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| Date: From: Subject: | 2/8/2006 10:08:11 AM Home School Legal Defense Association Alaska--Calls Needed to Oppose Compulsory Attendance Age Bill |
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====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== February 8, 2006 Alaska--Calls Needed to Oppose Compulsory Attendance Age Bill Dear HSLDA members and friends: Your calls are needed to stop House Bill 345 which would raise the compulsory school attendance age in Alaska from 16 to 17. A hearing on this bill is scheduled in the House Education Committee at 11:00 a.m. Thursday, February 9, so there is not much time left to let members of the Committee know that you oppose this bill. Homeschoolers in Alaska are exempt from attending public schools, but parents are required to conduct home instruction until the child reaches age 16. If this bill passes, parents will be required to conduct home instruction for an additional year in order to remain exempt from public school attendance. As freedom-loving homeschoolers, we oppose any effort to expand the state's control over education in any form. Members of the House Education Committee need to hear from you today! Action Requested: 1. Please call as many members of the House Education Committee as possible with this message: "Please vote against House Bill 345 which would raise Alaska's compulsory school attendance age. This bill restricts the right of parents to choose educational or work options for their children. This bill will also waste taxpayer dollars in requiring the attendance of students who are unwilling to remain in school." When calling members of the Committee, do not identify yourself as a homeschooler. This is broader than just a homeschooling issue. The members of the House Education Committee are as follows: Mark Neuman, Chairman (R) Alaska State Capitol Room 432 Juneau, AK 99801 (907) 465-2679 Representative_Mark_Neuman@legis.state.ak.us Carl Gatto (R) Alaska State Capitol Room 411 Juneau, AK 99801 (907) 465-3743 Representative_Carl_Gatto@legis.state.ak.us Bob Lynn (R) Alaska State Capitol Room 415 Juneau, AK 99801 (907) 465-4931 Representative_Bob_Lynn@legis.state.ak.us Bill Thomas (R) Alaska State Capitol Room 438 Juneau, AK 99801 (907) 465-3732 Representative_Bill_Thomas@legis.state.ak.us Peggy Wilson Alaska State Capital Room 108 (907) 465-3824 Representative_Peggy_Wilson@legis.state.ak.us Les Gara (D) Alaska State Capitol Room 418 Juneau, AK 99801 (907) 465-2647 Representative_Les_Gara@legis.state.ak.us Woodie Salmon (D) Alaska State Capitol Room 114 Juneau, AK 99801 (907) 465-4527 Representative_Woodie_Salmon@legis.state.ak.us 2. Please forward this e-mail to every family you know who is not a member of HSLDA and urge them to contact members of the Committee. Background: - Raising the compulsory attendance age will not reduce the dropout rate. In fact, the two states with the best 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 work force. 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. To view the text of this bill, please go to http://www.legis.state.ak.us/PDF/24/Bills/HB0345A.PDF For more information on compulsory attendance, please see our memorandum at http://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/000010/200205130.asp Please call today! Sincerely, Dewitt T. Black, III HSLDA Senior Counsel ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> Can you look at the clouds and tell the direction of the wind? An interesting phenomenon of wind is that it can blow in multiple directions at the same time, at different heights from the ground. But usually there is a prevailing wind. HSLDA watches the gusts and monitors the prevailing trends of change in the legal climate of home education. So no matter which way the wind is blowing, we're there to protect your family. More reasons to join HSLDA... http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=1938 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ====================================================================== The HSLDA E-lert Service is a service of: Home School Legal Defense Association P.O. 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Thank you for your cooperation. ====================================================================== | |
