| From the HSLDA E-lert Service: |
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| Date: From: Subject: | 3/12/2011 10:06:22 PM Home School Legal Defense Association Vermont; Calls Needed to Stop Harmful Legislation |
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====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== Calls Needed to Stop Harmful Legislation Dear HSLDA Members and Friends: The VT Department of Education (DOE) appears to be pushing ahead with its proposed major restructuring of the home study law in spite of our calls last week. Therefore, it is necessary for Vermont homeschoolers to contact members of the Senate Education Committee by Monday evening. Action Requested Contact the Senators and give them the following message in your own words. Please contact them by Monday evening as the committee meets again on Tuesday. You may customize the following message as needed: "Please do not move forward with the DOE's proposed changes to the home study law. The changes proposed by the DOE are major policy changes and not merely technical corrections. Homeschoolers have had zero input into these policy changes. As a homeschooling parent, I believe that our home study law is in need of change. However, any changes must include input from homeschoolers and not just the DOE. To date there has been no input at all from Vermont homeschoolers into the proposed changes. Please tell the DOE to work with representatives like Retta Dunlap and HSLDA to develop a law that meets the needs of all constituencies." Senate Education Committee Sen. Philip Baruth, clerk 87 Curtis Ave., Burlington, VT 05408 (802) 503-5266 pbaruth@leg.state.vt.us Sen. Virginia "Ginny" Lyons, vice chair 241 White Birch Lane, Williston, VT 05495 (802) 863-6129 vlyons@leg.state.vt.us vvlyons@cs.com Sen. Kevin Mullin, chair 118 Oxyoke Dr., Rutland, VT 05701 (802) 353-6770 kjmbjm@aol.com Sen. Bill Doyle 186 Murray Rd., Montpelier , VT 05602 (802) 223-2851 wdoyle@leg.state.vt.us Sen. Sara B. Kittell 437 Chester Arthur Rd., Fairfield, VT 05455 (802) 827-3274 Fax: (802) 827-3274 skittell@leg.state.vt.us BACKGROUND HSLDA is working with Retta Dunlap, a long time legislative liaison for homeschoolers. The information below is from notes she has provided to HSLDA regarding how this situation has developed. February 15: Mark Oettinger, Department of Education (DOE) council, explained to the State Board of Education the department's legislative agenda, in which he mentions that home study is part of this agenda. This is the first time any word of this has reached any homeschooler and only because Retta Dunlap attended this meeting. February 24: Language was presented to Senate Education to fundamentally rewrite the home study statute. Donna Russo-Savage from the legislative council explained the language to the Senators. This was the first time proposed language was available to homeschoolers, and it has been posted at http://www.hslda.org/vt and at http://www.vt-home-education.net . March 9: Michael Mulchay presented the DOE's language to the Senate education Committee. Retta Dunlap testified regarding the fact that Vermont is not an approval state (apparently the DOE still thinks it is) and that the DOE has not worked with homeschoolers on this legislation at all. The chair of Senate Education, Kevin Mullin, instructs Retta Dunlap and Michael Mulchay to work together to create an appropriate legislative proposal. However, the DOE has not followed these instructions The Commissioner of Education, Armando Vilaseca, is currently on medical leave. It is reported to us that he fully supports this and wants homeschoolers to not only take mandatory tests but to take the state assessment. Currently that is the NECAP test. However, the state is phasing out this test. Thank you for taking action to support freedom for homeschooling in Vermont. Sincerely, Michael P. Donnelly, Esq. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> 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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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. ====================================================================== | |
