You will want to take action on this before asap and before Jan. 29th.
Dear THE NEWS Update Loop Members,
OCHEC distributed the following two bills this past week. Mary Easley is a perrenial anti-homeschooling bill filer. Remember to sign up to attend Capitol Day in February ( see THE NEWS January issue) or go to www.ochec.com to register. We are grateful to be able to work alongside OCHEC to support Capitol Day and also the upcoming Tulsa Homeschool Convention.
Your presence at Capitol Day is vital to preserve our freedom in this state and your firm but polite call to your representative is more important than you realize. To a legislator, one call represents thousands of unmade calls.
Linda
Legislative Alert SB1403
Author Sen. Mary Easley
January 15, 2010
Senator Mary Easley, has pre-filed a bill for the 2010 session that would include the following language into law: "The parent or guardian of a child utilizing other means of education shall provide written notification to the public school district of residence of intent to utilize other means of education prior to the first day of each school year, or within ten (10) days of the beginning of the provision of such other means of education to the student."
OCHEC opposes this bill because, regardless of it's intent, it accomplishes nothing. It is unnecessary and is wasteful of both the parent's and state's time and resources.
Notification will not improve home educated students academically. Studies have consistently shown that there is no correlation between the amount of state regulation of home education and academic success.
Notification will not prevent parents from fraudulently claiming to be home educating their child. Oklahoma's laws regarding truancy and educational neglect have been reviewed and found to be adequate, when enforced. If there are parents willing to incur charges of truancy, they would certainly be willing to file a fraudulent notification. Scofflaws will continue to scoff at laws.
Please contact Senator Easley by telephone, email and/or mail and express your opposition to this bill. This would also be an excellent opportunity to contact your senator and ask that this bill be opposed. Contact information may be found at: www.lsb.state.ok.us .
Once the bill has been assigned to a committee, OCHEC will request that you contact the members of the committee and ask that the bill not be heard.
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Bad Bill #2
Subject: Another bad bill. We have to make a show at the Capitol this year!
Ok, folks. Stap on your belts and get ready for a ride. It looks as if there is a House Bill that will directly affect us if it goes through. The author is attempting to add the word APPROPRIATE to "education by other means" as well as some other things. Here is part B. of the Bill in question.
B. A parent, guardian or custodian who has failed to provide an appropriate education by other means to a child who is over the age of five (5) years and under the age of eighteen (18) years shall be in violation of this section. For purposes of this section, an “appropriate education by other means” shall mean providing educationally appropriate and age or grade appropriate instruction to the child that is necessary to ensure that the child attains at least a minimum level of competencies in a variety of core subject areas, and the instruction is provided for not less than the time public schools in the state are required to provide instruction.
This bill is authored by Representative Cannaday and is set to be read on February 1st. It is listed as an emergency bill.
Respectfully call your Representatives and ask them not to support HB 3099. Then sign up for Capitol Day so the legislators will know we are serious about what we do. This is why we hold Capitol Day the first week or so of session, so we can get on top of any proposed legislation and stop it before it has a chance to become a Bill. Seeing the faces of homeschoolers does make a difference! Plan now to put a face to home education in Oklahoma.
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www.tulsahomeeducators.com
Linda Duntley, Director
Email: lduntley@aol.com
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