| From the HSLDA E-lert Service: |
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| Date: From: Subject: | 2/6/2009 12:07:19 PM Home School Legal Defense Association Oklahoma--More Calls Needed on Bad Bills! |
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====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== February 6, 2009 Oklahoma--More Calls Needed on Bad Bills! Dear HSLDA Members and Friends: As many of you already know, there are two bills that threaten the freedom that Oklahoma parents have had. These bills, Senate Bill 308 and Senate Bill 472, threaten the foundation of home education freedom by limiting parental rights in determining where their children can be during school hours. Senate Bill 472 would also require significant notification and reporting when teaching your children at home. While we requested that you contact the Senate Education Committee last month, even before these bills were officially introduced, these bills have now been assigned to the Senate Rules Committee. We need your calls and emails to all members of the Rules Committee over the next week or so. While it is always important to have a big turnout at Oklahoma Home Educators' Capitol Day, these bills make it doubly important that the legislature understand that the homeschooling community is watching. Please plan on coming to the Capitol Day on February 10. While we have provided a suggested message to give to the committee members, your own personal message about this bill will be the most effective way to let the legislature understand that these bills are not needed and would damage the freedom of "other means of education" that Oklahoma has recognized for over 100 years. Thank you for your efforts to protect freedom in Oklahoma! REQUESTED ACTION: 1. Please call and email the Senate Rules Committee members listed below and give the following message in your own words: "Please oppose Senate Bill 472 and Senate Bill 308. Under the Oklahoma Constitution a parent may provide for 'other means of education' to their children. Study after study has shown that children taught at home on average do above average academically. These bills are an unacceptable infringement of parents' rights to direct their child's education. Senate Bill 472 will create unnecessary paperwork for public school officials and parents, wasting time and money. Both Senate Bill 308 and 472 would also violate the child's fundamental Fourth Amendment rights. Many children 16 and older who are taught at home attend educational activities outside of the home with the consent and under the direction of their parent." If you find that your state senator is on the Senate Rules Committee please let him or her know that you are a constituent. You can find a list of the Senate organized by district here: http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=6080 . If your last name begins with the letters A through M, please call the senators in the first group. If your name begins with N through Z, please call the second group. Everyone should call the chairman. Senate Rules Committee Members Senator Jonathan Nichols (R)- Chair Phone: (405) 521-5535 Email: nichols@oksenate.gov GROUP 1 Senator Earl Garrison (D)- Vice Chair Phone: (405) 521-5533 Email: whitep@oksenate.gov Senator Brian Bingman (R) Phone: (405) 521-5528 Email: bingman@oksenate.gov Senator Cliff Branan (R) Phone: (405) 521-5543 Email: branan@oksenate.gov Senator Judy Eason McIntyre (D) Phone: (405) 521-5598 Email: easonmcintyre@oksenate.gov Senator John W. Ford (R) Phone: No calls needed--already stated that he opposes these bills. Email: fordj@oksenate.gov Senator Mike Johnson (R) Phone: (405) 521-5592 and local (405) 375-5718 Email: johnsonm@oksenate.gov GROUP 2 Senator Clark Jolley (R) Phone: No calls needed--already stated that he opposes these bills. Email: jolley@oksenate.gov Senator Mike Mazzei (R) Phone: No calls needed--Already stated that he opposes these bills. Email: mazzei@oksenate.gov Senator Jim Reynolds (R) Phone: (405) 521-5522 Email: reynolds@oksenate.gov Senator Mike Schulz (R) Phone: (405) 521-5612 Email: schulz@oksenate.gov Senator John Sparks (D) Phone: (405) 521-5553 Email: sparks@oksenate.gov Senator Joe Sweeden (D) Phone: (405) 521-5581 Email: sweeden@oksenate.gov Senator Anthony Sykes (R) Phone: (405) 521-5569 Email: lewis@oksenate.gov Senator Charles Wyrick (D) Phone: (405) 521-5561 Email: wyrick@oksenate.gov 2. Pray that these bills are defeated and plan on attending the Oklahoma Home Educators' Capitol Day on February 10. This will provide you with a great opportunity to impact these bills, to get to meet your legislators and to create a positive impression for home education. For more information on the upcoming Capitol Day go to: http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=6081 . BACKGROUND Senate Bill 472 would require every parent or guardian who is providing "other means of education" (i.e. home education) for their child to notify their local school district of this fact. If this bill is passed, every parent would have to submit a notice of their intent before the first day of each school year or within 10 days from beginning their home education program. Senate Bill 472 would also require parents to submit a report of each of their children's academic progress at the end of each semester. Every parent would be required to submit two reports a year to their local public school officials for each child to demonstrate how that child was doing in their home education program. Senate Bill 308 and Senate Bill 472 would allow local police or certain public school officials to take temporary custody of any child who was taught at home. Under both S.B. 308 and S.B. 472, whenever a child is away from their home without an adult present, a police officer or school official could pick them up and temporarily detain them. Currently under Oklahoma law children who are taught at home cannot be picked up and detained; they are exempt. Some of you may remember that in the 2007 legislative session Senator Jim Wilson introduced a bill that was virtually identical to current Senate Bill 472. That bill, Senate Bill 375, was successfully defeated by the prayers and hard work of families all across Oklahoma. By those efforts again we pray that we will again be able to defeat these attempts to restrict the freedom of home education in Oklahoma. If you are not yet a member of HSLDA and would like to help us fight for greater parental rights and homeschool freedom in Oklahoma, please visit http://www.hslda.org/join/apply.asp . If you would like to be put on our email list to receive vital e-lerts you may sign up at https://secure.hslda.org/hslda/elert/account.asp?Process=Subscribe . Thank you for your part in fighting for freedom in Oklahoma! Feel free to send this to others who are supportive of home education freedom. Sincerely, Thomas Schmidt HSLDA Staff Attorney ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> 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. 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Thank you for your cooperation. ====================================================================== | |
