| From the HSLDA E-lert Service: |
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| Date: From: Subject: | 1/19/2012 4:54:22 PM Home School Legal Defense Association Freedom Alert: Take Action to Defeat Government Overreach! |
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====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== Freedom Alert: Take Action to Defeat Government Overreach! Dear HSLDA Members and Friends, According to the Casper Star Tribune, Matt Teeters and Hank Coe, co-chairmen of the Joint Education Committee, plan to introduce legislation that could increase the compulsory school attendance age for all Wyoming children, including homeschool students, from 16 to 18. As we understand their intent, the bill would take away driving privileges from any student who has not reached the age of 18, graduated high school, or complied with the compulsory school attendance law. Although Rep. Teeters has said he would like to exempt homeschoolers, treating homeschoolers differently is not only difficult--it's difficult to justify as a matter of fairness. Homeschoolers don't want special treatment--they want equal treatment under the law. Even if it were possible to exempt homeschoolers, parents, not the government, should decide when a student should leave school and receive driving privileges after age 16, don't you agree? For more details on this, see the WyWatch action e-lert here: http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=13435 View the Casper Star Tribune article here: http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=13436 ACTION REQUESTED Please contact Matt Teeters and Hank Coe to oppose introduction of this legislation. Their contact information is below: Co-Chairman Hank Coe (primary sponsor) 307-527- 6201 hcoe@wyoming.com Co- Chairman Matt Teeters (co-sponsor) 307-837-2359 mteeters@wyoming.com Please feel free to give them the following message in your own words: "Please do not introduce legislation to increase the compulsory school age or remove driving privileges from 16-year-olds based on their education status. Parents should make decisions about when students leave school or have a driver's license after age 16-- not the government." Because this bill applies to all students, it is not necessary to identify yourself as a homeschooler. HSLDA has the privilege of working with WyWatch and HOW. We are tracking this bill closely and will keep you informed. BACKGROUND: 1. Statistics have shown that raising the compulsory attendance age will not reduce the dropout rate. In fact, three out of the top five states with the highest high school completion rates, Iowa (86.6%), Vermont (86.5%), and North Dakota (86.3%), compel attendance only to age 16. The state with the lowest completion rate (Nevada: 55.8%) compels attendance to age 18. Further, the average dropout rate for states with compulsory attendance age of 16 is 23.4% while the rate for states with compulsory attendance age of 18 is 23.9%. (Figures are based on average freshman graduation rates: 2004-05 school year). View complete results here. http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=13437 2. Older children unwilling to learn can cause classroom disruptions and even violence, making learning harder for their classmates who truly want to learn. 3. Passing this bill would restrict parents' freedom to decide if their 16-year-old is ready for college or the workforce. (Some 16-year-olds benefit more from valuable work experience than from being forced to sit in a classroom). 4. Another significant impact of expanding the compulsory attendance age is an inevitable tax burden to pay for more classroom space and teachers to accommodate the additional students compelled to attend public schools. When California raised the age of compulsory attendance, unwilling students were so disruptive that new schools had to be built just to handle them and their behavior problems, all at the expense of the taxpayer. 5. A study by Cornell University found that there was no correlation between passing a law to raise the age of compulsory attendance and high school completion rates. The study shows that specific programs targeting at-risk youth can help improve completion rates, but a law raising the age of attendance does not. To view the report click here. http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=13438 For more information, please see our Issues Library page on compulsory attendance age legislation. http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=13439 We greatly value you and your support--it is a privilege to serve you! If you or someone you know is not a member of HSLDA, will you consider taking a moment today to join or recommend us and support our work defending individual families threatened by government officials and protecting homeschooling freedom for all? Join now: http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=13440 Standing with you to defend your freedom! Sincerely, Michael P. Donnelly, Esq. HSLDA Staff Attorney ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> How long are you in for? Some families are facing what seems like a lifelong commitment to homeschooling, with children at both ends of the spectrum -- some graduating and some just reaching school age. If you're going to be "in" for a while, consider a lifetime membership with HSLDA. It's a good deal for families with more than 10 years of homeschooling ahead. More reasons to join HSLDA... http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=1936 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ====================================================================== 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. ====================================================================== | |
