles before homeschoolers seeking financial aid. The Home School Legal Defense Association has represented many homeschool graduates who are refused entry into state colleges. All studies completed at this point show that homeschoolers generally score above average on standardized achievement tests at both elementary and secondary levels. Furthermore, studies completed at universities show that homeschool graduates have higher grade point averages than graduates from traditional schools. This demonstrates only one thing: homeschooling works. HSLDA recently filed suit against the state in Owens v. Parrinello to help those homeschoolers who are already admitted into college. This case involves Paul Owens, a homeschool graduate attending Monroe Community College in Rochester, New York, who was notified recently that his admission to the Marketing program had been revoked because he had been homeschooled. We are working with New York's Loving Education At Home (LEAH) at three levels: 1) Litigation: the Owens case to help those students already in college. 2) Legislation: we drafted legislation which will be introduced next year to change this discriminatory policy. We have recently located sponsors. 3) Convince the Board of Regents by grassroots pressure to voluntarily rescind their policy and write up new favorable regulations. We have met with the Deputy Commissioner of Education and others to inform them of the current discrimination against homeschoolers. They have made promises to submit a proposal to the Board of Regents to end the discrimination but none has been submitted thus far. Your calls will show the Board of Regents of the immediate need to end the discrimination against homeschoolers. State universities and community colleges in New York should be open to all students. Thanks for standing with us for freedom! Sincerely, Chris Klicka HSLDA Senior Counsel {{JoinAd}} ====================================================================== The HSLDA E-lert Service is a service of: Home School Legal Defense Association P.O. 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