| From the HSLDA E-lert Service: |
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| Date: From: Subject: | 2/21/2013 3:00:46 PM Dee Black--HSLDA Mississippi: Child Screening Bill Still a Threat to Homeschoolers |
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====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== Child Screening Bill Still a Threat to Homeschoolers Dear HSLDA Members and Friends: I am sorry to report to you that Mississippi House Bill 896, which could lead to mandatory speech-language screening for all children, passed the House of Representatives on February 13 and is now in the Senate Education Committee. Your calls and emails are needed to stop this overreaching legislation. The summary of the bill states that it will require that "all compulsory-school-age children be screened for speech-language impairment during the period between the spring of kindergarten and the fall of grade 1 and other appropriate times as deemed necessary in the public schools of this state." The actual language of the bill in section 8 says that each school district will ensure that screening is done. It is unclear whether the intent of the bill is to require screening of nonpublic school students such as those in a home instruction program, but it certainly could be interpreted that way. Another problem with the bill appears in section 3 which says that parents may exercise the option to remove their child from public school to be enrolled in a nonpublic school (e.g. a home instruction program), so long as it meets public school standards for meeting the learning needs of children with a speech language impairment. Public school standards should not be imposed on homeschooling families. Members of the Senate Education Committee need to know that Mississippi families oppose this mandatory screening of children. 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 896 which would require that all children undergo mandatory screening for speech-language impairment between kindergarten and first grade and at other times deemed necessary by public school officials. Parents are well able to determine if their child has an impairment and to seek appropriate treatment." When contacting members of the committee, it is not necessary to identify yourself as a homeschooler. This issue is broader than homeschooling. This is a parental rights issue affecting all Mississippi families with children. 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. View the text of this bill >> 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 >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> You can only do so much... No one can be everywhere at once. And you can't be at home, teaching your children, while monitoring your state's legislature. Through electronic legislative services, HSLDA is monitoring state legislation for you -- watching and listening carefully for any proposed laws that could erode your right to homeschool. Join HSLDA today-we'll watch out for your future. More reasons to join HSLDA... http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=1942 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ====================================================================== The HSLDA E-lert Service is a service of: Home School Legal Defense Association P.O. 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If this is an invalid email address or you have other problems, please reply to webmaster@hslda.org. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- DISCLAIMER: This is considered a private and confidential message from HSLDA to its bonafide HSLDA E-lert Service subscribers. HSLDA cannot attest to the authenticity of copies posted, forwarded, or sent by any party other than HSLDA. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- NOTE: Please do not reply or otherwise use this email address; hslda@hslda.org is for broadcast purposes only and is not intended to receive incoming messages. We cannot reply to any email sent to this address. If you have comments or questions, please send email to info@hslda.org or call HSLDA at 540-338-5600. HSLDA members can also email staff directly through the Members website at http://members.hslda.org/contact.asp. Thank you for your cooperation. ====================================================================== | |
