| From the HSLDA E-lert Service: |
< BACK TO ARCHIVE |
| Date: From: Subject: | 3/17/2006 11:25:33 AM Home School Legal Defense Association New York--Calls needed to stop school for 5-year-olds |
|
====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== March 17, 2006 New York--Calls needed to stop school for 5-year-olds Dear HSLDA members and friends: The New York Assembly just introduced a bill that would lower the age at which a child is required to attend school from 6 to 5. Assembly Bill 10297 enables all school districts to require all children to attend school if they will turn 5 on or before December 1 of that school year. While this bill claims to have an "exemption" for homeschool and nonpublic school students, the exemption has no effect because the bill requires that the student be "enrolled" in a homeschool or nonpublic school to be exempt. Therefore, all homeschoolers will have to submit a notice of intent for their 5-year-olds as well as an Individualized Home Instruction Plan (IHIP) and quarterly reports in order to claim that the child is "enrolled" in a homeschool program. There is no exemption. We need your calls now to the Assembly Education Committee members right away. Since this bill will lower the compulsory attendance age for all students you do not need to let them know you are a homeschooler. REQUESTED ACTION 1. Please call and email the Assembly Education Committee members listed below to give them this message in your own words: "Please oppose Assembly Bill 10297. Lowering the compulsory school attendance age from 6 to 5 takes away the right of parents to decide whether their children are ready for school and would only waste taxpayers' money." Do not identify yourself as a homeschooler; instead you can identify yourself as a concerned parent and taxpayer. Assembly Education Committee Members Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan, Chairman 518-455-4851 nolanc@assembly.state.ny.us Assemblywoman Carmen E. Arroyo 518-455-5402 arroyoc@assembly.state.ny.us Assemblyman Michael Benedetto 518-455-5296 benedem@assembly.state.ny.us Assemblyman James F. Brennan 518-455-5377 brennaj@assembly.state.ny.us Sponsor of bill Assemblywoman Barbara M. Clark 518-455-4711 clarkb@assembly.state.ny.us Assemblyman Ruben Diaz Jr. 518-455-5514 diazr@ assembly.state.ny.us Assemblyman Thomas P. DiNapoli 518-455-5192 dinapot@assembly.state.ny.us Assemblywoman Patricia A. Eddington 518-455-4901 eddingp@assembly.state.ny.us Assemblyman Steve Englebright 518-455-4804 engles@assembly.state.ny.us Assemblywoman Aurelia Greene 518-455-5671 greenea@assembly.state.ny.us Assemblywoman Earlene Hooper 518-455-5861 No Email Address Assemblywoman Susan V. John 518-455-4527 johns@assembly.state.ny.us Assemblyman Tom Kirwan 518-455-5762 kirwant@assembly.state.ny.us Assemblyman John W. Lavelle 518-455-4677 lavellj@assembly.state.ny.us Assemblyman William B. Magnarelli 518-455-4826 magnarw@assembly.state.ny.us Assemblyman David G. McDonough 518-455-4633 McDonoD@assembly.state.ny.us Assemblyman Jimmy Meng 518-455-5411 mengj@assembly.state.ny.us Assemblyman Joel M. Miller 518-455-5725 millerj@assembly.state.ny.us Assemblyman Louis A. Mosiello 518-455-3662 mosiell@assembly.state.ny.us Assemblyman William L. Parment 518-455-4511 parmenw@assembly.state.ny.us Assemblywoman Amy Paulin 518-455-5585 paulina@assembly.state.ny.us Assemblyman Philip Ramos 518-455-5185 ramosp@assembly.state.ny.us Assemblyman Bill Reilich 518-455-4664 reilicw@assembly.state.ny.us Assemblyman Bob Reilly 518-455-5931 reillyr@assembly.state.ny.us Assemblyman Joseph S. Saladino 518-455-5305 saladij@assembly.state.ny.us Assemblywoman Teresa R. Sayward 518-455-5565 saywart@assembly.state.ny.us Assemblyman Robert K. Sweeney 518-455-5787 sweeney@assembly.state.ny.us Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. 518-455-5997 thielef@assembly.state.ny.us Assemblyman Paul D. Tonko 518-455-5197 tonkop@assembly.state.ny.us Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg 518-455-3028 weisenh@assembly.state.ny.us BACKGROUND This is the bill that we have been expecting since the Board of Regents refused to hear the concerns of parents this past fall. If you remember, we sent out an e-lert in October urging you to contact that Board of Regents and comment on the revisions to their policy statement entitled "Early Education for Student Achievement in a Global Community." You can view that e-lert online at http://www.hslda.org/elert/archive/2005/10/20051018120133.asp . After hearing from several hundred concerned parents they continued to press on towards their goal of lowering the compulsory attendance age to 5, and implementing a state-wide pre-kindergarten program for 3 and 4-year-old children in every school district. > Lowering the compulsory attendance age from 6 to 5 would subject New York home educators to the requirements of the homeschool laws one year earlier. Homeschool parents would be required to submit a notice of intent, IHIP, and quarterly reports for their 5-year-old. (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. > It would restrict parents' freedom to decide if their children are ready for school. > 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. For more information on compulsory attendance, please see our memorandum at http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?ID=1421 . If you are not yet a member of HSLDA and would like to help us fight for greater homeschool freedom in New York please visit http://www.hslda.org/join/apply.asp . Join or renew online between now and March 18 and you can save up to an additional $30 off membership! If you would like to be put on our e-mail list to receive vital e-lerts you may sign up at https://secure.hslda.org/hslda/elert/account.asp?Process=Subscribe . Thank you for your part in fighting for freedom in New York! Sincerely, Thomas Schmidt HSLDA Staff Attorney ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> Will your children's inheritance retain its value? If you pass on a legacy of freedom, your children and their children's children will thank you. But freedom is never secure; it must always be guarded. Membership with HSLDA is an investment in the future that can be passed on to future generations of families wanting to teach their children at home. More reasons to join HSLDA... http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=1944 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ====================================================================== 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. ====================================================================== | |
