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From the HSLDA E-lert Service...
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January 17, 2007
North Dakota--Calls Needed to Oppose Compulsory Attendance Bill
Dear HSLDA members and friends:
Two senators on the Senate Education Committee have introduced a bill
which would raise North Dakota's compulsory attendance age from 16 to
18. If this bill passes, home educators would have to comply with
North Dakota's burdensome homeschool law for an additional two years.
Your calls are needed to stop this bad bill!
Designated as Senate Bill 2184, this legislation is sponsored by
Senator Tim Flakoll, Vice Chairman of the Senate Education Committee,
and Senator Gary Lee, another member of the committee. These senators
and other members of the Senate Education Committee need to hear from
families who oppose this expensive and unnecessary expansion of state
control over education. Legislators need to know that families in
North Dakota want to continue to make their own decisions about work
and school choices for children who have reached the age of 16.
ACTION REQUESTED:
1. Please call and write as many members of the Senate Education
Committee as possible and urge them to vote against Senate Bill 2184
with this message:
"Please vote against Senate Bill 2184 which would raise North Dakota's
compulsory school attendance age from 16 to 18. 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."
Please do not identify yourself as a homeschooling family, since this
issue is broader than just homeschooling.
The contact information for the members of the House Education
Committee is as follows:
Sen. Layton W. Freborg, (R): 8th Senate District - Chairman
(701) 442-5712
No email available
Sen. Tim Flakoll, (R): 44th Senate District - Vice-Chairman
(701) 367-5954
tflakoll@nd.gov
Sen. JoNell A. Bakke, (D): 43rd Senate District
No phone number available
jbakke@nd.gov
Sen. Gary A. Lee, (R): 22nd Senate District
701-282-3197
galee@nd.gov
Sen. Ryan M. Taylor, (D): 7th Senate District
701-537-5660
rtaylor@nd.gov
2. Please contact your own state senator and voice your opposition to
Senate Bill 2184. To find the name of your state senator, use HSLDA's
Legislative Toolbox at http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=3621 .
To view the text of Senate Bill 2184, please visit
http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=3622 .
BACKGROUND:
> Raising the compulsory attendance age will not reduce the dropout
rate. In fact, the two states with the highest 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.
For more information on compulsory attendance, please see our
memorandum at http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=3623 .
Sincerely,
Dewitt T. Black, III
Senior Counsel
HSLDA
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-> How many acorns can a chipmunk hold in its cheeks?
We don't know! But we do know that gathering little by little
enables ordinary folks to prepare for hard times. That principle
is behind HSLDA's payment plan: by paying a month at a time,
families can receive an annual HSLDA membership. Meanwhile, they
can feel secure as they homeschool and focus on other priorities
-- their children. Don't go nuts trying to pay for membership all
at
once. Choose one of our convenient payment plans.
More reasons to join HSLDA...
http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=1937
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