| From the HSLDA E-lert Service: |
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| Date: From: Subject: | 3/12/2007 4:20:30 PM Home School Legal Defense Association Illinois: Victory and Calls Needed to Stop Expansion of Truancy Laws |
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====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== Illinois: Victory and Calls Needed to Stop Expansion of Truancy Laws Dear HSLDA members and friends: Good news! Last week we gave you notice about two bills introduced by Senator Kwame Raoul, Senate Bill 541 and Senate Bill 543. Thankfully, S.B. 541, which was the more harmful bill, was indefinitely held in committee. This bill would have increased the government's control of your homeschool for two more years by lowering the compulsory attendance age from 7 to 5. However, S.B. 543 passed the committee and will soon be voted on by the full Senate. This bill extends the truancy laws to those who are in kindergarten by defining "dropout" as including any child enrolled in kindergarten (ages 5 and 6) whose parents have removed him from school because they do not believe he is ready to attend. This bill will limit parental freedom to choose what is best for their children. We are working closely with Ralph Garcia and the Christian Home Educators Coalition to oppose these bills. REQUESTED ACTION Please call your senator and give this message: "Please vote against S.B. 543. This bill takes control away from the parents and gives it to the state by making children start school before they are ready. S.B. 543 is unnecessary, restricts parental choice, and wastes taxpayers' money since there is no study showing any long-term positive benefits from children attending school early." Do not identify yourself as a homeschooler. You can find the name and telephone number of your state senator by using HSLDA's Legislative Toolbox at http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=3879 . BACKGROUND > According to the 2005 NAEP test scores, children from states that have low compulsory attendance ages (5-6) did not score any higher than children from the other states, and in some subjects their average was actually lower. > Many education experts have concluded that beginning a child's formal education too early may actually result in burnout and poor scholastic performance later. > A report published February 6, 2007 by the Goldwater Institute examines Stanford 9 test scores and finds Arizona kindergarten programs initially improve learning but have no measurable impact on reading, math, or language arts test scores by fifth grade. The data show that students in schools with all-day kindergarten programs have statistically significant higher 3rd-grade test scores, but there is no impact on 5th-grade scores. This finding is consistent with previous research. Forcing children into school early delivers short-term benefits at best. > Another significant impact of expanding the mandatory schooling is the 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 upper age limit 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/docs/nche/Issues/E/Early_Education.asp Thank you for standing with us in this fight for freedom. Sincerely, Christopher J. 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Thank you for your cooperation. ====================================================================== | |
