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From the HSLDA E-lert Service...
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May 8, 2008
District of Columbia--ACTION NEEDED to Defeat Harmful Homeschool
Regulation
Dear HSLDA Members and Friends:
Now that the proposed homeschooling regulations have been officially
published, it is time to let the Office of the State Superintendent of
Education (OSSE) and the State Board of Education (SBOE) know what you
think of the newest version:
http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?ID=5078
The proposed regulations still contain significant restrictions on
parental freedom. One particularly onerous provision is in Section
5208, which gives the OSSE complete discretion regarding whether a
homeschooled student is receiving an adequate education and the power
to actually order homeschooled students back to a public or private
school. The OSSE and SBOE need to know that this is unacceptable!
For a more complete list of specific problems with the regulation,
view the letter from DC Home Educators Association President Ethan
Reedy to State Superintendent Deborah Gist here:
http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?ID=5108
The 30-day comment period ends June 2, 2008, and it is important to
meet this deadline. Written comments may be sent at any time. Verbal
comments may be given at any of the SBOE's regular meetings, which are
usually held once per month. The next regular meeting is scheduled
for Wednesday, May 21st, and we are urging all DC homeschoolers to be
present and to give testimony (you are allowed two minutes). If you
wish to speak at the meeting, you must contact Beverley Wheeler at
Beverley.Wheeler@dc.gov no later than Monday, May 19th. There is no
need to sign up if you plan only to attend the meeting. HSLDA intends
to be present, but this may be the last opportunity to publicly
address the SBOE before their scheduled vote on the regulations on
June 18th.
ACTION REQUESTED
1) Contact your SBOE member and tell them in your own words:
"The OSSE has proposed regulations that will make homeschooling
unnecessarily restrictive and will overburden the District's
government. Furthermore, the proposed regulations include virtually
nothing from the discussions held between homeschoolers and the OSSE.
The OSSE did not keep its word when it agreed to include certain items
in the proposed regulation and then did not include those things.
Please tell the OSSE to revise its regulations to take into account
the issues it agreed to include as well as to consider other
approaches to assessment and dispute resolution."
2) Attend the SBOE regular meeting on Wednesday, May 21st at 5:30 p.m.
and publicly comment on the proposed regulations. If you plan to
speak, you must contact Beverley Wheeler at Beverley.Wheeler@dc.gov no
later than Monday, May 19th. You will have two minutes to speak.
3) Submit written comments, like those of DCHEA President Ethan Reedy,
to the OSSE and the SBOE. Comments to the OSSE should be mailed to:
Deborah A. Gist
State Superintendent of Education
441 4th Street, NW, Room 350 N
Washington D.C. 20001
Attn: Ms. Stephanie Thomas
Private/Home School Specialist, Policy and Research Analysis
Also send a copy to your board member.
For a list of the board members and their contact information, see:
http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?ID=5107
To see the proposed rules and access more information about DC
homeschooling, visit our webpage at
http://www.hslda.org/DC
Thank you for your perseverance and work to preserve homeschooling
freedom in the District!
Sincerely,
Michael P. Donnelly, Esq.
HSLDA Staff Attorney
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-> Is customer service an art or a science?
For us, good customer service is both an art and a science
-it should appeal to our members and be effective. Consider what
our members say about us:
We're thankful for the support HSLDA membership provides us. We'd
never homeschool without them. We highly recommend HSLDA to all
homeschoolers. - North Tonawanda, NY
I cannot imagine our homeschool journey without HSLDA's strong
leadership, protection, and guidance. God bless HSLDA!
- Alta Loma, California
More reasons to join HSLDA...
http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=1940
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Home School Legal Defense Association
P.O. Box 3000
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Phone: (540) 338-5600
Fax: (540) 338-2733
Email: info@hslda.org
Web: http://www.hslda.org
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