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| Date: From: Subject: | 1/20/2012 3:34:47 PM Home School Legal Defense Association Virginia--Reform "Curriculum Description" Requirement |
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====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== Virginia-- Reform "Curriculum Description" Requirement Dear HSLDA Members and Friends: The Virginia legislature is now open, and HSLDA is carefully watching for bills that could affect your homeschool freedom. Hope is on the horizon that we will be able to reform the hopelessly vague "curriculum description" requirement in Virginia's home instruction statute that has caused problems for years. This requirement serves no purpose. But its vagueness has led to dozens of conflicts and misunderstandings, and even threats of truancy charges. Some school districts, following examples posted on the website of the state Department of Education, demand that families submit a detailed description of what they will teach in each subject. No family that followed HSLDA's simple guidance on this issue was ever prosecuted. But families without access to legal advice, when threatened by the school district, would respond to the onerous demands by submitting a curriculum description that was many pages in length. Working in partnership with other state homeschool organizations, HSLDA Senior Counsel Scott Woodruff met with representatives of the state Department of Education on several occasions to urge them to adopt a policy that supplying a simple list of subjects satisfies the curriculum description requirement. We made it clear that if the department failed to act, we would seek legislation to solve the problem. That time has come. Using language suggested by HSLDA, and at the request of Home Educators Association of Virginia, two bills have been filed to solve the problem. Senator Dick Black has filed SB 564 in the Senate, and Delegate Brenda Pogge has filed an identical bill, HB 1208, in the House of Delegates. Both bills would change the home instruction statute to read "...provide a description of the curriculum, limited to a list of subjects to be studied during the coming year..." We believe this language would put an end to overbearing demands from school districts and dramatically reduce conflicts associated with the filing of the annual notice of intent. We will update you as the bill makes progress. HB 560 would prevent any person under age 21 from getting a driver's license unless they have a high school diploma or GED. This attempt to motivate unwilling students to finish school by holding out the "carrot" of a driver's license deserves to be defeated. Driver's licenses should be linked only to the ability to drive safely--not the level of a person's education. Students who have received diplomas as a result of a homeschool program could be unpleasantly surprised to find how the Department of Motor Vehicles might decide to administer this proposed requirement. HSLDA will fight this bill. HB 887 would mandate that public school superintendents "ensure" that any expelled or suspended student "continues to receive an education." HSLDA will fight this bill. It could be construed to give public schools new power over expelled or suspended students whose parents wish to provide them with home instruction. Delegate Rob Bell has filed a bill, HB 947, that would give homeschoolers access to public school sports. HSLDA is neutral on this bill. However, we know that some of our members are very interested, so we will keep you updated from time to time. Del. Bell also championed this issue in the last General Assembly and worked hard to address the needs and concerns of all parties. If you are a member of HSLDA--thank you! Your support provides us with the resources we need to work to protect your freedom. If you are not a member yet, please consider joining with us in our work to protect and expand homeschool freedom. Join now: http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=13462 Sincerely Yours, Scott A. Woodruff, 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: The freedom HSLDA allows me to have as I homeschool is wonderful! They handle the law and I get to dedicate the time to my daughter. - National City, CA HSLDA members since 1993, our membership is just as important to us as our children's curriculum. Thank you HSLDA for all you do on our behalf! - West Valley, NY More reasons to join HSLDA... http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=1941 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ====================================================================== 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. ====================================================================== | |
