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| Date: From: Subject: | 5/17/2005 12:21:09 PM Home School Legal Defense Association Pennsylvania - Calls Needed to Oppose Lowering the Compulsory Attendance Age |
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====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== May 17, 2005 Pennsylvania - Calls Needed to Oppose Lowering the Compulsory Attendance Age Dear HSLDA members and friends: Your calls are needed to stop a bill to expand the compulsory attendance law before it goes any further. House Bill 377, legislation which would lower the compulsory attendance age from eight to six in the Philadelphia school district, is now being considered by the House Appropriations Committee. As we previously reported to you, this bill passed the House Education Committee on April 4, 2005. This bill went through two readings in the full House, but last week it was referred to the Appropriations Committee to consider its fiscal impact on the Commonwealth's budget. We have one more opportunity to stop this bill at the committee level before it returns to the full House for a final vote. Although this bill will only affect the Philadelphia school district, we are concerned that the next step the General Assembly will take is expanding this compulsory attendance requirement to all school districts in Pennsylvania. This has been the pattern that similar legislation has followed in other states. There is a qualified exemption in the bill for homeschooling parents whose children are between age six and eight, in that they would not have to comply with the home education statute until their children reach the current compulsory attendance age of eight. However, these parents would still have to notify the local school district that they intend to provide their child's education between ages six and eight. How the state would determine that a parent is providing this education is yet to be determined. HSLDA opposes any legislation lowering the compulsory attendance age because it further erodes parental rights in making decisions which affect the educational preparedness of their children. ACTION REQUESTED: 1. Please contact the Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee with this message: "Please vote against House Bill 377. This bill restricts a parent's right to choose when a child is ready for formal education. This bill will also waste taxpayer dollars, since there is nothing to indicate that early schooling results in any educational advantage for the child." The contact information for the Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee is as follows: Representative Brett Feese 245 Main Capitol Building Harrisburg, PA 17756 (717) 787-5270 Fax: (717) 705-2020 bfeese@pahousegop.com 2. Please forward this e-mail to every family you know who is not a member of HSLDA and urge them to contact the Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee with this same message. BACKGROUND: Many education experts have concluded that beginning a child's formal education too early may actually result in burnout and poor scholastic performance later. Lowering the compulsory attendance age erodes the authority of parents who are in the best position to determine when their child's formal education should begin. The bill would restrict parents' freedom to decide if their children are ready for school. 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 school. For more information on compulsory attendance, please see our memorandum at http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?ID=2051. Sincerely, Dewitt T. 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Thank you for your cooperation. ====================================================================== | |
