May 18, 2008
HB1652 - killed
FW: From THEA at President@tnhea.org
Hello Tennessee Homeschoolers,
Today, Wednesday, May 14th, Representative Mike Bell decided to take HB 1652 "off notice" which means that he decided to kill the bill for this year, for this session. (The TN General Assembly meets in two year sessions. If the legislators can complete their business as they intend to this week, then the 105th General Assembly will have ended.)
Next January the 106th General Assembly will begin. It will last through the Spring of 2009 & begin again in January 2010 and will conclude in the Spring of 2010.
Yesterday, the companion Senate bill, SB 1827, was put in the General Sub Committee of the Senate Education Committee. This is a way to table and kill the bill. This meant that the bill was dead in the Senate for this session.
As a result there were meetings with the Department of Education, Senator Dewayne Bunch, sponsor of SB 1827, Senator Jamie Woodson, Chairman of the Senate Education Committee, and Bruce Opie of the DOE. These are the meeting participants Rep. Bell informed us of, perhaps, there were others of whom we are unaware. He was not in attendance.
In this meeting it was discussed that since legislation had not passed to remedy the problem of the Category IV diplomas not being recognized by the POST, the TN Police Training organization, and by the Department of Human Services, which sets policy for hiring of day care workers, there would be a temporary remedy agreed upon. That remedy would be that on a case-by-case basis, individuals could request a review by these agencies when their diplomas were denied recognition, with the hope that the Category IV diplomas would be recognized by these agencies. This, again, would be the temporary solution until there could be a legislative remedy agreed upon, hopefully next year.
Upon learning of this, Rep. Mike Bell determined that the best step for him was to take HB 1652 "off notice" which means to take it off the Calendar & Rules Committee agenda so that it would not be heard, killing the bill in the House.
He intends to bring a new bill to the House Education Committee next year. He is already working on the strategy for this legislation. The bill would state that Category IV diplomas would be recognized by the state and their agencies, whether obtained by a full time, on campus, church-related school student, or a home schooler affiliated with a church-related school, when the student makes a score of 16 on the ACT.
Taking the ACT and making a 16 is about the equivalent of a "C" grade and is the accepted ACT score for admission in many colleges, including student athletes in the UT system. Rep. Bell thinks that this score could be used as a way to validate the student's high school education and thereby validate their Category IV diploma. In discussion with the DOE, with fellow House members and others, he has had very positive response to this strategy.
So at this point, we will take up this effort again next year. Thank you to all of you who made calls, wrote e-mails, came to the House Education Committee hearing, prayed and worked that this legislation would pass. We will work again to bring a lasting remedy to this serious problem.
Meanwhile, if you have difficulty with your Category IV diploma, difficulty with getting a job because of a Category IV diploma, we ask that you contact THEA at President@tnhea.org or call at (888) 854-3407 and Rep. Mike Bell at rep.mike.bell@legislature.state.tn.us or call him at 615-741-1946.
Blessings to you all,
The Thorntons
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May 6, 2008
Committee Passes HB1652
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)
____________________________________________________________________
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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March 24, 2008
HB 2795 DIES!!
Thank you all for your calls, emails and letters to our Representatives!
"...the subcommittee voted against permitting the proposed amendment and then voted to kill the bill. Thanks to your vigilance and outspoken opposition to this bill, the freedom of parents to educate their own children is no longer
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March 12, 2008
California Troubles
(As read in this week's issue of "The Homeschool Minute")
By now, most homeschoolers across the country have heard about the California appellate court ruling handed down on February 28 ordering the children of Phillip and Mary Long to attend public school or a
legally qualified private school. The judge's ruling surprised everyone and sparked a firestorm of concern among homeschoolers nationwide, many wondering if homeschooling had become illegal in California.
The Old Schoolhouse Magazine staff has been following the developments since World Net Daily first broke the story a week ago. In this Homeschool Minute, we would like to provide a brief summary of the events and offer links to various perspectives to help homeschoolers understand this ruling, how it
impacts homeschoolers in California, and what homeschoolers across the nation can do to help.
To gain a better understanding of this case, it is necessary to note that prior to this ruling, the Long family had been involved with the juvenile court system regarding the care of their children. Such proceedings are confidential, and in most cases, a court-appointed attorney is provided to represent the interests of the minor children. The attorney representing two of the children was not satisfied with a ruling made by Superior Court Judge Stephen Marpet, who found the children's education to be "meager" but determined that Phillip and Mary Long have a constitutional right to school their children in their own
home. The attorney for the children brought an appeal before the Second Court of Appeals of California.
The California Second Appellate Court in Los Angeles found that the Longs had not demonstrated that any of the exemptions to California's compulsory attendance applied to their children. The court reversed the finding of the Superior Court and ordered the children to attend public or a "legally qualified" private school. The court remanded the case back to the lower court for a hearing to determine if the family was in compliance with the law. The family plans on appealing this ruling decision to the California Supreme Court.
Read the complete court opinion here.
The ruling spurred reactions from attorneys representing various homeschool groups and interested parties across the country. The Homeschool Minute provides these links for informational purposes
related to this case and does not necessarily endorse these sites.
Sunland Christian School The Long children were enrolled in this school.
Pacific Justice Institute (PJI). These attorneys are representing Sunland Christian School
and advising the family.
Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA). HSLDA presents several appeal options to reverse this ruling or diminish its impact upon California homeschoolers. There is a petition available for those
interested in supporting the HSLDA's move to depublish the ruling.
National Home Education Legal Defense (NHELD). Attorney Deborah Stevenson offers a detailed and informative analysis of this case.
Several homeschool groups in California issued statements concerning this ruling:
Homeschool Association of California
California Homeschool Network
Christian Home Educators of California
Private and Home Educators of California
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger issued a statement in support of homeschooling:
"Every California child deserves a quality education and parents should have the right to decide what's best for their children. Parents should not be penalized for acting in the best interests of their children's
education. This outrageous ruling must be overturned by the courts and if the courts don't protect parents' rights then, as elected officials, we will."
By the end of a long news week, the court decision reached the broader Christian community through a radio broadcast by Focus on the Family. Dr. Dobson discussed the California court case with several prominent guests.
From All of Us at TOS We hope this information has helped you gain a greater understanding of the facts surrounding this case and its impact on homeschooling in California.
The Homeschool Minute encourages you to pray for the family and those involved in this situation. Several of the websites present ideas about what you can do to help. We encourage you to prayerfully consider those ideas, to do all that you can to help retain the freedom to homeschool in our country, and to pass this message along to others. We will be following this case and will provide further updates as information becomes available.
(If you would like to subscribe to the free weekly newsletter "The Homeschool Minute" click the link)
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February 22, 2008
TN Homeschooling Action
There is a bill in the House right now that needs our immediate attention. The Education Sub Committee will be hearing this Bill, Wednesday, February 27.
House Bill 2795 would subject non-public school students, including homeschool students, to additional state testing. It would require them to take subject matter tests based upon state-approved textbooks. It would also require them to pass the Tennessee comprehensive assessment program tests before receiving a high school diploma. These new testing requirements would also apply to students being taught at home through extension or satellite programs of church-related schools. Your calls to state representatives are needed to stop this dangerous legislation!
Please read the entire alert at HSLDA and read HB2795 here.
Action is needed NOW! Call or write to the Representatives listed on the HLSDA Alert.
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September 25, 2006
German Homeschoolers need help
From HSLDA e-Elert, September 22, 2006:
Urgent! Calls Needed to the German Embassy Next Week
The German government is persecuting homeschoolers like never before.
Armin Eckermann, president of Schulunterricht zu Hause (School
Instruction at Home--SIH), the homeschool legal defense association of
Germany, states that there are over 40 homeschool families in court in
Germany!
The families are being heavily fined; the parents are being jailed;
the children are being threatened with being seized and placed in the
custody of the state; and families are being forced to flee to Austria
and other surrounding countries.
Read how you can help the German Homeschoolers and a few
current and frightening situations at the HSLDA e-elert site
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August 6, 2006
Homeschooling Basics Tennessee
There are three options to legally homeschool in Tennessee.
(This info from HSLDA.)
Option 1) sign up with your LEA (local education agency)
That's your county in which you live. Forms for Independent HS are on this page at the Tennessee.gov/education/homeschool site.
Option 2) sign up with a CRS (church related school) umbrella school
See a list of some CRS here . For a list of ALL the non-public schools in Tennessee visit this page at tn.gov.
Option 3) sign up with a satellite school.
Here are some state wide satellite schools:
Check out HSLDA for a complete rundown of the legalities and options.
And check out TnHomeEd.com for lots more information!
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February 7, 2006
Homeschoolers in TSSAA sports
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