| From the HSLDA E-lert Service: |
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| Date: From: Subject: | 5/11/2010 10:50:24 AM Home School Legal Defense Association Missouri--Act Immediately to Prevent Expansion of Compulsory School Attendance |
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====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== Missouri--Act Immediately to Prevent Expansion of Compulsory School Attendance Dear HSLDA Members and Friends: Yesterday the Missouri Senate amended HB 1543 to lower from 7 to 6 the age at which compulsory school attendance starts in St. Louis and Kansas City. This bill is moving very quickly, and we must act promptly to block this expansion of government control over the lives of young children and their parents. This amendment is known as "the Keaveny Amendment." ACTION REQUESTED Call both your state senator AND representative. Your message can be as simple as, "Please remove the Keaveny Amendment from HB 1543. Parents--not the government--should decide whether 6-year-olds are ready to start schooling." Use our legislative toolbox to find the name and contact information for your senator and representative. http://www.hslda.org/toolbox BACKGROUND It's bad enough that the Keaveny Amendment would put 6-year-olds under educational compulsion in St. Louis and Kansas City. But if this passes, it would surely eventually be forced on the entire state. This is exactly what happened when "only" St. Louis was authorized to raise the compulsory age a while back. In short order, the age was raised for the entire state. Wherever you live in Missouri, your freedom is threatened. Under the Keaveny Amendment, any child parents "intend" to homeschool would not be subject to the lower compulsory age. But allowing the application of law to hinge on something as vague and subjective as a parent's mere "intention" invites a court challenge. And it invites the public to look on all homeschoolers with a jaundiced eye. Either the exception will be struck down by a court, or it will encourage the public to think less of homeschool families. 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. The bill would restrict parents' freedom to decide if their children are ready for school. Expanding the compulsory attendance age would bring an inevitable tax increase to pay for more classroom space and teachers to accommodate the additional students compelled to attend public school. Families for Home Education and HSLDA are united in opposing the Keaveny Amendment. For more information on compulsory attendance, please see our memorandum at http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?ID=2051. Thank you for standing with us for freedom! Scott A. Woodruff, Esq., HSLDA Senior Counsel ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> How many of your friends would pay your legal fees? As a member of HSLDA, you have 80,000 families standing with you to protect and advance homeschool freedoms in the United States and foreign countries. More reasons to join HSLDA... http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=1106 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ====================================================================== 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. ====================================================================== | |
