| From the HSLDA E-lert Service: |
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| Date: From: Subject: | 2/20/2013 11:54:03 AM Dee Black--HSLDA Mississippi: Calls Needed to Oppose Compulsory Attendance Age Bill |
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====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== Mississippi: Calls Needed to Oppose Compulsory Attendance Age Bill Dear HSLDA Members and Friends: Bad news! On February 11, the Mississippi House of Representatives passed House Bill 779, which would lower the compulsory attendance age from 6 to 5 and prohibit parents from disenrolling a child from public school kindergarten. The House had amended the bill from its original version to state that enrollment of a 5-year-old in public school kindergarten is voluntary, but once the child is enrolled, there can be no withdrawal. The most worrisome part about the bill in its current form is that it says nothing about whether enrollment of a 5-year-old in a nonpublic school such as a home instruction program is voluntary. It could be interpreted to require parents to file a certificate of enrollment with their local attendance officer and begin homeschooling their child at age 5. House Bill 779 is now in the Senate Education Committee, which could vote on this bill at any time. Members of the committee need to hear from hundreds of you in order to stop this bill that threatens your parental rights. ACTION REQUESTED: 1. Please call and/or email members of the Senate Education Committee with this message or something similar in your own words: "Please vote against House Bill 779 which would lower Mississippi's compulsory school attendance age from 6 to 5. In its current form, parents may be required to enroll a 5-year-old child in a nonpublic school kindergarten. Parents, not state officials, are best able to determine when their child is ready for formal education." The members of the Senate Education Committee are as follows: Gray Tollison, Chairman (601) 359-3244 gtollison@senate.ms.gov Nancy Adams Collins, Vice-Chairman (601) 359-2395 ncollins@senate.ms.gov David Blount (601) 359-3232 dblount@senate.ms.gov Terry C. Burton (601) 359-3234 tburton@senate.ms.gov Videt Carmichael (601) 359-3244 vcarmichael@senate.ms.gov Steve Hale (601) 359-3252 shale@senate.ms.gov Angela Burks Hill (601) 359-3226 ahill@senate.ms.gov W. Briggs Hopson, III (601) 359-3237 bhopson@senate.ms.gov Russell Jolly (601) 359-2886 rjolly@senate.ms.gov David Jordan (601) 359-3244 djordan@senate.ms.gov Chris Massey (601) 359-2886 cmassey@senate.ms.gov John A. Polk (601) 359-3246 jpolk@senate.ms.gov Tony Smith (601) 359-2886 tsmith@senate.ms.gov Brice Wiggins (601) 359-3232 bwiggins@senate.ms.gov J.P. Wilemon, Jr. (601) 359-3232 jwilemon@senate.ms.gov 2. Please forward this email to every family you know who is not a member of HSLDA and urge them to contact members of the committee about this bill. BACKGROUND: Many education experts have concluded that beginning a child's formal education too early may actually result in burnout and poor scholastic performance later. Lowering the compulsory attendance age erodes the authority of parents who are in the best position to determine when their child's formal education should begin. This bill would restrict parents' freedom to decide if their children are ready for school. Another significant impact of expanding the compulsory attendance age would be an inevitable tax increase to pay for more classroom space and teachers to accommodate the additional students compelled to attend public school. To view the text of this bill, please go to http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=17290 . For more information on compulsory attendance, please see our memorandum at http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=17291 Please call or email today! Sincerely, Dewitt T. Black, III HSLDA Senior Counsel P.S. 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 to recommend us as we defend the rights of homeschooling families? Join now: http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=17292 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> You can get a little latte or a lotta legal. With our new payment options, you can join HSLDA for as little as $10/month, less than the price of a cup of coffee a week. 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Thank you for your cooperation. ====================================================================== | |
