The Nebraska Christian Home Educator’s Association just sent out an e-lert regarding Legislative Resolution 369 .
I will include the entire e-lert at the end, but here is the heart of it:
- LR 369 was proposed by Senator Schimek “To examine policy changes that should be pursued in order to provide further guidance and oversight of Nebraska ’s home schools.” You can read the whole resolution here. (pdf)
- Resolutions for an interim study are autmotically referred to the appropriate committee without being voted on. In this case, it was the Education Committee.
- LR 369 has a priority status of two, making it a mid-level priority. This typically necessitates some action by staff.
And this is the bit that bothers me.
At this time, the NCHEA understands that a public hearing will not be held or public input sought in regards to LR369.
This is where I wish e-lerts were a little more informative. Does that mean that no action is being taken? Or that action may be taken, but the committee has no intention of opening discussion to 1,000 homeschoolers before going ahead with the study they plan to do anyway? My understanding is that they do not have to and that for all anyone knows, the study could be complete.
All I could find was a list of interim studies (pdf) ordered by priority. LR 369 is of course on the list, and appears at number nine of eleven. I also found the schedule of public hearings (pdf), which confirms that this is not scheduled for a public hearing. But then, only one from the Education Committee is: LR 294, which tops the previous list and deals with finding alternate funding systems for teachers.
The whole thing leaves me feeling a tad helpless before the state as it studies how to guide and oversee my homeschool with the intention of delivering these results to the legislature without even consulting with homeschoolers. Without even entertaining the notion of looking into whether or not guidance and oversight are needed. That is presumed a given, and the study is only interested in uncovering how exactly the state should go about it.
It also brings to light another annoyance of mine which was first brought up in the wake of LB1141 which would have required annual assessment of all homeschooled students. When it was over, we celebrated. Breaking attendance records was certainly something the Education Committee could not ignore and Nebraska homeschoolers really did put forth a great deal of effort to make our concerns known. But the one thing that was scarcely discussed was the fact that this bill was unlikely to go anywhere last session. There simply wasn’t time and the bill lacked the priority status to get to the floor in a shortened session.
Honestly, I’ll take victory either way…either because of procedural issues or because our arguments were really that convincing. Or even simply because our numbers were that impressive. But in our celebration of such victories, I think we need to look carefully at why exactly the bill did not move forward. I get the sense from other homeschoolers here in Nebraska that we feel this issue is dead and gone, as if to say ” Sure, some senator sometime might be dumb enough to go through it again, but not likely”
And in that we are ignoring just how much support this bill had. Especially in the education committee. And who knows how many of the senators we had checked as homeschool supporters would have changed columns once the amendment process started? We are also ignoring how much term limits have changed politics in Nebraska. Our representatives now only have to worry about what we think of them twice. In their final term, they need not concern themselves with us at all.
It will be interesting to see if the results of this study do indeed end up making it on the Legislative Calendar when the next session starts in January. And what kind of proposals come from it if it does.
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Text of the e-lert:
Dear NCHEA Members, Support Group Leaders, Nebraska Homeschoolers, and Home Education and Parental Rights Supporters:
As you no doubt recall, Senator DiAnna Schimek introduced Legislative Resolution (LR) 369 on March 31, 2008. The text of LR 369 is below.
?LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION 369. Introduced by Schimek, 27.
PURPOSE: To examine policy changes that should be pursued in order to provide further guidance and oversight of Nebraska ’s home schools. The committee shall conduct a study of the following:
(1) Current statutory framework established for the creation of all types of nonaccredited schools in Nebraska and how that relates to original legislative intent;
(2) Potential improvements that can be made to existing statute due to the increased number of home schools, in order to reflect current trends;
(3) Any data that can be drawn from only Nebraska home schools to demonstrate how well the state’s home school students are performing;
(4) Existing case law enabling states to provide oversight to home schools; and
(5) Proposals that would enable Nebraska to provide sufficient oversight through the testing of home school students or other mechanisms in order to evaluate home school students.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MEMBERS OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH LEGISLATURE OF NEBRASKA , SECOND SESSION:
1. That the Education Committee of the Legislature shall be designated to conduct an interim study to carry out the purposes of this resolution.
2. That the committee shall upon the conclusion of its study make a report of its findings, together with its recommendations, to the Legislative Council or Legislature.
Referred to the Executive Board.?
The legislative process for Legislative Resolutions calling for an interim study is that they are automatically (without a vote of the legislature) referred to the appropriate legislative committee, in this case, the Education Committee. The Education Committee typically assigns each study a priority number on a scale of 1 to 3. LR 369 was designated as a “2″ are mid-level study, which typically requires some participation from committee staff.
The NCHEA has not forgotten LR 369. At this time, the NCHEA understands that a public hearing will not be held or public input sought in regards to LR369. If there is a change and public input will be received, the NCHEA will let you know.
In the meantime, the NCHEA has been researching and developing information to address any adverse legislation that may arise from LR 369.
We request your continued prayer for wisdom for the NCHEA?s leadership and its efforts in addressing LR 369 and defending Nebraska ?s homeschool freedom.
Respectfully,
Dave Lostroh, NCHEA Legislative Liaison
Nick Lenzen, NCHEA President
PS: The NCHEA?s 2009 Conference and Curriculum Fair will be March 27 and 28, 2009, in Lincoln , NE. Keynote speakers will be Dr. Brian Ray, President of the National Home Education Research Institute, and his wife, Betsy.
This Legislative Alert may be reproduced only in its entirety with credit to the Nebraska Christian Home Educators Association.
Principled Discovery is a place to stop and discuss news and information related to faith, family and particularly education. Pour yourself a cup of tea and join the conversation! 
This should act as a warning. Progressive Marxist Communist Socialist such as Schimek, and the NEA are extremely patient. They will pursue their agenda regardless of the time involved; generations if need be.
I often ponder that America may have won the Cold War on the military stalemate front, however, Russia etc, never were defeated. They just changed tactics.
Now the Cold War is being fought through the political system beginning at the local level and through proponents of Socialist Progressive agendas such as Schimek and the NEA.
Due diligence must be given to this attack because it is far more menacing and destructive than any military engagement. Consider the Environmental Liberation Front. The ELF is the most active terrorist group on US soil and couple that with the Environmental Movement in general; these groups are now the new home to the Progressive Socialist Marxist Communists.
Freedom and Liberty must be fought for, defended and increased on a continual basis; never to be neglected or thought won for good.
The whole thing leaves me feeling a tad helpless before the state as it studies how to guide and oversee my homeschool with the intention of delivering these results to the legislature without even consulting with homeschoolers. Without even entertaining the notion of looking into whether or not guidance and oversight are needed. That is presumed a given, and the study is only interested in uncovering how exactly the state should go about it.
It’s the “Pat on the Head Let the Professionals Handle It Sweetheart” routine. Politicians must attend workshops where they learn how to do that- Condescending Smile Included in the Package Price.
Until American culture leans more toward personal liberty and less toward the idea the purpose of gov’t is to wipe everyone’s chins for them, this kind of legislation will be introduced again and again. Home educators cannot relax and assume that the ‘battle’ is over.
Quite true. And this notion that because we don’t know for sure how every homeschool family is doing, we need greater monitoring? Where does that come from? We don’t even need a problem to address. Just a hypothesis something bad is possible.
And maybe I’m just nutty, but I am also leery of this turn from looking at changing law to bring us in line to looking at changing policy to effect the same ends.
A couple thoughts.
Homeschoolers need to be familiar with how legislation works (well beyond the Schoolhouse Rock “I’m Just a Bill” version.
We also need to remember that we have more leverage than just our vote. We have money to donate and time to serve. The time especially is important. If your family has spent time working for someone’s campaign, there is likely to be a staffer who can take your call with a “Hi Dana” instead of treating you as just another constituent.
That is actually the main goal of a project I am working on…to promote greater interest in these local elections which really should matter most. We’ll see how far it gets, but the potential is exciting at least.
I forget how lucky we are. In my neck-of-the-woods, homeschooling is right up there with Mom, apple pie and baseball. Our local politicians beat each other up to show which one loves homeschoolers more.
On a state level there are a few naysayers, but I don’t think they’re in the majority. (I’d have bow to Alasandra’s opinion, as she’s lived in Mississippi longer.)
I don’t think we can afford not to be vigilant even in Mississippi.
Native Mississippians are a pretty self-reliant lot and don’t depend on the government/anyone else for much (Katrina is a great example of that. People were getting out and clearing their own tree limbs from the power poles before the electric/phone company could get to them). But as more people move to Mississippi from other parts of the U.S (some from areas with stricter homeschooling regulations) more and more homeschool regulations are being introduced in the State House and Senate. Representative Cecil Brown has introduced unfriendly homeschooling laws time and time again, and must be watched.
Very true, Alasandra. I am grateful we still have more rights to protect than the residents of other states, and the fact that we do is precisely because the legislature has been watched.
“Native Mississippians are a pretty self-reliant lot and don’t depend on the government/anyone else for much”
Katrina, is a perfect example between a free people (Mississippi) and an enslaved people (Louisiana).
Who’s been running which state for xx amount of years? and that will explain much.
There’s always someone in every group, Alasandra.
Here in Nebraska, we have a new group starting which is looking at supporting candidates who believe government shouldn’t involve itself in homeschooling. More about that once we have a website, though. 
Imagine that a group of people who think the government should not involve themselves in every facet of someones life and that they can get along nicely without government aid (LOL)
Good look with the group. I wish you success.
The government of Nebraska already regulates homeschooling, they choose not to. Look into Rule 12 and 13 and you will see that you can be investigated by the NDE for violations of curricular use. It is only a matter of the legislature choosing to enforce it.
Yes, I actually wrote about that in one of my posts, but it isn’t quite as simple as that. A former attorney general opined that it would be unconstitutional for the state to do homes visits and testing of homeschool families without their consent and that all of the private schools would have to be treated the same.
So the Board of Ed never adopted policies to govern this. The law says they “may” not that they “shall.”
According to the NDE it takes a complaint filed from HHS to do this type of investigation. Which I assume falls under neglect.
Can anyone give me research based information on homeschool curriculum? What is best, what to stay away from?
According to the NDE it takes a complaint filed from HHS to do this type of investigation. Which I assume falls under neglect.
I would assume so. Normally it does take some complaint filed before the state investigates for anything else, and I don’t know why it should be different when talking about education. They don’t investigate the medical care your children receive unless there is a complaint, nor how you feed them unless there is a complaint.
And as to research, what kind of research? I don’t think those kinds of numbers are available. Some will highlight their own studies based on performance for specific things, such as how well students using their curriculum score on state assessments or the SAT/ACT or the biblical worldview test.
How did you choose your curriculum? Is there a particular vendor you like or someother type of recomendation you recieved to make the choice you made? According to Rule 12 I think I have to offer my kids 5 subject areas.
I emailed you, but I’ll put it here in the comments as well:
Ah, I see. I write my own curriculum. Since you are filing Rule 12, I’m assuming you want a secular curriculum and not one overly Christian? I’m more familiar with the Christian companies, but can direct you to some people who might be able to help.
If working through a Christian company doesn’t bother you, I’ve heard good things about Sonlight. They due a literature based approach, and 90% of their items actually are secular in nature. I know a lot of secular homeschoolers use their things and just talk about or edit what they disagree with.
If you need more info, let me know and I’ll direct you to some secular homeschoolers who can maybe better answer your questions.