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| Date: From: Subject: | 2/15/2006 10:38:07 AM Home School Legal Defense Association Iowa--Calls Needed to Stop Rise in Compulsory Attendance Age |
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====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== February 15, 2006 Dear HSLDA members and friends: Calls are needed immediately to defeat House File 2138, which would raise the compulsory attendance age from 16 to 18. If this bill becomes law, parents would lose the right to decide which is better for their 16 or 17-year-old: continuing a school program, or some other preparation for adult responsibilities. It would make these older teens subject to Department of Education regulations for two more years. H.F. 2138 is scheduled for a hearing in a subcommittee of the House Education Committee tomorrow, February 16 at 11 a.m. Proponents of raising the compulsory attendance age claim it will lead to better graduation rates. But the state with the best graduation rate in the country, New Jersey, at 89%, only requires attendance to age 16. In addition, Florida requires attendance to age 18 but has one of the nation's lowest graduation rates at 59%. The facts demonstrate that forcing unwilling students to stay in school longer does not increase graduation rates. Furthermore, it does not reduce juvenile crime. In addition, it is certain that your tax bill will increase. When California raised its compulsory attendance age, taxpayers were forced to pay for a whole new school system to handle the numerous problems these unruly, unwilling students caused. ACTION REQUESTED: Please immediately call your representative if he or she is listed below and ask them to vote against this bill tomorrow. You can express your opposition in your own words. Be concise and courteous. Here is an example: "I am one of your constituents. Please vote against H.F. 2138, which would raise the compulsory attendance age from 16 to 18. It will raise taxes, but statistics show it will not reduce juvenile crime or the dropout rate, and it will not increase the graduation rate." Call the switchboard at (515) 281-3221 to leave a message or call the numbers below: Chair Jody Tymeson (R) (H) (515) 462-5080 Dennis Cohoon (D) (H) (319) 752-5057 Rod Roberts (R) (H) (712) 792-22718 This bill affects all students, so it is not necessary to identify yourself as a homeschooler. You can use our legislative toolbox at http://www.hslda.org/toolbox to find your representative. BACKGROUND: 1. The statistics above come from the February, 2005, publication of the Manhattan Institute's Center for Civic Innovation, "Public High School Graduation and College-Readiness Rates: 1991-2002," by Dr. Jay P. Greene. 2. States which compel attendance only to age 16 have better high school completion rates than states that compel attendance to 17 or 18, on average. (Source: "Dropout Rates in the United States: 2000," pp. 9-10, 40-41; National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, Office of educational Research and Improvement, Doc. No. NCES 2002-114.) 3. States which compel attendance only to age 16 also have lower dropout rates than states that compel attendance to 17 or 18, on average. (Source: same as above.) 4. According to statistics published by the federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Dropout Prevention, a higher compulsory attendance age is not correlated to a reduction in juvenile crime. (Source: "Juvenile Arrests 1999." Washington, D.C.: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 2000.) Thank you for standing with us for freedom. Sincerely, Scott Woodruff HSLDA Staff Attorney ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> Have you ever yelled into the wind, only to hear the sound of your voice blown back at you? It's hard to be heard in the midst of a storm. Trying to influence federal legislation is much like yelling to be heard while standing in a fierce wind. Yet when 80,000 voices join together, they become a powerful force that cannot be drowned out. Join HSLDA to be heard above the tempests that threaten homeschool freedoms. More reasons to join HSLDA... http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=1939 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ====================================================================== 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. ====================================================================== | |
