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| Date: From: Subject: | 3/17/2004 5:00:29 PM Home School Legal Defense Association New York--Calls Needed to Senate to Stop Discrimination Against College Bound Homeschoolers! |
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====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== March 17, 2004 New York--Calls Needed to Senate to Stop Discrimination Against College Bound Homeschoolers! Dear HSLDA members and friends: Please call your State Senator now to urge them to vote in favor of Senate Bill 6094 which HSLDA helped draft. New York is only one of three states in the country that is faced with statewide discrimination against homeschoolers seeking college admission. Many honor students currently in college are being told they cannot graduate without a GED. Other families are receiving letters from their school district refusing to acknowledge that their homeschool program is equivalent--so the homeschool student can't be admitted to college under that option. With your calls we can help enact legislation that will stop discrimination against homeschool graduates as they try to enroll in New York state colleges and universities! Requested Action Please contact your State Senator with this message: "Please help homeschool graduates trying to enter New York state colleges and universities and vote for Senate Bill 6094. The current regulations discriminate against students with a homeschool diploma and require them to obtain a GED certificate or statement from the school district verifying that the homeschool program is equivalent to the public school program. A GED carries the stigma of a drop out and homeschool graduates are high school graduates. Under state law a homeschool program is deemed to be equivalent if a family complies with the regulations, but most school districts are unwilling to provide an official endorsement of a homeschool program. Please act to ensure that homeschool graduates are not discriminated against and pass SB 6094." You can find your own State Senator by calling the Legislative Assistance and Services office at (518) 455-3216 or by using HSLDA's legislative toolbox at http://www.hslda.org/toolbox Reasons We Support This Legislation Senate Bill 6094 would: 1) Prohibit the Commissioner from requiring pupils who have completed the requirements of a homeschool education or a non-public school program to obtain or submit proof of having obtained a general education development (GED) certificate or any accredited diploma; and 2) Require that the Regents evaluate and consider all applicants from a homeschool educational or a non-public school program in a fair and nondiscriminatory manner. 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: HSLDA filed the Owens case in federal court to end discrimination against homeschoolers already in college. For more information, see http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?ID=1404 2) Legislation: HSLDA helped draft 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=1405 3) Convince the Board of Regents by grassroots pressure to voluntarily change their regulations and develop new favorable regulations patterned after Senator Robach's bill. We have communicated with the State Education Department to inform them of the current discrimination against homeschoolers. They had 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=1406 Your calls will help get this needed legislation passed and enable the state universities and community colleges in New York to open their doors to more homeschool students. Thanks for standing with us for freedom! Sincerely, Chris Klicka Senior Counsel Home School Legal Defense Association {{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. ====================================================================== | |
