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| Date: From: Subject: | 2/21/2012 3:57:25 PM Home School Legal Defense Association Illinois: Call Today to Stop Compulsory School Age Expansion |
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====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== Illinois: Call Today to Stop Compulsory School Age Expansion Dear Illinois HSLDA Members and Friends: Your calls are needed immediately to stop a bill that would raise the ending age for compulsory school attendance from the 17th to the 18th birthday. SB 3259 would take away your freedom to decide whether school or some other path is best for your 17-year-old to follow. And it would result in higher taxes as unwilling older students are forced to stay in schools. Parents, not government officials, should decide what path is best for a 17-year-old. The hearing is scheduled for Friday morning. Please call before then! REQUESTED ACTION Please call Senator James Meeks, committee chair. Also, call your own senator if he or she is on the committee. Use our Legislative Toolbox and type in your ZIP code to find the name of your senator: http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=13835 Your message can be as simple as: "Please vote no on SB 3259. Parents, not state officials, know whether their 17-year-old should pursue formal education or some other preparation for life responsibilities. The extra cost of forcing unwilling young adults into a formal school setting should not be added to our tax burden." This bill would undermine the freedom of all parents. It is not necessary for you to identify yourself as a homeschooler. CONTACT INFORMATION James T. Meeks, chair (217) 782-8066 Kimberly A. Lightford, vice chair (217) 782-8505 Annazette R. Collins (217) 782-6252 Susan Garrett (217) 782-3650 Iris Y. Martinez (217) 782-8191 John G. Mulroe (217) 782-1035 David S. Luechtefeld, minority spokesperson (217) 782-8137 Christine J. Johnson (217) 782-1977 Kyle McCarter (217) 782-5755 Suzi Schmidt (217) 782-7353 BACKGROUND Not all 17-year-olds belong in a formal school setting. Some would be better off in a work training program, apprenticeship, obtaining valuable work experience, etc. 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 older students 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. A majority of states have an ending age of 16 or 17. 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. Thank you for your calls on behalf of freedom in Illinois! Sincerely, Scott Woodruff HSLDA Senior Counsel ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> Will your children's inheritance retain its value? If you pass on a legacy of freedom, your children and their children's children will thank you. But freedom is never secure; it must always be guarded. Membership with HSLDA is an investment in the future that can be passed on to future generations of families wanting to teach their children at home. 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Thank you for your cooperation. ====================================================================== | |
