| From the HSLDA E-lert Service: |
< BACK TO ARCHIVE |
| Date: From: Subject: | 1/13/2006 5:01:39 PM Home School Legal Defense Association HSLDA--Act Now to Stop House Bill 537 |
|
====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== Dear HSLDA members and friends, Delegate Harry Parrish (representing Manassas, Manassas Park, and nearby parts of Prince William County) has filed a bill, House Bill 537, that would make it much easier for your local superintendent to force you to stop homeschooling and dramatically increase the paperwork load for parents and school officials. Action requested: If you live in his district, call Del. Parrish and ask him to withdraw the bill. Emphasize that you live in his district. Your message can be as simple as: "I am one of your constituents. Please withdraw House Bill 537. It would dramatically increase unnecessary paperwork for families and school officials, and unfairly penalize parents and children." Call (804) 698-1050. You can also use our legislative toolbox online at http://capwiz.com/hslda/home/ . Del. Parrish's district includes all of Manassas and Manassas Park, the part of Prince William County surrounding Manassas Park, and the part of Prince William County sandwiched between Manassas, Fairfax County, Sudley Road, and I-66. Background: 1. The bill would require homeschool parents to notify the superintendent every time they make a change in their curriculum, causing pointless paperwork for parents and officials. Parents need the flexibility to periodically make the curriculum adjustments their child needs without the added burden of notifying an official every time. Flexibility is one reason homeschooling is so successful. 2. The bill would raise the required standardized test score from the 4th stanine (23rd percentile) to the 5th stanine (40th percentile). More parents would be unfairly forced to stop homeschooling, even though providing an excellent education. If a child in public school or private school scores in the 4th stanine, they are allowed to stay in the same educational setting. The same should be true for homeschooled children. Parents have the right to homeschool all their children, whether the children are average, above average or below average. 3. The bill greatly restricts the availability of probation following a lower-than-required test score. Current law gives families the right to probation if an adequate plan is filed. The bill empowers the superintendent to refuse to allow probation for any reason or no reason. Current law allows a full probationary year. The bill empowers superintendents to cut short a probationary year at any time. 4. Homeschooling works. Study after study has shown that homeschooled students score higher than others on standardized tests. Homeschooled students excel in college and in life after college. No new restrictions are warranted. 5. The trend nationwide is to reduce restrictions on homeschool families. Several states have repealed homeschool testing requirements recently so that now fewer than half the states require homeschool testing. This bill tries to turn back the clock to the day when harsher restrictions were common because little was known about the success of homeschooling. 6. The Home Educators Association of Virginia and Organization of Virginia Homeschoolers are also working to stop this bill. Sincerely Yours Scott A. Woodruff ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> How many acorns can a chipmunk hold in its cheeks? We don't know! But we do know that gathering little by little enables ordinary folks to prepare for hard times. That principle is behind HSLDA's payment plan: by paying a month at a time, families can receive an annual HSLDA membership. Meanwhile, they can feel secure as they homeschool and focus on other priorities -their children. Don't go nuts trying to pay for membership all at once. Choose one of our convenient payment plans. More reasons to join HSLDA... http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=1937 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ====================================================================== 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: ##ToAddress## - 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. ====================================================================== | |
