| From the HSLDA E-lert Service: |
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| Date: From: Subject: | 2/28/2011 4:35:43 PM Home School Legal Defense Association Montana -- Calls Needed to Oppose Compulsory Attendance Age Bill |
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====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== Montana -- Calls Needed to Oppose Compulsory Attendance Age Bill Dear HSLDA Members and Friends: Believe it or not, Senate Bill 44 has been resurrected through some questionable deal-making by both Republicans and Democrats in the Montana Legislature. This bill would increase the compulsory school attendance age in Montana from 16 to 18, graduation from high school, or receipt of a GED as the time when a student may leave school. Your calls to state senators are needed to put this bad bill down for good. As reported to you in our e-lert of January 18, 2011, a tie vote by the Senate Education Committee the day before meant that this bill would not go forward. A later effort to get the full Senate to vote it out of committee failed. Thereafter, on February 14, 2011, the Senate Education Committee voted to table the bill. This should have been the end of it, but it wasn't. By use of a "silver bullet" procedure whereby certain bills that are dead under the rules are reconsidered simply because of an agreement among Senate leaders, Senate Bill 44 has reared its ugly head again. It may be voted on by the full Senate as early as tomorrow. If this bill passes, parents will be required to comply with the homeschool law for an additional two years unless the child first graduates from high school or obtains a GED. This means that parents will be locked into another two years of homeschooling at a time when the child may wish to pursue other educational options or begin a vocation. As freedom-loving homeschoolers, we oppose any effort to expand the state's control over education in any form. Your state senator needs to hear from you today! Action Requested: 1. Please call and/or email your state senator with this message or something similar in your own words: "Please vote against Senate Bill 44 which would increase Montana's compulsory school attendance age. This bill restricts the right of parents to choose when a child may pursue other educational or work options. Requiring the attendance of students who are unwilling to remain in school beyond age 16 will have a disruptive effect on other students' learning." When contacting your senator, do not identify yourself as a homeschooler. This is broader than just a homeschooling issue. To obtain the contact information for your senator, please go to http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=10448 . You can leave a message for senators by calling the Session Information Desk at (406) 444-4800. 2. Please forward this e-mail to every family you know who is not a member of HSLDA and urge them to contact their state senators. Background: A 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. Raising the compulsory attendance age will not reduce the dropout rate. In fact, the two states with the highest high school completion rates, Maryland at 94.5% and North Dakota at 94.7%, compel attendance only to age 16. The state with the lowest completion rate (Oregon: 75.4%) compels attendance to age 18. (Figures are three-year averages, 1996 through 1998.) Twenty-nine states only require attendance to age 16. Older children unwilling to learn can cause classroom disruptions and even violence, making learning harder for their classmates who truly want to learn. It would restrict parents' freedom to decide if their 16-year-old is ready for college or the work force. Some 16-year-olds who are not academically inclined will benefit more from valuable work experience than from being forced to sit in a classroom. To view the text of this bill, please go to http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=10449 For more information on compulsory attendance, please see our memorandum at http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=10450 Please call or email today! Sincerely, Dewitt T. Black, III HSLDA Senior Counsel ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> 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 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ====================================================================== The HSLDA E-lert Service is a service of: Home School Legal Defense Association P.O. 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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. ====================================================================== | |
