September 12, 2007
Bills Fail in Legislature
If passed, Arkansas House Bill 2714 would have required a parent or guardian to have a high school diploma or GED before providing a homeschool education to a child or ward. Fortunately, this bill failed to advance beyond the House Education Committee prior to adjournment. It is notable that only nine states have this requirement in their homeschool laws. Studies conducted on homeschooling have concluded that there is little statistical difference between the academic performance of children whose parents have not finished high school and those who have a college education. Home School Legal Defense Association is unaware of any problem in Arkansas this proposed law would have fixed.
House Bill 2608 was a tax credit bill for educational expenses, including those associated with homeschooling. Unfortunately, this bill did not pass.
Another bill affecting homeschoolers was House Bill 2810, which would have permitted these students to participate in extracurricular activities at public school. This bill died in the House Education Committee. HSLDA takes a neutral position on this type of legislation.
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