| From the HSLDA E-lert Service: |
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| Date: From: Subject: | 1/6/2004 5:22:08 PM Home School Legal Defense Association New Jersey -- Restrictive Homeschool Law Proposed, calls needed immediately |
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====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== January 6, 2004 Dear HSLDA members and friends: A bill that would force New Jersey homeschool children to submit to the same statewide assessment tests required of public school students, and force their parents to give the local school board proof the student had received an annual medical examination, is set to be introduced in the New Jersey legislature this Thursday. The bill would also give the State Board of Education power to impose regulations on homeschool families. Homeschooled students would be forced to take the assessment tests in a public school. (For full text of bill, go to http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=1257) Your help is needed immediately to convince the sponsors of the bill, AB 4033, that it should NOT be introduced. Action Requested 1. Immediately call all the sponsors of the bill (contact information is below). 2. Explain to them that the bill should NOT be introduced. Your message can be as simple as, "Please withdraw as sponsor of AB 4033 and do all you can to prevent it from being introduced as planned this Thursday. The bill violates federal law and could cause the loss of federal money." 3. Pass this message along to others. Contact information for sponsors: 1. Assemblywoman Loretta Weinberg (D) (201) 928-0100 , AswWeinberg@njleg.org 2.Assemblyman Gordon M. Johnson (D) (201) 541-1118, AsmJohnson@njleg.org 3. Assemblywoman Joan M. Quigley (D) (201) 217-4614, AswQuigley@njleg.org Reasons to Oppose AB 4033 1. HR 1, signed by President Bush exactly one year ago, prohibits states from requiring that homeschoolers take the state assessment designed for public school students. New Jersey would lose federal funds if AB 4033 is enacted, since it violates this requirement. 2. State assessment tests are designed to test material taught in the public school curriculum. Homeschool children do not use the public school curriculum. It would be unfair to test them on material not covered in their individual homeschool programs. 3. The statute does not say what score is needed to "pass." The Board of Education however, may have power under the bill to determine the passing score. A passing score imposed by a bureaucracy would not take into account the individual learning characteristics and abilities of each unique child. 4. No state requires an annual medical examination for homeschoolers. 5. This bill is being introduced at the very end of the legislative session, and it is highly unlikely it would pass before the session ends in a few days. Often bills introduced at the end of a session are to "test the waters" for filing the bill in the next session. We need to send a "tidal wave" message that this bill should not be introduced-now or ever. Thank you for standing with us for freedom in New Jersey! Sincerely, Scott 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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