| From the HSLDA E-lert Service: |
< BACK TO ARCHIVE |
| Date: From: Subject: | 3/1/2013 10:32:16 AM Scott Woodruff--HSLDA Calls Needed Immediately to Oppose Lowering Compulsory School Age from 7 to 5 |
|
====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== Calls Needed Immediately to Oppose Lowering Compulsory School Age from 7 to 5 Dear HSLDA Members and Friends: The bill that would subject two more years of your child's life to government mandates, SB 1307, emerged from Senate committee. The battle now moves to the Senate floor. Your Illinois state senator needs to hear from you immediately! The vote could be today. Right now, children are not compelled to attend school until age 7. SB 1307 would lower that to 5. And don't be lulled into thinking they will stop at 5. If they succeed this year, there is no question that future Illinois legislatures will try to push it lower. It's part of a national trend to rob more and more years from what should be the normal, joyful, care-free part of a child's life. At least one legislature tried to lower it to under 4 years of age! This war on childhood must be halted in its tracks. You are a crucial member of the team! ACTION REQUESTED Visit the Illinois Legislature website http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=17411 to find who your Illinois state senator is. Then call him or her with a message that can be as simple as: "Please vote 'no' on SB 1307. It would lower the age of compulsory school attendance from 7 to 5. Everyone's taxes will go up. Parents, not the government, should decide when it's best for their young child to start formal education." It is not necessary to identify yourself as a homeschooler since this would affect every Illinois parent. Please forward this email to others and urge them to contact their Illinois state senator with the same message. BACKGROUND Forcing children to attend school at age 5 is a bad idea because: 1. There are no long-term repeatable studies proving that starting school at age 5 rather than 7 is better for the child. Studies show that early childhood education does not improve a child's future because early gains disappear in a few years. This is especially significant for boys, because they develop school-related skills more slowly than girls at this age. 2. It decreases beneficial parent contact with children. Two extra years of development outside of school can be critical for a young child. Carl Zinsmeister, adjunct research associate at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, says, "Declining parental attachment is an extremely serious risk to children today. The verdict of enormous psychological literature is that time spent with the parent is the very clearest correlate of healthy child development." Parents should continue to have the authority to decide what is best for their children. 3. The concept behind the bill is faulty. While it is true that young children's brains develop rapidly, there is no reliable research that says that formal education is better than a normal home environment for helping the child grow intellectually. Many studies show just the opposite: that a home where contact with parents is maximized is the healthiest way for young children to grow mentally, emotionally and socially. 4. SB 1307 would be costly. It will put pressure on lawmakers to raise your taxes to pay for formal education parents don't want. It will put pressure on school systems to borrow to build new buildings, effectively transferring debt to the next generation. Thank you for standing with us for freedom! Sincerely, Scott A. Woodruff, Senior Counsel, HSLDA 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 recommend us? Your support enables us to defend individual families and protect homeschooling freedom for all. Join now: http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=17412 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> Who's knocking on your door? When a social service worker arrives at your door, tension can run high. Wouldn't it be nice to get your lawyer on the phone, providing you with immediate step-by-step guidance? More reasons to join HSLDA... http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=1099 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ====================================================================== The HSLDA E-lert Service is a service of: Home School Legal Defense Association P.O. Box 3000 Purcellville, Virginia 20134 Phone: (540) 338-5600 Fax: (540) 338-2733 Email: info@hslda.org Web: http://www.hslda.org ---------------------------------------------------------------------- How To Subscribe: - Subscribe to the HSLDA E-lert Service at our website: https://secure.hslda.org/hslda/elert/account.asp?Process=Subscribe - Or send an email with name and complete mailing address to: subscribe@hslda.org ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscription Information: - You subscribed to the HSLDA E-lert Service as: ##ToAddress## - To unsubscribe from the HSLDA E-lert Service send an email from the email address you want to unsubscribe to: unsubscribe@hslda.org - To change your email address or make other changes to your subscription, visit the HSLDA E-lert Service account web page at: https://secure.hslda.org/hslda/elert/account.asp ---------------------------------------------------------------------- POSTMASTERS: This message is being sent to the most recent address we have for our subscribers. 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. ====================================================================== | |
