| From the HSLDA E-lert Service: |
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| Date: From: Subject: | 2/2/2012 4:40:44 PM Home School Legal Defense Association HB 4309 DELAYED: Your Calls Making a Difference--Keep Calling and Emailing |
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====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== HB 4309 DELAYED: Your Calls Making a Difference - Keep Calling and Emailing Dear West Virginia Members and Friends: The Education Committee is hearing from you and responding. I have just learned that HB 4309 will NOT be heard by the Education Committee tomorrow. Your calls have definitely caused legislators to pause and rethink this potentially dangerous piece of legislation. John Carey of Heritage Communications and I have been in communication with staff of the Education Committee who say that the delay does not mean the bill is dead, but a delay will give you more time to communicate with the members of the committee to explain why this is bad policy. Education Committee leadership have stated that they would like to craft language that would address the concerns of homeschoolers; this just can't solve the problem. The politicians need to hear that that this is just a bad bill. Not just bad for homeschoolers, but bad for all West Virginians. Schools and courts already have the legal tools they need to deal with the problem of public school attendance. But proponents of this bill want to bypass the already criminal consequences of truancy and either threaten to take, or just take, children out of families where the children are otherwise safe and healthy but aren't going to school as often as a judge thinks they should. This will cause problems for homeschooling parents. It's not too late to register for today's FREE online meeting to discuss this legislation. To register click here: http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=13608 . The program will be offered live at 8:30 TODAY. Can't make it? Register anyway to watch the recorded version. We expect to get up-to-the-minute information from the Capitol! Don't miss it! ACTION REQUESTED Please continue to contact members of the Education Committee. Give them the following message in your own words: "HB 4309 should not be amended--it is simply unnecessary and is bad public policy. School districts and courts just need to use the tools they already have to address public school attendance problems. The bill gives too much discretion to judges who are already overloaded. The bill would also result in more families defending themselves in Family Court where they have weaker due process protections and where children can be taken away. Children who are safe and healthy should not be taken from their families just because the children are not going to school as often as a judge thinks is necessary. Please just vote no on HB 4309." Email string address (copy and paste into the "to", "cc" or "bcc" block of an email - may not work for all email programs): mary.poling@wvhouse.gov; brady.paxton@wvhouse.gov; waltduke47@aol.com; linda.sumner@wvhouse.gov; anthony.barill@wvhouse.gov; denise.campbell@wvhouse.gov; mike.caputo@wvhouse.gov; kjcraig@aol.com; gerald.crosier@wvhouse.gov; lawrencefordelegate@hotmail.com; ron.fragale@wvhouse.gov; justin.marcum@wvhouse.gov; d.perry@wvhouse.gov; rickymoye@wvhouse.gov; dave.pethtel@wvhouse.gov; ralph.rodighiero@wvhouse.gov; stan.shaver@wvhouse.gov; peggydonaldsonsmith@wvhouse.gov; armstead@wvhouse.gov; joe.ellington@wvhouse.gov; marty.gearheart@wvhouse.gov; amanda.pasdon@wvhouse.gov; ruth.rowan@wvhouse.gov; brian.savilla@wvhouse.gov; harold.sigler@wvhouse.gov Individual Committee Contact information: Mary M. Poling - Chair Capitol Phone: (304) 340-3265 Business Phone: (304) 457-2206 E-mail: mary.poling@wvhouse.gov Brady Paxton -vice chair (D - Putnam) Capitol Phone: (304) 340-3337 Business Phone: (304) 340-3337 E-mail: brady.paxton@wvhouse.gov Walter E. Duke - minority Chair (R - Berkeley) Capitol Phone: (304) 340-3151 Business Phone: (304) 582-4755 E-mail: waltduke47@aol.com Linda Sumner (R - Raleigh) Capitol Phone: (304) 340-3180 Business Phone: NA E-mail: linda.sumner@wvhouse.gov Anthony Barill (D - Monongalia) Capitol Phone: (304) 340-3173 Business Phone: NA E-mail: anthony.barill@wvhouse.gov Denise L Campbell (D - Randolph) Capitol Phone: (304) 340-3145 Business Phone: (304) 636-1391 E-mail: denise.campbell@wvhouse.gov Mike Caputo (D - Marion) Capitol Phone: (304) 340-3249 Business Phone: (304) 363-7500 E-mail: mike.caputo@wvhouse.gov Kevin J Craig (D - Cabell) Capitol Phone: (304) 340-3350 Business Phone: (304) 522-5757 E-mail: kjcraig@aol.com Gerald L. Crosier (D - Monroe) Capitol Phone: (304) 340-3188 Business Phone: NA E-mail: gerald.crosier@wvhouse.gov Ron Fragale (D - Harrison) Capitol Phone: (304) 340-3114 Business Phone: (304) 622-3609 E-mail: ron.fragale@wvhouse.gov Tiffany Elizabeth Lawrence (D - Jefferson) Capitol Phone: (304) 340-3152 Business Phone: (304) 340-3152 E-mail: lawrencefordelegate@hotmail.com Justin Marcum (D - Mingo) Capitol Phone: (304) 340-3126 Business Phone: NA E-mail: justin.marcum@wvhouse.gov Ricky Moye (D - Raleigh) Capitol Phone: (304) 340-3162 Business Phone: (304) 255-2932 E-mail: rickymoye@wvhouse.gov David G. Perry (D - Fayette) Capitol Phone: (304) 340-3117 Business Phone: NA E-mail: d.perry@wvhouse.gov Dave Pethtel (D - Wetzel) Capitol Phone: (304) 340-3158 Business Phone: (304) 775-4221 E-mail: dave.pethtel@wvhouse.gov Ralph Rodighiero (D - Logan) Capitol Phone: (304) 340-3154 Business Phone: (304) 784-8881 E-mail: ralph.rodighiero@wvhouse.gov Stan Shaver (D - Preston) Capitol Phone: (304) 340-3146 Business Phone: (304) 568-2696 E-mail: stan.shaver@wvhouse.gov Margaret Donaldson Smith (D - Lewis) Capitol Phone: (304) 340-3123 Business Phone: NA E-mail: peggydonaldsonsmith@wvhouse.gov Tim Armstead (R - Kanawha) Capitol Phone: (304) 340-3240 E-mail: armstead@wvhouse.gov Joe Ellington (R - Mercer) Capitol Phone: (304) 340-3172 Business Phone: (304) 425-3800 E-mail: joe.ellington@wvhouse.gov Marty Gearheart (R - Mercer) Capitol Phone: (304) 340-3179 Business Phone: (304) 320-0879 E-mail: marty.gearheart@wvhouse.gov Amanda Pasdon (R - Monongalia) Capitol Phone: (304) 340-3153 Business Phone: (304) 340-3153 E-mail: amanda.pasdon@wvhouse.gov Ruth Rowan (R - Hampshire) Capitol Phone: (304) 340-3157 Business Phone: (304) 340-3157 E-mail: ruth.rowan@wvhouse.gov Brian Savilla (R - Putnam) Capitol Phone: (304) 340-3141 Business Phone: (304) 340-3141 E-mail: brian.savilla@wvhouse.gov Harold Sigler (R - Nicholas) Capitol Phone: (304) 340-3143 Business Phone: (304) 651-3555 E-mail: harold.sigler@wvhouse.gov BACKGROUND If passed HB 4309 would: > Define parents as child abusers if their children appear physically healthy but miss what a judge thinks is too many days of school; > Make it too easy for Child Protection Services and Judges to remove children from a home even if the children were not abused or neglected; > Put too much power in the hands of unaccountable judges with vague definitions and broad powers--What is habitually absent? Who defines physically healthy? > Result in the removal of children from their homes who are having non-physical problems, such as depression or other emotional issues and force them to attend public school against their parents will. > Affect homeschool families if they do not file their home paperwork properly, such as a late notice of intent or not complying with the 14 day waiting period before pulling children out of public school to homeschool; > Fail to take into consideration children's special physical, mental, emotional or other needs > Treat truancy as child abuse and places parents in Family Court were the judges have virtually unlimited powers and where parents have fewer due process protections; > Create a system of enforcement that just does not care about the individual needs of a child and the efforts that parents are putting in to meeting those needs. HB 4309 is unnecessary because state law already provides sufficient authority to punish parents and for schools and attendance directors to fashion remedies to deal with habitual truancy under the criminal code. Thank you for taking action TODAY! Without your support we could not stand for freedom in West Virginia! 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 at: http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=13431 Mountaineers Always Free, Michael P. Donnelly, Esq. HSLDA Staff Attorney ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> What's the shortest distance between two homeschoolers? HSLDA's elert service! When threats to homeschool freedoms arise, you want to be able to respond. We make it possible. 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