I started reading Gatto when I pulled my kids from public schools and began homeschooling. I and they began our exposure to a different way of thinking about education and why it is important and different from what the larger culture is conditioned to value. Enjoy this series.
It’s time for a legislative update. As of Sunday, Feb. 19, 2012 there are approximately 1278 pieces of legislation floating through the Missouri state capitol. Some are recycled from previous years and some are duplicates, but there are some very busy legislators with writers cramp in Jefferson City.
Let’s first address the most recent threat to homeschooling freedoms, SB 706.
Jane Cunningham’s office did respond to our requests for edits and your phone calls and emails regarding language in her Race To The Top bill, and how it may affect homeschooling freedom. While her office may not have been happy to have had to address questions, the process is set up to be transparent and accountable to the voters, and it appears that contact from concerned parents/voters/homeschoolers has been productive for homeschooling freedom.
Kit Crancer responds to HU's SB706 alert
A preliminary copy of a revised SB706 shows the offending language has been removed from the edited bill. It is not yet posted on the General Assembly website, so the threat isn’t completely eliminated until the revised bill is approved, but this is a step in the right direction. There are still many other problems with this bill, but none that affect homeschoolers at this time. This bill is one to keep an eye on and we will do so. Since transparency is and should be crucial in the legislative process, we hope Senator Cunningham’s office will make available, publicly, the bill before it makes its way through the approval process. It is imperative for the taxpayers to have a chance to examine this legislative work before it is approved by lawmakers.
SB460, introduced by, Senator, Robyn Wright-Jones is all about compulsory school age and this one moving, slowly, but moving. It has been referred to the Senate Education Committee after its second read. This one requires any child to attend kindergarten when they reach the age of five or earlier if their birthday falls early enough in the school year.
SB483, Senator, Scott Rupp’s bill for scholarships for academically advance public high school students has been approved out of committee and will move on to the senate for debate/approval.
SB527, Senator, Rob Schaaf’s, let’s “consider” homeschoolers for scholarships, bill has been referred to the Senate Education Committee.
HB1206, Rep. Jay Barnes, homeschooling sports participation bill has been referred to the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee.
Since my last posting, HSLDA has flagged a couple of bills.
HB1610, Rep Jamilah Nasheed has resurrected this bill from last year. In fact, this is the bill, in 2009, that raised compulsory school age for homeschoolers to 17, unless 16 or more high school credits were earned toward graduation. She is now trying to raise the age to 18. This does affect homeschoolers. This bill was introduced on February 1st and has been assigned to the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee.
SB643, Senator Keaveny’s, compulsory school age bill requires children to attend kindergarten at the age of 5 years old in St. Louis City and Kansas City schools. This bill does have language that excludes homeschool students.
Understand that this is a big year for education reform in Jefferson City. While most bills do not specifically address homeschooling, yet, the reform will have far reaching affects in the long term and all parents need to follow what legislators are doing in this regard. Most of the legislation models the Obama administration’s Race To The Top agenda and will ultimately result in loss of local and parental control of your child(ren)’s education.
Ok, after reading this article, my brain is so overcharged with comment, I can’t slow it down enough to type articulately, my thoughts, so I am posting it here for you to read, and hopefully begin a conversation.
Yet whether liberal or conservative, “[o]ne article of faith unites all homeschoolers: that homeschooling should be unregulated,” Reich writes. “Homeschoolers of all stripes believe that they alone should decide how their children are educated.”
Homeschoolers, that I know, range from one end of the spectrum to the other, politically. Although, I do agree with the above quote, that we all just wanna be left alone to school and raise our kids the way we see fit, and to leave the government out of it, for the most part.
Home School Legal Defense issued an alert, today, regarding an initiative on Tuesdays ballot in Springfield, Missouri.
According to HSLDA, homeschooling freedoms are in jeopardy due to the proposed ordinance that will require families use the Department of Homeland Security’s E-Verify systems to check the citizenship of anyone they may hire to teach their children.
As most homeschool families hire tutors or employ teachers in co-op situations, Scott Woodruff, Senior Council for HSLDA, feels the regulation placed on them, in this situation would, “be a catastrophe for the cause of freedom.” Detail of their alert is posted below.
A proposed ordinance will appear on the City of Springfield ballot that will require you to use the Department of Homeland Security’s system (“E-Verify”) to electronically check the citizenship of any person before you hire him or her to teach your children any subject or skill.
Most homeschool families occasionally hire a teacher or tutor, or teachers in a co-op, to teach their children something worth learning. This is a normal and healthy aspect of homeschooling. But your ability to do this without government regulation will end if the ballot measure passes.
Action Requested
1. Please go to your appropriate polling place on Tuesday and vote “no” on the “E-Verify” ballot measure.
As you would expect from a legal document, the language on the ballot describing this proposal is wordy and complicated. It’s the one that starts off by saying: “Shall the City of Springfield make it unlawful for any business entity, that is any person or group of persons performing or engaging in any activity common enterprise, profession or occupation … ”
About the middle you will see this language: “further, all businesses in the City of Springfield are required to participate in E-Verify to verify the eligibility of all workers and conditional hires … ”
This is the proposal we urge you to vote “no” on!
2. Since time is short and the election is very close, please pass this on to your friends.
Background
You might think that the proposed ordinance would only apply to businesses. Unfortunately, the ordinance defines “business entity” to include “any person” doing “any activity” for any (undefined) “benefit” or (undefined) “advantage.” Every adult and child in the city of Springfield would therefore come under the definition of “business entity” (See section 2.A. of the ordinance) and be subject to city regulation (See section 3.B of the ordinance).
You might think that churches or clubs would be exempt. They are not. “Business entity” is specifically defined to include any not-for-profit group. This means your church, your hunting club, your missions organization, your ALERT or AWANA group, your neighborhood association, your homeschool co-op, your state, regional, and national homeschool support groups, etc., would be subject to this regulation. (See section 2.A. of the ordinance.)
You might think that if you or your group hires someone to do something that is not really “work,” you would be exempt. Unfortunately, the ordinance defines “work” to include “all activities” conducted by a business entity. As already explained, every man, woman and child in Springfield comes under the definition of “business entity.” Therefore every single activity of every single man, woman and child in Springfield would potentially be subject to this regulation. (See section 2.F of the ordinance.)
If you hire anyone to babysit your kids, mow your lawn, rake your leaves, give a talk to your group, shovel the snow off your sidewalk, walk your dog, etc., you would be subject to city regulation. If your kids try to sell lemonade on the sidewalk or your baseball team wants to wash cars for donations to buy uniforms, it would be subject to city regulation. If your Boy Scout troop wants to sell popcorn or your Girl Scout troop wants to sell cookies, they would come under city regulation.
Your church could not hire a pastor, secretary, or choir director without coming under city regulation. You could not “hire” your own kids to do household chores without coming under city regulation. The scope of this ordinance and its attempt to micromanage economic activity at the most humble level is simply breathtaking.
If you are shaking your head in disbelief, I challenge you to read the text of the ordinance yourself.You can find it here >>
