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| Date: From: Subject: | 10/5/2005 4:39:05 PM Home School Legal Defense Association Virginia--Negotiations Begin on Virginia Beach PSAT Denial |
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====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== Virginia--Negotiations Begin on Virginia Beach PSAT Denial Dear HSLDA members and friends: Administrative personnel in the City of Virginia Beach School system have informed families and representatives of homeschool organizations that homeschoolers will not be allowed to participate in the PSAT next week. This denial violates a new law passed last legislative session, which mandates that public schools make PSAT and AP testing available. HSLDA has been working on a number of possible solutions to this problem. First, we contacted Oaktree Academy and learned they were willing for homeschoolers to take the test with their own students. This relieved the immediate urgency and we notified our membership. Second, I called the Virginia Department of Education to gauge their willingness to issue an advisory memo to public schools urging them to allow homeschoolers to take the test. The department's response was not encouraging. Third, we learned that there might be an opportunity to bring this issue before the school board at last night's meeting. We made preparations to come to the meeting until we learned from the chairman that the PSAT issue was not on the agenda. Yvonne Bunn and student Ashley McCalister exhorted them to open the test to homeschoolers, but the board did not address the issue at the meeting. Fourth, on Monday I was able to talk with the chairman of the school board, Dan Edwards. I asked for his support in changing the school system's policy. He explained that they currently administer the PSAT on a school day, and having young people who are not students in the school buildings when classes are being held could be problematic. He was quite open, however, to discussing the possibility of the schools administering the test on Saturday. Schools would incur a minimal expense but I believe homeschoolers would be willing to share the cost in order to gain access to the PSAT. Dan Edwards followed up with me by email after this conversation, and I hope to work with him closely later this week to lay the foundation for a Saturday test for homeschool students. This morning I faxed him a copy of the form Loudoun County uses to register homeschoolers for the PSAT to give him a workable example. Home Educators Association of Virginia (HEAV) and Organization of Virginia Homeschoolers (OVH) have made valuable contributions, and we will continue to work with them as Virginia Beach moves towards welcoming its homeschool residents into the PSAT process. We will update you soon with the final results of our ongoing negotiations. Sincerely, Scott A. Woodruff, Esq. HSLDA Staff Attorney ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> 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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