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| Date: From: Subject: | 1/19/2007 11:16:55 AM Home School Legal Defense Association Wyoming--Calls Needed to Oppose Expansion of State Control Over Children |
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====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== January 19, 2007 Wyoming--Calls Needed to Oppose Expansion of State Control Over Children Dear HSLDA members and friends, Earlier this week, we let you know about House Bill 129, which raises the compulsory attendance age in Wyoming from 16 to 18. If it passes, it will expand the state's authority over homeschool children for two more years! The House Education Committee is planning to debate this bill today around noon. Becky Vandeberghe of the Wyoming Family Coalition and Sheryl Schmidt of Homeschoolers of Wyoming will be at the hearing to provide testimony. Calls and emails to are needed as soon as possible to encourage committee members to oppose House Bill 129. To view the bill, go to http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=3624 . ACTION REQUESTED Contact as many of the Wyoming House Education Committee members as possible BY NOON TODAY to oppose House Bill 129. Please give them the following message in your own words: "I oppose raising the age of compulsory attendance in Wyoming because it will: > Not accomplish the intended objective of increasing high school completion rates; > Create classroom difficulties overburdening teachers and administrators; > Place new and unnecessary burdens and restriction on the liberty of all parents; > Unnecessarily restrict the liberty of 16-year-olds who, with their parent's permission, wish to enroll in post secondary education or pursue a vocational calling; > Redirect funds needed from other more important programs; and > This bill was defeated in committee in 2005 and should be again." You do not need to mention that you are a homeschooler. This issue affects all parents in Wyoming and it is not necessary that we make this a "homeschool" issue, even though it does affect homeschooling. Members of the House Education Committee: Chairman Del McOmie (Republican) 307-332-4626 Bernadine Craft (Democrat) Leave a message with the House Receptionist at 307-777-7852 Email Address: bcraft@wyoming.com Kathy Davison (Republican) 307-877-6483 Ross Diercks (Democrat) 307-334-3670 W. Patrick Goggles (Democrat) 307-332-5318 Allen M. Jaggi (Republican) 307-786-2817 Matt Teeters (Republican) 307-837-2359 Sue Wallis (Republican) 307-680-8515 Kevin A. White (Republican) 307-742-5541 BACKGROUND 1. House Bill 231 was an attempt made in the 2005 session of the Wyoming Legislature to raise the compulsory attendance age. This bill was defeated in committee by a vote of 8 to 1. Since then, the Education Committee has changed dramatically. You can read the old bill online at http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=3625. House Bill 231 was a simple attempt to raise the compulsory age. The current bill contains a lot more language as well as this "exception" language. 2. Statistics show that 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.) 3. Twenty-nine states require school attendance only 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. 4. Even with the exemption language, passing this bill would restrict parents' freedom to decide if their 16-year-old is ready for college or the workforce. (Some 16-year-olds who are not academically inclined benefit more from valuable work experience than from being forced to sit in a classroom.) 5. Another significant impact of expanding the compulsory attendance age is an inevitable tax burden 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. 6. A study by Cornell University on raising the age of compulsory attendance found that there was no correlation between passing a law to raise the age of compulsory attendance and high school completion rates. The study shows that specific programs targeted at at-risk youth can help improve completion rates, but a law raising the age of attendance does not. To read the report click here http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=3626. Thank you for your vigilance on behalf of all Wyoming parents! Sincerely, Michael P. Donnelly, Esq. 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. ====================================================================== | |
