Homeschoolers React to State of the Union Education Demand

Home School Legal Defense Association ^ | January 25, 2012

[scripter]

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Last night in his State of the Union address President Obama called on all states to raise their school compulsory attendance age to 18, unnecessarily adding to bureaucratic requirements for homeschoolers.

Homeschool advocates at the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) are dedicated to protecting the educational relationship between parents and their children. Parents—not the federal government and certainly not the president—are the ones who should decide how children are educated and when they’re ready to graduate from high school.

But President Obama presumptively spoke on behalf of parents and the states: “So tonight, I am proposing that every state—every state—requires that all students stay in high school until they graduate or turn 18.”

Michael Farris, founder and chairman of HSLDA, expressed the shock felt by homeschoolers: “There appears to be no limit to the president’s desire for power. Car companies, banks, doctors, and now schools and the family. He’s gone way too far this time.”

State-mandated attendance has not been the historical norm. In 1642, the Massachusetts Bay Colony stipulated that parents provide religious instruction for their children. For the next 200 years, most education laws were minimal and focused on family-centered education, giving children the tools to read, write, and do arithmetic, helping them understand what it meant to be virtuous citizens, and allowing them to learn a trade.

Ultimately, a formulaic and compulsory approach to education fails to instill in children a love of learning or a quality education. HSLDA President J. Michael Smith confirmed, “HSLDA has consistently protected homeschool families from the harmful effects of compulsory attendance education in their states, reinforcing the parental right to choose the method and duration of education most fitting to the individual needs and gifts of their children.”

Home School Legal Defense Association is a nonprofit advocacy organization established to defend and advance the constitutional right of parents to direct the education of their children and to protect family freedoms. Visit us online at www.hslda.org

[scripter]

Received via email (some info above is repeated here:

Urgent Calls Needed to Stop Obama's Attack on Educational Freedom

Dear HSLDA Members and Friends,

"So tonight, I am proposing that every state--every state--requires that all students stay in high school until they graduate or turn 18."

--President Barack Obama, last night's State of the Union speech.

I was shocked when I heard that. Under our U.S. Constitution, education matters are left to the states. Our Founders wanted decisions about education and a host of other matters left to the states and local government so that these important decisions that affect every family could easily be influenced by the real decision makers: parents and the family.

Parents--not the federal government and certainly not the president--are the ones who should decide how children are educated and when they're ready to graduate from high school.

But last night, President Obama made it clear that he thinks the federal government should be in the business of telling states how long children should stay in school.

Since we were founded in 1983, HSLDA has fought attempts by state legislatures to increase the ages of compulsory attendance in school. We do this because parents--not education bureaucrats--are best equipped to decide how long their children should stay in school.

Now, thanks to President Obama and his willing allies in Congress, we're going to have to fight this in Congress, too. We need to make sure that the White House, and their allies in Congress hear our message loud and strong: leave education decisions to parents.

CALL NOW!

Right now, please call the White House, and your members of Congress, and give them this message:

"Last night, President Obama called for the government to mandate that all children stay in school until they graduate or turn age 18. This is not the federal government's responsibility. Leave education decisions to parents, not federal bureaucrats. Tell President Obama to withdraw his compulsory attendance mandate immediately." The White House: 202-456-1414, or send an online message: http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=13517 Your U.S. representative and two U.S. senators: 202-224-3121 (Capitol Switchboard) or http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=13518 to find their names and contact info.

There appears to be no limit to this president's desire for power. Car companies, banks, doctors, and now schools and the family. But this time he's gone way too far, and homeschoolers and freedom-loving Americans need to make sure that he hears our message.

Thank you for standing with us for freedom.

Sincerely,

Michael P. Farris, JD, LLM Chairman, HSLDA

P.S. Click here http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=13519 to watch the president threaten education freedom in last night's State of the Union speech.

[scripter]

You probably have this in email. I thought I’d post in here for a wider audience.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

Here is a list of current compulsory education, by state:

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0112617.html

[43north]

Longer government skool attendance = more goonion teachers = more dues = more goonion contributions to dhimmiecrats

[11th_VA]

So glad I didn’t watch - my heart probably would have given out listening to all this Big Brother Socialist crap ...

[Venturer]

I don’t see how this will work on religious grounds.

I am not fully aware of the law, but in Maryland it is required that student stay in school until 16, but the Amish who live here do not go to High School. They stop in the 6th grade and generally the older ones stay and help the others by teaching. At least some of the girls do. I believe the boys are just truant after the 6th grade.

Of course Obama has already shown that Freedom of Religion means nothing to him, he showed that when he went against the Conscience act to force Catholics out of the adoption business and forced helping in abortion on Catholic nurses.

Oh Well” More Obama made laws and regulations coming down the pike, I wonder why we have a Congress when we have a President who rules like a King.

[NEMDF]

Exactly. Just a reason to try to justify more money to “schools and education”.

[jtal]

1. Steal the peoples’ money

2. “Give” it to the local school districts until they become addicted and can’t function without it.

3. Impose your indoctrination requirements on districts who “choose” to accept the peoples’ money that you stole.

[mrsmel]

And get all children under the thumb of leftist indoctrination. None can be allowed to escape, that would be dangerous.

[scripter]

I envy you. I watched about 5 seconds with the sound off and saw Biden clapping... that was enough.

[SampleMan]

Education would likely improve if they would drop the mandatory attendance age to 10, so that the feral population would self-eliminate from the classrooms.

I guess Obama’s answer to the dropout rate is the same as his answer to people not having health care—Throw your butt in prison if you don't comply.

[SampleMan]

Education would likely improve if they would drop the mandatory attendance age to 10, so that the feral population would self-eliminate from the classrooms.

I guess Obama’s answer to the dropout rate is the same as his answer to people not having health care—Throw your butt in prison if you don't comply.

[Yaelle]

I watched no more than 10 minutes of that cr@p, and I managed to see both his zero sum economics (you rich people need to pay more taxes because the $ has to come from SOMEWHERE) and his attempt to destroy homeschooling!!!!

I hope this gets mentioned in the next debate.

[Conservaliberty]

As I understand, attendance is already compulsory in many states. Is the issue that the Federal Govt wants to be in charge of this; i.e., centralization of control of children, or is the issue mandatory attendance itself?

I was homeschooled, and I hope to homeschool my (someday) children.

I might have to re-ask my parents, but as I recall, you only have to show the state that you are educating your child at home and that counts as attendance.

I dislike centralizing power, but how much more complicated is forwarding that same information to the government?

Serious questions—not trolling or playing devil’s advocate. I am a bit naive about the particulars of these laws.

[Jonty30]

What would be the point in forcing an unengaged kid to keep attending school?

[Joe the Pimpernel]

Last night in his State of the Union address President Obama called on all states to raise their school compulsory attendance age to 18...

Da teechers unions need mo' job securitah.

[95B30]

By the time my home schooled children reached 18 years of age one had an Associates degree and had been excepted to UNC Willmington and the other was a member of the USMC! Government needs to GETOUT OF THE WAY!!

Cruachan! III%

[MrB]

What gets me is this jackass uses the excuse of “government should not interfere with private family matters” when it comes to justifying abortion.

[binreadin]

Will do as you suggest. I was breathless at this grab for more federal control over our children and families. My son was trapped in a failing school system. He dropped out and went to work for about 6 months, then got his GED before he would have graduated from that mess of a high school. He's now a 4.0 student in a local 4 yr college. I would have done the same thing in his place. The next step will be for them to criminalize the lack of school attendance for the students, and slap the parents with legal penalties as well—already a fact in many states. Obama’s proposal will strengthen the teachers unions and the prison system. It will further jam up the courts and put more pressure on already struggling families and schools. Turn the power back over to the states and the families.

[MichaelCorleone]

“...I wonder why we have a Congress when we have a President who rules like a King.”

If there were no House or Senate, who would go to all those cocktail parties???