More Restrictions in Proposed Draft for Pennsylvania Home Schooling Law

PAHomeSchoolers.net ^ | March 22nd, 2002 | Me

[KimaraChan]

For the past year or so, there have been mutterings in the Pennsylvania Home Schooling community about a revision of the current Home Schooling law. Several groups that claim to represent the home schooling community have been working on this new law for quite some time. It now appears that they are very close to completion of the proposed law, and have been passing around a "Draft" for opinions.

The only problem is, they have only been passing it among themselves...and they don't seem to want anyone else to know about it.

The owner of a Pennsylvania HomeSchooling website has obtained a copy of the draft, and the email that it was passed around with. A copy of this can be found at http://www.pahomeschoolers.net/draft. The email states the following:

----- Original Message -----

From: "Jim Cox"

Sent: Tuesday, March 19, 2002 4:20 PM

Subject: The Long-Awaited Sequel

Dear All:

Thank you for your extended patience. I believe we have something here upon which everyone can agree. I have talked to a few representative individuals and ALL parties are content with the bulk of the language contained in this draft bill. Certainly, there will be minor changes and tweaks to clarify concepts here and there, but I think we are 98% there.

Reps. Rohrer, Armstrong and Petrarca asked me to distribute this draft with the hope of obtaining FINAL comments before it is introduced next week in the House.

Thank you again for your patience and I trust most of you will find this bill to address most of your concerns in a reasonable way.

Thank you,

Jim

---------------------------------------

The email includes the signature of this person at the bottom, with his name, title (Chief of Staff to Rep. Sam Rohrer, 128th Legislative District), E-Mail address, Phone and Fax numbers in it, as would usually be included in a professional email.

Now the people involved are discrediting the website and it's contents, claiming that it is spreading misinformation and outdated material. They also claim that they are FAR from a finished proposal to be introduced into the House. However, the email had been sent out the evening of Tuesday, March 19th, and the information was posted on the website approx. Thursday, March 21st. The email also CLEARLY implies that they think they are "98% there"...and states that "Reps. Rohrer, Armstrong and Petrarca asked me to distribute this draft with the hope of obtaining FINAL comments before it is introduced next week in the House.".

It would appear that somebody involved in drafting a new Pennsylvania HomeSchooling law has been trying to keep things exclusive to only a few privileged individuals, keeping the people that it would affect the most in the dark - the entire Pennsylvania Home Schooling community.

[KimaraChan]

I don't know what other people involved with PA home-schooling think about this, but I personally am not too pleased. Comments? Opinions?

[KimaraChan]

Ok, I hope I'm bumping this right...I've never done it before

[jimt]

Looks to me like creeping credentialism and bureaucratic regulation.

Why shouldn't the criteria be passage of a test by the homeschooled student? Why all the other gobbledygook?

So that each year, they can tighten things further and further, until the homeschoolers are goosestepping along with the gubbermint schoolers.

[Khepera]

Why shouldn't the criteria be passage of a test by the home schooled student?

In my observation of government schools I find they are not qualified to test, tell, recommend what the home schooled child should know. Why any regulation? We don't need any regulation. They are my children and not the states.

[KimaraChan]

Connecticut was able to stop an intrusive and unnecessary home school law. Please help Pennsylvania to kill any attempts to introduce a bill that would be more restrictive and offensive than the one already in place.

[ikanakattara]

This is horrifying. Pennsylvania is *already* the worst state in the country in which to homeschool, because of its burdensome regulations.

[Diva Betsy Ross]

I don't like it one bit. I don't think I understand how they are treating the "gifted" student. What can be done?

[KimaraChan]

Bump for discussion

[Chi Chi Tokyo]

This section makes a change from an affidavit to a verified statement, the primary difference being that a verified statement need not be notarized to be binding. It carries criminal sanctions for falsification, so it is comparable to an affidavit in function, but requires less headache.

Gee, Mr. Cox's commentary sure is revealing on some of the proposed changes. Who's side is this guy on? Doesn't look like the Home Educators of Pennsylvania does it.

[Chi Chi Tokyo]

Bump

[ladylurker]

Do you know if this information has been forwarded to HSDLA? They have at least 7 watches up for the PA legislature. Maybe this group is trying to do something through the backdoor, hush, hush? It sounds like a treasured few are making up the rules and running them straight over to the legislature. Are they possibly trying to avoid HSDLA or the parents having advanced notice and the time to counter?

I don't know of any homeschoolers that would be that devious. My experience here in FL is that we, nor the government, have any right to dictate how other parents should homeschool.

I think everyone concerned about homeschooling in PA should be watching the legislature with eagle eyes and make sure HSDLA is watching with you. Make an enormous fuss when you see your elected officials trying to take your rights away.

[StopGlobalWhining]

Why shouldn't the criteria be passage of a test by the homeschooled student?

For many reasons, not the least of which being that what you probably imagine "the test" to consist of, may be vastly different than what what the test actually covers. It might not just be math, science, history (true history, i.e. what really happened) etc., but instead include a mixture of anti-Western cultural topics.

Candidate topics for testing include a menu of ideological issues of the prevailing leftist education establishment: "diversity", sex education, with emphasis on non-traditional sexual practices and lifestyles, hate America themes like the evils of Columbus and other white European males, acceptance of reparations for slavery, the fairness of La Raza and Aztlan (giving Mexico California, New Mexico, Arizona and Texas) etc.

Would you pass that test in the eyes of the NEA and the leftist educational government school monopoly?

Get the government out of education!

[hsmomx3]

Massachusetts is REALLY bad as well.

[hsmomx3]

And, if I am not mistaken, Pennyslvania is huge on OBE instruction.

[ikanakattara]

Yes, there tend to be some geographic "clusters" of bad states: the East Coast ones (NY, MA, PA, etc.) and the Great Plains ones (like Iowa, where until recently you had to be a certified teacher.) The West Coast and Middle Plains states (MO, IL, KS) tend to be pretty free, and the Southern states are somewhere in the middle. I'm sure there are historical reasons but don't know what they'd be offhand.