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| Date: From: Subject: | 1/30/2007 10:35:16 AM Home School Legal Defense Association New Mexico: Calls Needed to Stop Expansion of State Control Over Homeschools |
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====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== January 30, 2007 New Mexico: Calls Needed to Stop Expansion of State Control Over Homeschools Dear New Mexico members and friends, There are two bills that have just been introduced that would affect homeschoolers in New Mexico. Senate Bill 561 and House Bill 584 are companion bills; they would extend the period of compulsory education from 17 to 18 years of age. This would require you to notify the state of your homeschooling and have your homeschooled child under the state's jurisdiction an extra year. The House sponsor is Representative Cheryl Williams Stapleton and the sponsor in the Senate is Senator Cynthia Nava, who is chair of the Senate Education Committee. We hope your calls will cause the committee chairmen and sponsors to NOT bring these bills up for a vote. REQUESTED ACTION Please call the sponsors and chairman listed below and give them this message: "Please oppose any effort to raise the age of compulsory school attendance. It only serves as a waste of taxpayers' money; it would force unwilling, disruptive students into the classroom." You do not need to mention that you homeschool. Legislators to call: Senator Cynthia Nava, Senate Sponsor, Chair of the Senate Education Committee, (505) 986-4834 Representative Cheryl Williams Stapleton, House Sponsor, (505) 986-4774 Representative Rick Miera, Chair of the House Education Committee, (505) 986-4852 BACKGROUND Reasons for opposing higher compulsory attendance age: > Raising the compulsory attendance age will not reduce the dropout rate. In fact, the two states with the highest high school completion rates (Maryland, 94.5%, and North Dakota, 94.7%) compel attendance only to age 16, but the state with the lowest completion rate (Oregon, 75.4%) compels attendance to age 18. (These figures are three-year averages, 1996 through 1998.) > Most states (28) only require attendance to age 16. Older children who do not want to learn cause classroom discipline problems, disruptions, and violence, making learning harder for those who truly want to learn. > When California raised the age of compulsory attendance, the disruption caused by unwilling students was so significant that new schools had to be set up just to handle these students and their behavior problems, all at the expense of the taxpayer. Unwilling students who are forced back into the classroom are unlikely to benefit from one year of additional schooling. > It would require homeschool families to submit to one more year of governmental red tape, and be exposed to one more year of the threat of legal action or subpoena in the event of an accusation of a violation. > It would take away the parental freedom to decide if a 17-year-old is ready for college or the workforce. Some 17-year-olds who are not academically inclined benefit more from valuable work experience than being forced to sit in a classroom. For more information on compulsory attendance, please see our memorandum at http://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/Issues/E/Early_Education.asp Sincerely, Christopher J. Klicka, Esq. Senior Counsel ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> Who's knocking on your door? When a social service worker arrives at your door, tension can run high. Wouldn't it be nice to get your lawyer on the phone, providing you with immediate step-by-step guidance? More reasons to join HSLDA... http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=1099 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ====================================================================== 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. ====================================================================== | |
