| From the HSLDA E-lert Service: |
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| Date: From: Subject: | 1/18/2007 4:44:37 PM Home School Legal Defense Association New York--Calls Needed to Stop Reporting for 5-Year-Olds! |
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====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== January 18, 2007 New York--Calls Needed to Stop Reporting for 5-Year-Olds! Dear HSLDA members and friends: The New York Assembly just introduced another bill that would lower the age a child is required to attend school from 6 to 5, increasing government control over your homeschooled child. Assembly Bill 90 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 has an "exception" provision for students who are enrolled in non-public or homeschool programs, it would still require all 5-year-olds to be "enrolled" in some educational program. As a result, a parent would be required to file a notice of intent, the Individualized Home Instruction Plan (IHIP), quarterly reports and annual assessment when their child reached 5 years of age. In essence A.B. 90 would require a homeschool parent to file a year earlier than they do now! The bill has been referred to the Assembly Education Committee so we would like you to contact the Committee members listed below. Please call now to oppose lowering the compulsory attendance age from 6 to 5! REQUESTED ACTION: 1. Please call or email the Chairman and your assemblyman if they are on the Assembly Education Committee and give them this message in your own words: "Please oppose Assembly Bill 90. 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. To find the name of your assemblyman, use HSLDA's Legislative Toolbox at http://www.hslda.org/toolbox . 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 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 Joel M. Miller 518-455-5725 millerj@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 2. In order for all of the Committee members to receive calls and emails about this bill we would appreciate it if your last name begins with A-G you would contact those on the Education Committee with last names A-G. Those whose last names beginning with H-P can contact Committee members with last names H-P. Finally, those with last names beginning with R-Z can contact those members of the Education Committee with last names R-Z. Please call and/or email your group and give them this message in your own words: "Please oppose Assembly Bill 90. 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." If you have the time and ability to contact all 28 members of the Education Committee feel free to do so. Again, do not identify yourself as a homeschoolers; instead you can identify yourself as a concerned parent and taxpayer. BACKGROUND This is another bill that has come out of the commitment that the Board of Regents has made to push early education. If you remember from emails we sent out last legislative session the Board of Regents updated their policy statement entitled "Early Education for Student Achievement in a Global Community" in late 2005. Even after hearing from several hundred concerned parents during the revision of that policy statement, the Board of Regents continues to press on towards their goal of lowering the compulsory attendance age to 5, and making school programs available for 4-year-olds. Some of the problems with lowering the compulsory attendance are listed below. > 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. While this bill has an "exception" provision for students who are enrolled in non-public or homeschools, it would still require all 5-year-olds to be enrolled in a homeschool program. As a result, a parent would now be required to file the IHIP, quarterly reports and achievement tests when their child reached 5 years of age. Consequently this would require homeschool parents to file for their children a year earlier that they do now! This would not be genuine exception. > 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 parental rights and homeschool freedom in New York please visit http://www.hslda.org/join/apply.asp . 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 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> Can you look at the clouds and tell the direction of the wind? An interesting phenomenon of wind is that it can blow in multiple directions at the same time, at different heights from the ground. But usually there is a prevailing wind. HSLDA watches the gusts and monitors the prevailing trends of change in the legal climate of home education. So no matter which way the wind is blowing, we're there to protect your family. More reasons to join HSLDA... http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=1938 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ====================================================================== The HSLDA E-lert Service is a service of: Home School Legal Defense Association P.O. 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