| From the HSLDA E-lert Service: |
< BACK TO ARCHIVE |
| Date: From: Subject: | 3/11/2004 6:35:54 PM Home School Legal Defense Association New York--Help Stop State College Discrimination of Homeschool Students! |
|
====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== March 11, 2004 New York--Help Stop State College Discrimination of Homeschool Students! Dear HSLDA members and friends: Homeschoolers in New York are still having trouble with the college system. Many honor students currently in college are being told they cannot graduate without a GED. We have filed a lawsuit on behalf of one of these students. Other families are receiving letters from their school district refusing to acknowledge that their homeschool program is equivalent-- so the homeschool student cannot be admitted to college under that option. One homeschooled student with cancer, who is fulfilling all her college requirements, is being told she can't graduate without a GED. 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 again in order to stop the unnecessary discrimination against homeschool graduates seeking admission to colleges in New York. New York is only one of three states in the country that is faced with statewide discrimination against homeschoolers seeking college admission. HSLDA and LEAH have been working with the State Education Department to propose new regulations. Unfortunately, they have rejected our suggestions in their new proposal. It is just more of the same discrimination. Please write and call before March 22nd so your voices can be heard before the Board of Regents have their monthly meeting. Let's stop this discrimination by informing the Board of Regents, who govern the college system in New York, and ask them to reject the SED's proposal. Requested Action Please contact your Board of Regent and at-large members and deliver this message: "Please reject the proposed regulations of the State Education Department regarding homeschool college admission. These proposed regulations change nothing and can only make the situation worse. It goes one step further by requiring the superintendents' approval for homeschooled high school students to even take courses at their local community college as part of their high school program. Such approval is not currently required and would seriously and adversely impact the high school options for many homeschoolers. The proposed regulations discriminate against students with homeschool diplomas to obtain a GED. A GED carries the stigma of a drop out; homeschool graduates are high school graduates. Instead adopt new regulations based on SAT or ACT scores and proof of graduation with a self-certified transcript and diploma as recognized by the federal government. Work with the Home School Legal Defense Association and LEAH, the state homeschool association to create regulations that will not discriminate against homeschoolers." Please copy all letters to: Mr. Joseph Frey Office of Quality Assurance New York SED Room 977, Education Building Annex Albany, NY 12234 Write and 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) 722-2796 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 Dr. John Bardemas Judicial District I - New York Recently appointed so address is unknown at this time. Check http://www.regents.nysed.gov/terms.html or call the Board of Regents' main number at (518) 474-5889 for the latest information. 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. 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 was recently introduced as Senate Bill 6094 by Senator Robach to change this discriminatory policy. For more information on this bill, see (http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?ID=1397). 3) Convince the Board of Regents by grassroots pressure to voluntarily change their regulations and write up new favorable regulations patterned after Senator Robach's bill. 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 include our changes in their proposal to the Board of Regents to end the discrimination but did not. For more information, see (http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?ID=1398). 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. 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. ====================================================================== | |
