| From the HSLDA E-lert Service: |
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| Date: From: Subject: | 1/19/2006 12:01:47 PM Home School Legal Defense Association HSLDA: Calls Needed to Colorado Senator to Withdraw Harmful Bill |
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====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== January 19, 2006 Dear HSLDA members and friends: Senate Bill 73, which will expand the state's control over your children for two more years, was introduced on Wednesday, January 11 and assigned to the Senate Education Committee. Your calls are needed until the end of January to oppose this bill before it gains momentum. At the end of the month we will be contacting Senator Tapia again to see if he will finally withdraw it. If not, we will send another elert asking you to contact the members of the Senate Education Committee. We are working in conjunction with Treon Goossen of Concerned Parents of Colorado to defeat this bill because we cannot allow the school age to be lowered from seven to six and raised from 16 to 17. Action Requested: During the month of January, please call the sponsor of the bill. Senator Tapia, and give him this message: "Please withdraw Senate Bill 73, which expands the compulsory attendance age. This bill is unnecessary. It restricts parental choice and wastes taxpayer money." Do not identify yourself as a homeschooler. You can ask for Senator Tapia by calling the Senate hotline at 1-888-473-8136. Or you can call Senator Tapia directly at 303-866-4878. Background: > Lowering the compulsory attendance age from seven to six and raising it from 16 to 17 would subject Colorado home educators to the requirements of the homeschool statute one year earlier and one year later than now required. (You do not need to share this reason with your legislators.) > 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. > Raising the compulsory attendance age will not reduce the dropout rate. In fact, the two states with the highest high school completion rates, Maryland at 94.5% and North Dakota at 94.7%, compel attendance only to age 16. The state with the lowest completion rate (Oregon: 75.4%) compels attendance to age 18. (Figures are three-year averages, 1996 through 1998.) > Twenty-nine states only require attendance to age 16. Older children unwilling to learn can cause classroom disruptions and even violence, making learning harder for their classmates who truly want to learn. > It would restrict parents' freedom to decide if their 16-year-old is ready for college or the workforce. Some 16-year-olds who are not academically inclined benefit more from valuable work experience than from being forced to sit in a classroom. > 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 schools. When California raised the age of compulsory attendance, unwilling students were so disruptive that new schools had to be built just to handle them and their behavior problems, all at the expense of the taxpayer. For more information on compulsory attendance, please see our memorandum at: http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=2791 Sincerely, Chris Klicka HSLDA Senior Counsel ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> You can only do so much... No one can be everywhere at once. And you can't be at home, teaching your children, while monitoring your state's legislature. Through electronic legislative services, HSLDA is monitoring state legislation for you-watching and listening carefully for any proposed laws that could erode your right to homeschool. Join HSLDA today-we'll watch out for your future. More reasons to join HSLDA... http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=1942 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ====================================================================== 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. ====================================================================== | |
