Teaching Parents Association - Meeting the Needs of Home Schooling Families

LEGISLATIVE ALERT!

On Wednesday, March 12, 2008, the House of Representatives for the KS State Legislature will met regarding SB399.  This is a bill concerning lowering the mandatory age for children to be schooled from the age of 7 to 6.  Please review the HSLDA website at http://www.hslda.org/Legislation/State/ks/2008/KSSB399/default.asp for all of the information on the bill.  TPA had a representative at this meeting to fight for the rights of homeschoolers.  Here is the lastest information from HSLDA on this Kansas issue:

Kansas--Action Still Needed to Stop
Expansion of State Control Over Children!

Dear HSLDA Members and Friends,

We expect the House Education Committee to vote soon on S.B. 399, a bill
that will expand state control over 6-year-olds. Please call to oppose the
bill!

You may be told there is an “exception” or that 6-year-olds can be “opted
out” of attendance.  That is incorrect.  The bill would mandate that all
6-year-olds attend school.  The “opt-out” provision simply allows a parent
to choose to enroll a child in first grade rather than kindergarten.
However, it is worded in a rather awkward manner so that a person not
reading it in context with the rest of the bill might be misled to think
there is an exemption.  It allows a parent to opt a child out of
“kindergarten,” but it does not allow a child to be opted out of ATTENDANCE.

The Committee held its hearing on the bill on March 12, and it could meet to
have a vote on the bill at any time!

ACTION REQUESTED

1.  Please call members of the committee if you have not already done so.
If your name begins with A-G, call those in group 1.  If it begins with H-M,
call group 2.  If it begins with N-S, call group 3. 
If it begins with T-Z, call group 4.


2.  Also, if your own representative is on the list below, be sure to call
him or her in addition.  Use our Legislative Toolbox to find your
representative’s name at http://www.hslda.org/toolbox .

3.  Your message can be as simple as:

“Please vote against Senate Bill 399. Not all 6-year-olds are ready for
school. Only parents can make that decision. Studies show that the benefits
of starting school early are temporary. The costs of this bill outweigh the
benefits.”

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