| From the HSLDA E-lert Service: |
< BACK TO ARCHIVE |
| Date: From: Subject: | 1/31/2008 4:43:23 PM Home School Legal Defense Association New Hampshire--Please Oppose Changes to State Homeschool Law |
|
====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== January 31, 2008 New Hampshire--Please Call and Attend Hearing to Oppose Changes to State Homeschool Law Dear HSLDA Members and Friends, We need your help now to defeat a bill that would restrict homeschool freedoms! If passed, Senate Bill 337 would result in confusion and the potential for further intrusion into New Hampshire homeschools by local and state educational officials. The bill requires homeschooling parents to notify their participating agency each year no later than August 1 and to select in advance the method of evaluation. It also adds homeschooled students to the district's "daily membership in residence" (for the purpose of calculating the amount of money that goes into the state's Educational Trust Fund, which presumably determines the amount of money distributed to the districts). All three changes create unnecessary burdens and threaten homeschooling freedom in New Hampshire. Including homeschooled students in the "daily membership in residence" will create a new reason for local educational authorities to track homeschoolers in their districts. (New Hampshire's current homeschool law was carefully written so that homeschooling families can avoid all contact with government educational officials if they chose.) Furthermore, the proposed legislation is confusing--it implies that home education programs must be approved by the Department of Education. Second, a deadline (proposed in the bill as August 1) is not necessary and could result in increased truancy prosecutions for homeschoolers who inadvertently file late. The current law provides sufficient direction for when a notice should be filed with the participating agency. Finally, many homeschooling parents select their form of assessment later in the year and should have the freedom to do so without any undue interference from the state. Homeschooling parents are responsible for directing their children's education and are capable of determining the appropriate form of assessment. The proposed legislation unduly interferes with the parent's role and should be rejected. ACTION REQUESTED Plan to attend the hearing with other New Hampshire homeschoolers and leaders to oppose changes in the New Hampshire homeschool law. The hearing is scheduled for February 5 at 8:45 a.m. in Senate Hearing Room (S.H.) 103. Please call the Senate Education Committee and your own senator, and, in your own words, give them the following message: "The current homeschool law in New Hampshire does not need fixing. The current proposed changes infringe on my right as a parent to direct the education of my children. There is no problem with the current law, and these changes would create additional burdens and unwanted intrusion into homeschooling families. Furthermore, the bill would likely create confusion regarding whether the Department of Education would have approval authority over homeschool programs. Please oppose this bill, and vote it inexpedient to legislate." For your senator's contact information, go to HSLDA's Legislative Toolbox at http://capwiz.com/hslda/home/ The Senate Education Committee is as follows: Sen. Iris W. Estabrook, Chair (603)868-5524 iris.estabrook@leg.state.nh.us Sen. Joseph A. Foster, Vice Chair (603)891-0307 joseph.foster@leg.state.nh.us Sen. Martha Fuller Clark martha.fullerclark@leg.state.nh.us Sen. Molly M. Kelly (603)352-5605 molly.kelly@leg.state.nh.us Sen. Peter E. Bragdon (603)673-7135 peter.bragdon@leg.state.nh.us Sen. Robert J. Letourneau robert.letourneau@leg.state.nh.us Thank you for your support! Very truly yours, Michael P. Donnelly, Esq. HSLDA Staff Attorney ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> "I saved my entire membership fee with one discount" "We've been a Liberty Mutual customer for over 12 years. We called and asked about our HSLDA member discount and they lowered our premium by approx $95 per year...coincidentally the same amount as our HSLDA annual membership fee. Thought you'd want to know!!'" More reasons to join HSLDA... http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=1107 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ====================================================================== The HSLDA E-lert Service is a service of: Home School Legal Defense Association P.O. Box 3000 Purcellville, Virginia 20134 Phone: (540) 338-5600 Fax: (540) 338-2733 Email: info@hslda.org Web: http://www.hslda.org ---------------------------------------------------------------------- How To Subscribe: - Subscribe to the HSLDA E-lert Service at our website: https://secure.hslda.org/hslda/elert/account.asp?Process=Subscribe - Or send an email with name and complete mailing address to: subscribe@hslda.org ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscription Information: - You subscribed to the HSLDA E-lert Service as: ##ToAddress## - To unsubscribe from the HSLDA E-lert Service send an email from the email address you want to unsubscribe to: unsubscribe@hslda.org - To change your email address or make other changes to your subscription, visit the HSLDA E-lert Service account web page at: https://secure.hslda.org/hslda/elert/account.asp ---------------------------------------------------------------------- POSTMASTERS: This message is being sent to the most recent address we have for our subscribers. If this is an invalid email address or you have other problems, please reply to webmaster@hslda.org. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- DISCLAIMER: This is considered a private and confidential message from HSLDA to its bonafide HSLDA E-lert Service subscribers. HSLDA cannot attest to the authenticity of copies posted, forwarded, or sent by any party other than HSLDA. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- NOTE: Please do not reply or otherwise use this email address; hslda@hslda.org is for broadcast purposes only and is not intended to receive incoming messages. We cannot reply to any email sent to this address. If you have comments or questions, please send email to info@hslda.org or call HSLDA at 540-338-5600. HSLDA members can also email staff directly through the Members website at http://members.hslda.org/contact.asp. Thank you for your cooperation. ====================================================================== | |
