May 3, 2008
HB 1652 alert
Tennessee homeschoolers are facing another horrible piece of legislation on Monday. If passed, it will require that parents who homeschool their children under Category IV schools have a college degree. Category IV is the "freest" way that we can homeschool in TN and it is very scary that this threat exists. It is a threat brought about by the Department of Education.
Here is a brief history of what is going on:
This is a brief history of the Category IV legislation about which we are asking you to call the House Ed. Committee members
John Evans, Sr. was told in mid April, that his policeman son, John Jr., a 2001 graduate of Gateway Christian School, would lose his job as a policeman if he did not take and pass the GED within 90 days. Rep. Mike Bell found a bill to which he could attach an amendment requiring state agencies to recognize the diplomas of Category IV schools, schools such as Gateway, Aaron Academy, Family Christian Academy and others.
Reps. Mike Bell (R) and Dennis Ferguson (D), sponsor & co-sponsor of the Category IV bill, testified before the Higher Education sub-committee of the House Education Committee Tuesday, April 29th. Mike told the sub-committee members that he has a very personal stake in this matter; his son who is now working towards certification as a fire-fighter is a graduate of a Category IV school and his daughter who is a high school senior will graduate in a few weeks with a Category IV diploma intending to attend a near-by Technical School after graduation.
Rep. Ferguson (the representative of Evans family) and Rep. Bell are both deeply distressed over the treatment of John Evans, 2001 graduate of a Category IV school who lives in Roane County (Ferguson's district), graduate of Walter State Community College with a 4.0 GPA from the Police Academy, serving as a Police Officer since Jan. '08, now required to give up his cruiser work and take a desk job with all of his pending criminal arrests possibly invalidated, until he takes and passes the GED because the TN DOE says that his '01 Category IV high school diploma is invalid or "worthless".
With discussion and supportive comments from many of the sub-committee members, including Les Winningham, (D), Chair of the House Ed. Comm., and Rep.Tommie Brown (D), the bill passed the sub-committee yesterday.
The Department of Education has just entered an amendment to this bill which will require all parents teaching grades 9-12 (and all teachers in category IV schools teaching grades 9-12) to have a baccalaureate degree from state accredited associations.
We Ask you to please call or email NOW to the House Education Committee members and ask them to support HB 1652 WITHOUT the DOE amendment.
They meet Monday, May 5, 2008 at 3PM!
Please pray that the amendment passes, but NOT the attached amendment.
(information derived from the TOS Staff prayer email, May 2, 2008)
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House Education Committee members
WEST TENNESSEE members:
Memphis members:
Bartlett:
Somerville:
Dresden:
MIDDLE TENNESSEE members:
Huntsville: NE of Nashville:
Portland: N of Nashville:
Nashville/Brentwood:
Pegram: SW of Nashville:
Murfreesboro:
EAST TENNESSEE members:
Livingston:
Knoxville:
Sevierville:
Chattanooga:
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Comments
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May 6, 2008 - Has he retained a lawyer?
I am all for the protection amendment that is being debated by the legislature, but I have one main concern: Is this family seeking legal recourse against the police department? It seems like someone there has determined that the TDOE is an authoritative legal opinion when there is a TN law that directly contradicts what they said. This police officer should be filing suit.
The legislature is one place to correct this injustice. The courts are another. If the courts uphold the current home school laws and restore this officer to his post, then we've won. There is legal precedence at that point.
My sons are under the same CRS that this young man was. I need this resolved or MY son (and future police officer) is in trouble.