| From the HSLDA E-lert Service: |
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| Date: From: Subject: | 5/19/2005 1:19:47 PM Home School Legal Defense Association Nevada--Called Needed To Protect Your Constitutional Rights! |
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====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== May 19, 2005 Nevada--Called Needed To Protect Your Constitutional Rights! Dear HSLDA members and friends: We need your calls immediately to help restrain social workers in Nevada! Working with Frank Schnorbus of the Northern Nevada Home School Advisory Council, HSLDA introduced SB 402, a child welfare reform bill. This bill will require all social workers to be trained in their duty to protect your constitutional and statutory rights during an investigation. Furthermore, this bill will require social workers to inform you of the allegations against you during an investigation. Up until this point, social workers in Nevada often will not tell what the individual is accused of and simply demand entry into the home. They also are not currently trained in your Fourth Amendment rights. Amazingly, this bill has passed unanimously in the Senate. However, the Chairwoman of the Assembly Healthy and Human Services Committee, Sheila Leslie has said she will not allow it to be voted on Friday unless we can show that there are some favorable votes on her committee. We need your calls today and Friday or this much needed child welfare reform bill will die! ACTION REQUESTED: 1. Please call as many members of the Assembly Health and Human Services committee as possible and give them this message: "Please vote in favor of SB 402. This bill will give needed constitutional protections to Nevada citizens during child welfare investigations. If Nevada wants to continue to get federal funds for their child welfare agencies, they must pass this law in order to implement the federal law." Members of the Assembly Health and Human Services Committee are as follows: Sheila Leslie - Chair 775-684-8845 Kathy McClain - Vice Chair 775-684-8835 Susan Gerhardt 775-684-8855 William Horne 775-684-8847 Ellen Koivisto 775-684-8597 Bonnie Parnell 775-684-8825 Peggy Pierce 775-684-8599 Sharron Angle 775-684-8848 Joe Hardy 775-684-8857 Garn Mabey 775-684-8827 Valerie Weber 775-684-8833 2. Please forward this e-mail to every homeschooling family you know who is not a member of HSLDA and urge them to contact members of the Committee and their own state representative. BACKGROUND: On June 25, 2003, President George W. Bush signed into law the Keeping Children and Families Safe Act of 2003 (S. 342). HSLDA was able to attach two amendments that will protect families during the child investigative process. The bill requires child protective services workers to be trained in their duty to protect the statutory and constitutional rights of those they are investigating, and requires child protective services personnel to advise individuals subject to a child abuse and neglect investigation of the complaint or allegation made against them. This is the most significant reform on social worker investigations in the last decade. It is important to implement this legislation at the state level for the following reasons: 1. Protection for Homeschool Families. HSLDA deals with cases on a daily basis where a social worker is investigating a homeschool family because of false allegations. These tips, often supplied by those holding a grudge against home education, are often investigated aggressively. Social workers frequently demand to conduct physical inspections of homeschool children or to interview very young children outside the presence of their parents. Oftentimes social workers refuse to state the allegation they are investigating, and usually conduct the investigation in a manner that violates the 4th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. If these HSLDA provisions are enacted into Nevada law, they will provide crucial protection for innocent homeschool families and minimize the trauma of an investigation. 2. Federally Mandated. These reforms were passed at the federal level. The Department of Heath and Human Services has stated that the most efficient and effective implementation is if the provisions are codified at the state level. 3. Congress' Intent. If this bill is enacted into Nevada law, it will guarantee that Congressional intent is implemented properly and completely in order to not jeopardize the state's child welfare funding. 4. Social Worker Liability. If social workers are trained in the 4th Amendment and parental rights of families, they will be on notice of their duty to follow 4th Amendment due process, making themselves personally liable should they violate these rights. If this law is passed it will keep social workers properly chained by the Constitution. To view a copy of Senate Bill 402, please go to http://www.leg.state.nv.us/73rd/Reports/history.cfm?ID=2267 Sincerely, Chris Klicka HSLDA Senior Counsel ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> Is customer service an art or a science? For us, good customer service is both an art and a science -it should appeal to our members and be effective. Consider what our members say about us: The freedom HSLDA allows me to have as I homeschool is wonderful! They handle the law and I get to dedicate the time to my daughter. - National City, CA HSLDA members since 1993, our membership is just as important to us as our children's curriculum. Thank you HSLDA for all you do on our behalf! - West Valley, NY More reasons to join HSLDA... http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=1941 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ====================================================================== The HSLDA E-lert Service is a service of: Home School Legal Defense Association P.O. 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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. ====================================================================== | |
