======================================================================
From the HSLDA E-lert Service...
======================================================================
February 2, 2010
Mississippi--Calls Needed: Legislation Would Threaten Parental Rights
Dear HSLDA Members and Friends:
Your calls are needed to stop three bills in the Mississippi
Legislature which potentially threaten your freedoms as homeschoolers
and parents. All three of these bills have passed committee and have
been sent to the full House of Representatives for a vote.
House Bill 80 would create a task force to study the creation of
pre-kindergarten programs. The preamble to the bill states in part,
"The Mississippi Legislature recognizes that the development and
funding of quality research-based pre-kindergarten programs is needed
urgently in our state." This would potentially expand compulsory
education to 3- and 4-year-olds.
House Bill 355 would create an early childhood development program
whereby parents would receive instruction on how to be better parents
according to state standards and children would receive early care to
prepare them for public school.
House Bill 612 would create a Children's Advocacy Commission. This
bill has the potential to subvert the rights of parents, who should be
presumed (in the absence of contrary evidence) to be the appropriate
"advocates" for their own children. Particularly disturbing in the
bill is paragraph 4 of Section 1, which would grant the Commission
certain powers regarding children "from conception to the age of
majority." This provision has the potential to infringe on numerous
statutory and constitutional rights of the citizens of Mississippi.
State legislators need to know that you object to this expansion of
state control over education. Let your voice be heard today!
ACTION REQUESTED:
1. Please contact your state representative with this message:
"Please vote against House Bills 80, 355, and 612. These bills
unnecessarily expand state control of education and undermine the
right of parents to determine when their children are ready for formal
education. In particular, House Bill 612 would create a Children's
Advocacy Commission which would potentially interfere with parental
authority in child rearing. These bills will also waste taxpayer
dollars, since there is nothing to indicate that early schooling
results in any educational advantage for the child."
You can find the name and telephone number of your state
representative by going to the Mississippi Legislature's website at
http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/members/h_roster.pdf
2. Please forward this email to every family you know who is not a
member of HSLDA and urge them to contact their state representatives
with this same message.
BACKGROUND:
Many education experts have concluded that beginning a child's formal
education too early may actually result in burnout and poor scholastic
performance later.
Lowering the compulsory attendance age erodes the authority of parents
who are in the best position to determine when their child's formal
education should begin. These bills would potentially restrict
parents' freedom to decide if their children are ready for school.
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 school.
The genesis of state agencies such as a Children's Advocacy Commission
is the child's rights movement whose philosophy is that the primary
role of parents is simply to facilitate the choices made by their
children. State involvement in the family through such a commission
would inevitably create an adversarial relationship between parents
and their children, with the state siding with the wishes of the
child.
To review the text of House Bill 80, go to
http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=7629
To review the text of House Bill 355, go to
http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=7630
To review the text of House Bill 612, go to
http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=7631
Please call your state representative before you close this email.
Sincerely,
Dewitt T. Black, III
HSLDA Senior Counsel
----------------------------------------------------------------------
-> Can you look at the clouds and tell the direction of the wind?
An interesting phenomenon of wind is that it can blow in multiple
directions at the same time, at different heights from the ground.
But usually there is a prevailing wind. HSLDA watches the gusts
and monitors the prevailing trends of change in the legal climate
of home education. So no matter which way the wind is blowing,
we're there to protect your family.
More reasons to join HSLDA...
http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=1938
----------------------------------------------------------------------
======================================================================
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.
======================================================================
|
Printer Friendly Version
