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| Date: From: Subject: | 2/1/2008 2:50:44 PM Home School Legal Defense Association Michigan: More Calls Needed to Oppose State Control Over Homeschooling |
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====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== February 1, 2008 Michigan: More Calls Needed to Stop the Expansion of State Control Over Homeschooling Dear HSLDA Members and Friends in Michigan, H.B. 4042, the bill which expands government jurisdiction over children, is still moving forward. It passed the House Education Committee on a 12-6 vote in spite of the calls they received in opposition. As a result, it has gone to the Michigan State House to be voted on by all the members. We need even more calls to the legislature than before! Please take a moment to contact your state representative and express your opposition to H.B. 4042. REQUESTED ACTION: Please call and email your Michigan representative today through Wednesday, February 6, 2008, and give him or her this message: "Please vote against H.B. 4042, which will raise the age of compulsory school attendance. It only serves as a waste of taxpayer's money by forcing unwilling, disruptive students into the classroom. Studies of all 50 states show that raising compulsory attendance ages does not increase graduation rates." You can find information on your representative by using our Legislative Toolbox at http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=4709 . You do not need to identify that you homeschool--just that you are a concerned parent and taxpayer. Be sure to put the message in your own words. BACKGROUND 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.) Twenty-nine states only require attendance 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. It 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.) 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. 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 legislation please go to our website at http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=4710 . Thanks for taking the time to call or email! Sincerely, Christopher J. Klicka HSLDA Senior Counsel ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> For as little as 27 cents a day... There's not much you can get for 27 cents a day. Why not put your money toward peace of mind for yourself, your family, and their future? More reasons to join HSLDA... http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=1110 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ====================================================================== The HSLDA E-lert Service is a service of: Home School Legal Defense Association P.O. 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