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| Date: From: Subject: | 2/14/2012 5:03:16 PM Home School Legal Defense Association Maryland--Call Now to Stop Compulsory Age Expansion |
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====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== Maryland--Call Now to Stop Compulsory Age Expansion Dear HSLDA Members and Friends: Your calls are needed immediately to stop an additional bill that would raise the ending age for compulsory school attendance in Maryland. Senate Bill 362 would raise the compulsory attendance age from 16 to 17 statewide in 2014, and to age 18 in 2016. Catherine Pugh is the primary sponsor. It will be heard by the Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee this week. This bill would take away your freedom to decide whether school or some other path is best for your 16- and 17-year-old to follow. Requested Action 1. If you live in the district of one of the committee members listed below, please call by this Friday. Visit our Legislative Toolbox http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=13766 and type in your ZIP code to find out who your senator is. Even senators who you think already oppose the bill need to hear from you. Your message can be as simple as: "Please vote no on SB 362 which would raise the age of compulsory school attendance from 16 to 17, then 18. Parents, not state officials, know whether their 16- or 17-year-old young adult should pursue formal education or some other preparation for life responsibilities. The cost of forcing unwilling young adults into a formal school setting should not be added to our tax burden." Committee Member Contact Information Joan Carter Conway, Chair (410) 841-3145, (301) 858-3145 1-800-492-7122, ext. 3145 (toll free) Roy P. Dyson, Vice-Chair (410) 841-3673, (301) 858-3673 1-800-492-7122, ext. 3673 (toll free) Joanne C. Benson (410) 841-3148, (301) 858-3148 1-800-492-7122, ext. 3148 (toll free) Bill Ferguson (410) 841-3600, (301) 858-3600 1-800-492-7122, ext. 3600 (toll free) J. B. Jennings (410) 841-3706, (301) 858-3706 1-800-492-7122, ext. 3706 (toll free) Karen S. Montgomery (410) 841-3625, (301) 858-3625 1-800-492-7122, ext. 3625 (toll free) Paul G. Pinsky (410) 841-3155, (301) 858-3155 1-800-492-7122, ext. 3155 (toll free) Edward R. Reilly (410) 841-3568, (301) 858-3568 1-800-492-7122, ext. 3568 (toll free) James C. Rosapepe (410) 841-3141, (301) 858-3141 1-800-492-7122, ext. 3141 (toll free) Bryan W. Simonaire (410) 841-3658, (301) 858-3658 1-800-492-7122, ext. 3658 (toll free) Ronald N. Young (410) 841-3575, (301) 858-3575 1-800-492-7122, ext. 3575 (toll free) 2. This bill would undermine the freedom of all parents. It is not necessary for you to identify yourself as a homeschooler. 3. Forward this email on to all of your friends, and ask them to call the committee members as well, if they live in their districts. Background The bill seems to have a homeschool exemption. However, the "exemption" only applies if a family continues to comply with the compulsory attendance laws. Therefore it is no exemption at all! It exempts students who have a "Maryland high school diploma," but not homeschool graduates. Not all 16- and 17-year-olds belong in a formal school setting. Some would be better off in a work training program or apprenticeship, obtaining valuable work experience. This decision belongs to parents, not state officials. Pushing unwilling older students into the classroom will disrupt the other students who truly want to learn. Since many 17-year-olds have the size and strength of adults, classrooms could become even more violent. Raising the compulsory school age does not help young people. Some of the states with the highest graduation rates have the lowest compulsory attendance cut-off age. Taxes would inevitably rise to pay for more classroom space and teachers. When California raised the upper age limit of compulsory attendance, taxpayers were forced to pay for the building of new schools just to handle the older, unwilling students and their behavior problems. One of the important legal bulwarks for homeschooling in Maryland has been the simplicity of the Maryland homeschool statute. It allows any family to provide "regular, thorough instruction, in the studies usually taught in public schools to same-age children" instead of public school attendance. While regulations have been adopted to help implement this statute, they are not actually part of the statute, and this helps protect freedom. But SB 362 actually inserts the homeschool regulations into the statute. This is a threat to homeschool freedom. For more information, please see our Issues Library entry on compulsory attendance http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=13556 . Thank you for your calls on behalf of freedom in Maryland. Sincerely, Scott Woodruff 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: 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. ====================================================================== | |
