Posted on 02/16/2011 7:57:09 AM PST by ZGuy
A proposed Illinois bill to mandate homeschool student registration was dropped after 4,000 home schooling families flooded the state capitol to protest.
Homeschoolers and advocates from several state groups including Illinois Christian Home Educators (ICHE) and Home School Legal Defense showed up at Tuesday’s hearing to urge state lawmakers to leave them alone. The overwhelming response against the bill led lawmakers to reconsider the proposal.
“I would love for Sen. Maloney to understand that this is a hot potato and to leave well-enough alone,” said David Smith of the Illinois Family Institute.
Illinois is one among a dozen states where homeschooled children are not required to register with state education officials.
Chicago Democrat Sen. Edward Maloney’s proposed bill calls for mandatory registration and recognition of non-public elementary and secondary schools in order to ensure that all state students are participating a in “state approved educational institutions and programs.”
The bill would require homeschools to register their students with the Illinois State Board of Education annually.
Smith said the state is arrogant to assert that it knows better than parents. Homeschools are doing fine and do not need government help, he insisted.
“Don’t fix what’s not broken,” he proclaimed.
Still, state law requires that homeschooled students get education commensurate to in-school students. Officials say the mandatory registration would allow the state board to offer homeschooling parents educational tools and supplements.
Currently, the State Board of Education has no method to enforce the requirement unless local officials have some reason to bring the family to court.
Smith fears that mandatory registration today may mean state infringement on homeschool curriculum tomorrow.
“Illinois is one of the 10 best states for homeschooling, and we want to keep it that way,” said Smith.
Smith and ICHE had urged homeschooling families to hold a Homeschool Freedom Summit at the state Senate Education Committee hearing. According to Smith, 4,000 families came.
The crowd moved Maloney to reconsider his proposal.
The legislation "has had consequences that were beyond what I had intended," Maloney told St. Louis Today.
“Officials say the mandatory registration would allow the state board to offer homeschooling parents educational tools and supplements.”
Someone ows me a new keyboard... What they’re serious?
To me going under an “umbrella” is giving some of your parental authority away to the “umbrella”.. . the only “umbrella” I need is the one my wife and I are holding :).... now we do network with other homeschool parents/kids who are part of Classical Conversations
I have no issue with the NOTIFICATION procedure.. the day they try to turn it into a “request” you can expect every homeschooler in Florida to march on Tallahassee you can bet on it....
Homeschooled all over this country....and never once “registered” with the State or anyone else. Screw ‘em. How I raised and educated my own kids was my business. Period.
Yep, that’s another thing about homeschoolers -
it’s easy to get your kids to be politically active
as part of their “civics” classes.
Another reason the left will have to “deal” with us, eventually.
The point is that Florida allows more than one form of compliance. If you want the county keeping track of the fact that you are homeschooling, you can sign up with the county. If you don’t want the govt. system knowing that you’re homeschooling, you can comply in another way.
in very liberal California, it’s pretty easy to homeschool... once a year we fill out an R4 Affidavit, which is what the private schools do... each homeschool operates like a private school... no testing, evaluations... no checking in with anybody...
It’s nice to see the scared out of passing something for once.
What happens when Christians actually show up.
Even in Illinois.
Moved to OK...and was super easy here too.
Good luck!!
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