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| Date: From: Subject: | 11/10/2006 4:51:28 PM Home School Legal Defense Association Rhode Island--Please Attend Warwick School Committee Meeting Nov. 14 |
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====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== Rhode Island--Please Attend Warwick School Committee Meeting Nov. 14 Dear Warwick HSLDA members and friends, On November 14, the Warwick school committee will consider a dramatically improved homeschool policy. The current policy treats homeschoolers harshly. The draft of the new policy is still subject to amendment. Your presence next Tuesday will help persuade the committee members of the importance of adopting a new policy that protects the rights of parents and removes unnecessary red tape. ACTION REQUESTED Please attend the meeting on Tuesday, November 14, at 7 p.m., in the Warwick Administration Building School Committee Room, to show your support for homeschool freedom. Encourage other homeschool families to attend. BACKGROUND The harsh aspects of Warwick's homeschool policy burgeoned into a crisis this fall when a school administrator demanded that families provide highly detailed descriptions of their homeschool program, and prove they were following state content standards. The administrator refused to moderate her position, and rejected requests to allow families alternatives to signing a contract-like "agreement." HSLDA advised families to refuse to sign the agreement. Many families subsequently received threatening letters, highlighting another fatal flaw in Warwick's policy--it did not explicitly state, as the policies of many other towns do, that families can lawfully homeschool while awaiting a school committee decision. After school officials provided assurance that families who were conscientiously refusing to sign the agreement would not face legal action, HSLDA advised our members to be patient until a new policy could be put in place. HSLDA promptly took the initiative to begin a process to improve Warwick's policy. Amy Brock of Rhode Island Guild of Home Teachers and Warwick homeschool mom Donna DeSantis have played a leading role in drafting the new policy, while school committee member Joyce Andrade has provided a high level of courteous, timely and professional assistance. The current draft, which is still subject to change, solves the problems that precipitated the crisis. It also addresses many other inequities in the current policy, such as reducing progress reports and attendance reports to once per year, abolishing contract-like "agreements," and making it clear families can homeschool lawfully while awaiting a school committee decision, or during the appeal of a rejection. As this process moves toward conclusion we deeply appreciate the fact that Warwick school officials have kept their word and not initiated legal action against families. We also deeply appreciate the patience many families have faced despite receiving threatening letters. Sincerely Yours, Scott A. Woodruff HSLDA Staff Attorney ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> 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. ====================================================================== | |
