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| Date: From: Subject: | 1/30/2004 5:34:52 PM Home School Legal Defense Association South Dakota--Calls Urgently Needed to Stop Compulsory Attendance Bill |
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====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== January 30, 2004 Dear South Dakota HSLDA members and friends: A bill that would increase the compulsory attendance age from 16 to 18 is scheduled for a hearing. Your help is needed immediately to stop this attempt to undermine parental authority over our teenagers. The House Education Committee's hearing on House Bill (H.B.) 1230, is scheduled for Tuesday, February 3, 2004. ACTION REQUESTED 1. Please call your Representative, if he or she is listed below as a member of the House Education Committee, and give him or her a message such as: "Please oppose the compulsory attendance age bill H.B. 1230. This bill is unnecessary, restricts parental choice, and wastes taxpayer money." You do not need to identify yourself as a homeschooler. If you do not know who your senator or representative is you can locate them through HSLDA's "Legislative Toolbox" located at: http://www.hslda.org/toolbox. 2. Please come to the hearing on Tuesday to demonstrate your conviction that parents alone should determine whether 16 and 17 year olds should receive formal education or some other form of preparation for adult responsibilities. The hearing will be in room 412 at 10 A.M. 3. Please pass this on to others. Time is short. This bill affects everyone who believes parents, not bureaucrats, should guide the future of 16 and 17 year olds. South Dakota House of Representatives Education Committee Members: Tim Begalka: Home: 605-874-2288 Jim Bradford: Home: 605-867-5369 Mike Buckingham: Home: 605-343-7657 Joel D. Dykstra: Home: 605-764-6399 Burt Elliot: Home: 605-225-7136 Jeffrey K. Haverly: Home: 605-390-5839 Phyllis M. Heineman, Chair: Home: 605-339-2167 Kent Juhnke, Vice-Chair: Home: 605-683-6661 Maurice LaRue: Home: 605-720-2353 Matt McCaulley: Home: 605-728-7399 Alice McCoy: Home: 605-716-6814 Ed McLaughlin: Home: 605-343-8713 Donna Schafer: Home: 605-624-4819 Bill Thompson: Home: 605-339-9836 Thomas J. Van Norman: Home: 605-964-8665 On Monday, please call the State Capitol at 605-773-3851, and ask to leave a message for your representative listed above. 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 at 94.5% and North Dakota at 94.7%, compel attendance only to age 16. The state with the lowest completion rate (Oregon: 75.4%) compels attendance to age 18. (Figures are three year averages, 1996 through 1998.) - Twenty-nine states only require attendance to age 16. Older children unwilling to learn can cause classroom disruptions and even violence, making learning harder for their classmates who truly want to learn. - It would restrict parents' freedom to decide if their 16 year old is ready for college or the workforce. Some 16 year olds who are not academically inclined benefit more from valuable work experience than from being forced to sit in a classroom. - Another significant impact of expanding the compulsory attendance age would be an inevitable tax increase to pay for more classroom space and teachers to accommodate the additional students compelled to attend public schools. 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. You can read the text of the bill at http://legis.state.sd.us/sessions/2004/bills/HB1230p.htm Thank you for standing with us for freedom. Sincerely yours, Scott A. Woodruff, Esq. 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. ====================================================================== | |
