| From the HSLDA E-lert Service: |
< BACK TO ARCHIVE |
| Date: From: Subject: | 2/10/2006 11:56:41 AM Home School Legal Defense Association Colorado--Update on Compulsory Attendance Bill--Calls Still Needed! |
|
====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== February 10, 2006 Dear HSLDA members and friends: There was a hearing on Senate Bill 73 Friday, February 9. Many witnesses came to the hearing to support the bill. Treon Goossen of Concerned Parents of Colorado was the only witness testifying against the bill. Treon distributed HSLDA's memos on dropout rates that show higher compulsory attendance age does not keep children in school, as well as HSLDA's memos on the problems with raising and lowering the compulsory attendance age. The bill was pulled off the table without a vote and will come up next week for possible amendments and a vote. Senator Tapia states that he would be happy to add an amendment exempting homeschoolers from the changes in the bill, however, we are still opposed to this bill because it diminishes the rights of all parents in Colorado. Keep your calls coming to the committee! ACTION REQUESTED: Please call the Senate Education Committee members and give them this message: "Please vote against 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 contact the members of the Senate Education Committee by calling the numbers listed below: Committee Chair: Senator Windels 303-866-4840 Committee Vice-Chair: Senator Bacon 303-866-4841 Members: Senator Evans 303-866-4881 Senator Jones 303-866-6364 Senator Spence 303-866-4883 Senator Tupa 303-866-4872 Senator Williams 303-866-3432 BACKGROUND: > Lowering the compulsory attendance age from 7 to 6 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 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 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, or you can see our previous e-lert at http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=2828 . Sincerely, Chris Klicka HSLDA Senior Counsel ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> Who are the nation's best lobbyists? We don't know that this has ever been determined; but we do know that HSLDA's National Center for Home Education is the only national organization lobbying on behalf of homeschoolers on Capitol Hill. More reasons to join HSLDA... http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=1102 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ====================================================================== 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. ====================================================================== | |
