Update: Stltoday.com is reporting that the bill passed the house 110 to 46 with an adjustment to the language regarding homeschools. It now goes back to the Senate.
And this quote from the article demonstrates just why last minute changes are so problematic:
“We never intended for this to affect home-schoolers,” Wallace said later. He said he was shocked when someone brought to his attention the potential effect on home-schoolers.
If all interested parties have time to respond and be involved in the legislative process, we don’t have as many unintended consequences.
******
A last minute change to Senate Bill 291 in Missouri has homeschoolers scrambling to respond. The Homeschool Legal Defense Association is attempting to assemble 5,000 homeschoolers for a rally in Jefferson City at 1PM to encourage lawmakers to vote “no” on SB 29 in response to the last minute change involving compulsory education laws.
This dramatic threat would massively increase government control over homeschooling. Every homeschooled child (except those in St. Louis City)–whether 16, 17, 18, 19 or 20–would be subject to compulsory school attendance until they could prove to the state’s satisfaction that they had completed “sixteen credits towards high school graduation.”
This would suddenly give the state power to control and define what a homeschool “credit” is. It would immediately give the state power to control what is required for homeschool graduation. This would destroy liberty for homeschoolers in Missouri on an unprecedented scale and cause unimaginable problems. HSLDA.org
Rather than allowing graduation by age by default, homeschoolers will now be required to complete sixteen credits toward high school graduation. Lines 66-69 of the bill allow districts to set the compulsory education age at seventeen (which is unchanged from previous law). Line 70 used to read “Sixteen years of age in all other cases.” The proposed legislation instead reads:
Having successfully completed sixteen credits towards high school graduation in all other cases.
What is a credit when it applies to a homeschool? Does this give the state the power to define education in the home? Will this destroy liberty for homeschoolers in Missouri? I’m not sure. After all, Missouri homeschoolers have to keep records, but are not required to turn them in unless they are being investigated for educational neglect. And how much control can the state claim over these 16 credits when the law specifically states:
Nothing in this section shall require a private, parochial, parish or home school to include in its curriculum any concept, topic, or practice in conflict with the school’s religious doctrines or to exclude from its curriculum any concept, topic, or practice consistent with the school’s religious doctrines. Any other provision of the law to the contrary notwithstanding, all departments or agencies of the state of Missouri shall be prohibited from dictating through rule, regulation or other device any statewide curriculum for private, parochial, parish or home schools.
I wonder how much the insertion of these 16 credits has to do with another change in the law which allows homeschool graduates to participate in the “Higher Education Scholarship Program.” (173.250) After all, the more you look like a school, the easier it is for others to determine whether or not you have indeed accomplished all they would expect you to accomplish in a school.
And this, it seems to me, is mostly a problem of time. Missouri homeschoolers have less than a week to decide what this bill means, talk to legislators and find language that is less concerning to homeschoolers in Missouri who seem to be used to quite a bit of freedom in their program of instruction. But one week isn’t enough time for all of that.
So does that force homeschoolers to turn out by the thousands to protest a law that otherwise has nothing to do with homeschooling?
Update: And it looks like the last minute scramble is having an effect…and leaving the public school advocates scrambling as well. According to Dana Loesch, an amendment was already being drafted to kill the language that had homeschoolers upset. And public school advocates are already moving to kill that amendment.
I love HSLDA but one thing they do NOT seem to be doing is guarding against ps laws that could be later expanded to include homeschoolers. A couple years ago, a bill passed requiring ps kids to get a PROFESSIONAL eye exam in grades 3 and 5.
Why 3 and 5, specifically? And why didn’t HSLDA say anything about this intrusion into parents’ lives?
I found out about it only because I was looking into getting an eye exam on the cheap (chart only) but didn’t want to go through PS. The eye doctor assumed I was trying to find out how to obey the law cheaply. Nope. I still haven’t found a decently-priced eye chart exam.
(Here)
Sorry I don’t know how to embed… is another law that will affect ALL autistic children who receive services. Woodjie currently gets services from the state that total about $1700/month. Obviously a law that would “track educational outcomes” through third grade (no mention of whether beginning to hs him will exempt me… therefore I think it WON’T) is of concern to me.
I wish I could go to Jeff City and tell all these people what I think. But just to get Woodjie breakfast without meltdown requires FIVE PECS icons and a routine. Not likely that I can disrupt the schedule and bring him out… rather counterproductive. He’d be howling his head off, banging, the whole thing. Lawmakers might wonder if more oversight needs to be given to “parents like that” LOL!
But my heart is with the protesters. I think they can raise 5,000 as is their goal. The high school credit thing is one of those things I would have done anyway… but I don’t want the government TELLING me that it’s what I HAVE to do.
edited by admin to embed the link.
Well, if HSLDA sent out one of their alerts it will have homeschoolers panicking for sure.
“So does that force homeschoolers to turn out by the thousands to protest a law that otherwise has nothing to do with homeschooling?”
Knowing how homeschoolers usually respond to threats (real or perceived), I kinda feel sorry for the poor saps whose bill is going to receive a full frontal assault. Kinda, but not really. Because I’m mean like that.
What I find frustrating is the last minute addition of something that could change the law for a number of people. Now suddenly they don’t even get a voice in the discussion of this legislation because the hearing period is over?