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| Date: From: Subject: | 1/19/2010 2:54:43 PM Home School Legal Defense Association Oklahoma: Action Needed--Home Education Freedom Threatened! |
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====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== January 19, 2010 Oklahoma: Action Needed--Home Education Freedom Threatened! Dear HSLDA Members and Friends: Once again, several legislators in Oklahoma have introduced several bills that attempt to regulate home education freedom. Last year two bad bills were introduced but never made it out of committee. This year the attack on home education freedom may even be greater. Many of you know that homeschooling is protected under the Oklahoma State Constitution as "other means of education." House Bill 3099 would attempt to add "adequate" into statute and then define what type of education homeschooling families would be required to provide. It appears that the intent of House Bill 3099 is to modify the constitutional protection of the right of parents to provide other means of education to their children. While the legislature could certainly add several different ways in which "other means of education" could be provided, it would violate the state constitution by restricting or prohibiting what is currently protected. Senate Bill 1403 has also been introduced and would require parents teaching their children at home to notify their local school district within 10 days of beginning their home education program. We need your calls and emails to both sponsors of these bills to express your opposition. While you should certainly let these legislators, and their staff, know where you stand on these bills, please be courteous in your communication. We have provided a suggested message, but your own personal message 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. REQUESTED ACTION: 1. Please call and email Representative Ed Cannaday, sponsor of House Bill 3099, and give him this message in your own words: "Please remove House Bill 3099 from consideration by the legislature immediately. Under the Oklahoma Constitution a parent may provide for 'other means of education' to their children. This bill is an unconstitutional infringement of parents' rights to direct their child's education and determine what is in their best interest. This legislation is unnecessary, and we will oppose it." When calling Representative Cannaday's office understand that they will probably be receiving a lot of calls. Please be courteous but firm in your opposition to House Bill 3099. Please let his office know if you live in his district and are one of his constituents (District 15). Rep. Ed Cannaday Capitol Address: 2300 N. Lincoln Blvd. Room 322 Oklahoma City, OK 73105 Phone: (405) 557-7375 Email: ed.cannaday@okhouse.gov 2. Please call and email Senator Mary Easley, sponsor of Senate Bill 1403, and give her this message in your own words: "Please remove Senate Bill 1403 from consideration by the legislature immediately. 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 perform above their nonhomeschooled peers academically. There is no reason why parents should be required to notify their local school officials of their intent to teach their children at home. This bill is an unacceptable infringement of parents' rights to direct their child's education." When calling Senator Easley's office understand that they will probably be receiving a lot of calls. Please be courteous but firm in your opposition to Senate Bill 1403. Please let her office know if you live in her district and are one of her constituents (District 18). Senator Easley is also on the Senate Education Committee. Senator Mary Easley Capitol Address: 2300 North Lincoln Blvd., Room 429 Oklahoma City, OK 73105 Phone: (405) 521-5590 Email: easley@oksenate.gov District Address: 106 S. Cherokee Lane Grand Lake Towne, OK 74349 3. Pray that these bills are defeated and plan on attending the Oklahoma Home Educators' Capitol Day on February 9. Because of the hard work of Oklahoma Christian Home Educators Consociation (OCHEC) and Christian Home Educators Fellowship of Oklahoma (CHEF of OK) many legislators look favorably on homeschooling families. However, it just takes a few legislators to introduce bad legislation. If homeschoolers are complacent, freedom could be lost. Your attendance at the Oklahoma Home Educators' Capitol Day is vital in the battle to keep the freedom you have. This event 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.ochec.com/Categories.aspx?Id=Capitol_Day . BACKGROUND Under House Bill 3099 the new "appropriate education by other means" would require parents to provide "educationally appropriate and age or grade appropriate instruction." The instruction would have to ensure that each child attained "at least a minimum level of competencies in a variety of core subject areas" for not less than the time public schools in the state are required to provide instruction. Some of you may remember that in the 2007 and 2009 legislative session Senator Jim Wilson introduced a bill that would have added several requirements to the freedom that homeschoolers have in Oklahoma. Both times those bills were successfully defeated by the prayers and hard work of families all across Oklahoma. Outstanding attendance at the Oklahoma Home Educators' Capitol Day also played a big part in the defeat of these bills. While House Bill 3099 is a greater threat to undermining the freedom that homeschoolers have in Oklahoma, we pray that working together we will again be able to defeat these attempts to restrict the freedom of home education in Oklahoma. The freedom of the right to provide "other means of education" should not be undermined. 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 e-mail 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 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> Will your children's inheritance retain its value? If you pass on a legacy of freedom, your children and their children's children will thank you. But freedom is never secure; it must always be guarded. Membership with HSLDA is an investment in the future that can be passed on to future generations of families wanting to teach their children at home. More reasons to join HSLDA... http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=1944 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ====================================================================== The HSLDA E-lert Service is a service of: Home School Legal Defense Association P.O. 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Thank you for your cooperation. ====================================================================== | |
