Posted on 05/05/2015 6:35:04 AM PDT by wagglebee
ANKENY, IA, May 4, 2015 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In a private e-mail exchange with a concerned parent, Republican state legislator Josh Byrnes of Iowa said there is “nothing worse than homeschool parents” making their views known on public school policy.
The statement came as Jeff Moorman took exception to a pending bill allegedly dealing with “bullying,” the “Bully Free Iowa Act of 2015” (HSB 39).
The proposal would allow school districts to monitor students outside of school hours and punish – or contact law enforcement officials and state bureaucratic agencies over – any communication it deems “bullying” – even if that behavior takes place inside a private residence or on social media. Some of these complaints may be filed without first notifying parents.
School administrators could accuse a child of bullying if any comment dealing with “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” – as well as a broad swath of categories encompassing everything from “behavior, friendship or relationship with others” to “political party preference, political belief...or any other distinguishing characteristic” – created a “hostile school environment.”
Parents are concerned this would lead to teachers and public education union employees launching surveillance of students' Facebook or Twitter accounts for stray comments about homosexuality or transgender status.
“This bill infringes on parental rights” and allows teachers to “invade [a] student's rights and privacy,” Moorman, who is part of the educational watchdog group Iowa for Student Achievement, told State Rep. Byrnes, R-Osage. Moorman said the proposal grants school officials “overreaching authority.”
Rep. Byrnes replied by asking, “Which Ankeny school are your kids part of?”
After Moorman answered his question, Byrnes wrote, “That’s good. I was making sure you didn’t h[om]e school.”
“Nothing worse than homeschool parents trying to tell us legislators how to run public schools when they don’t use them themselves,” State Rep. Byrnes wrote.
Moorman provided the e-mails to the blog Caffeinated Thoughts. The full exchange may be read here.
“Nowhere in the language of the bill does it restrict the school’s scope to just students enrolled in their school district,” wrote Shane Vander Hart, who broke the story. “Homeschooling parents have reason to be concerned.”
He also blasted Byrnes' dismissal of homeschoolers' right to have a voice in the legislative process. “Actually, there’s nothing worse than a state legislator demonstrating he lacks the maturity and temperament to serve in his current office,” he added. “It seems that the fact that homeschooling parents are taxpayers and that in itself gives them the right to weigh-in on any bill – education policy or otherwise.”
The state teachers union supports passage. Jean Hessberg, a spokeswoman for the Iowa State Educational Association, said the union would oppose any provision requiring the school district to report anti-gay or transgender “bullying” to the victims' parents, since they may not know their children were having sex with members of the same sex or choosing to identify as members of the opposite sex.
The bill's supporters are a hybrid of Republicans and Democrats. Despite the strong political backing of Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, a Republican, it has failed to pass the state legislature after numerous attempts.
public schools are failures
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The keyword for the FREE REPUBLIC HOMESCHOOLERS’ FORUM is frhf.
But I'll bet they have no problem telling us how to vote.
That was proposed in Ks.
Homeschoolers resoundingly OPPOSED it.
Because, it would be a case of
“you’re exempt from school taxes under these conditions...”
thereby giving the state, effectively, control over homeschooling.
The state already has control over homeschooling.
SHUT UP AND PAY YOUR TAXES!!
LICK THE BOOTS THAT LORD OVER YOU!!
Phase 2 is taking away the property of Christians.
Phase 3 is ghettos
Then comes the final solution.
Phase 2 already in process.
Confiscatory taxes only affect the productive people in the society, the majority of which are Christians.
“...many families do not have the money for private schools and a great many parents (especially among the inner-city poor) are not educated enough to homeschool.”
I haven't met many people who didn't have enough of an education that they couldn't homeschool their children, at least through grade school. It doesn't require much by way of intellect or erudition.
Parents may not homeschool well for a variety of reasons - mostly related to lack of time or lack of effort. However, lack of education is seldom a problem.
The inner city poor may comprise something of a general exception, because so many lack basic literacy and numeracy. But really, anyone who can get a long on a day-to-day basis, can read a newspaper, or use a cookbook recipe, can teach his or her children successfully.
As for compulsory education, I'm not sure I accept your point. When I look at the results, especially of inner city school systems, I don't see that much, if any, education has taken place. Many of these children receive diplomas when they turn 17 or 18, but yet remain illiterate and innumerate.
sitetest
Homeschoolers scored in the AVERAGE of the 86th percentile,
AND THE LEVEL OF EDUCATION AND/OR INCOME OF THE PARENTS HAD MINIMAL IMPACT ON THESE RESULTS.
http://www.hslda.org/docs/news/200908100.asp
Preaching to the choir. ;-)
Good one, I was actually thinking of the Christian businesses being closed down for not catering to sodomites.
“not catering gay weddings” is just an excuse.
Not believing in global warming might become the second wing of the final solution.
Oh, yes... there’s already leftists speculating on the imprisonment of “deniers”.
https://www.google.com/search?q=punishing%20global%20warming%20deniers
These days, it would do little good as long as states support compulsory union dues into the National Education Association, which is little more than a communist propaganda agency.
Support Scott Walker, and support right-to-work laws and an end to public sector unions.
When I look at the results, especially of inner city school systems, I don't see that much, if any, education has taken place. Many of these children receive diplomas when they turn 17 or 18, but yet remain illiterate and innumerate.
Which is it? You can't have both.
I agree that the education system in America is a complete mess, but eliminating it altogether will only make things worse.
I haven't met many people who didn't have enough of an education that they couldn't homeschool their children, at least through grade school. It doesn't require much by way of intellect or erudition.
Parents may not homeschool well for a variety of reasons - mostly related to lack of time or lack of effort. However, lack of education is seldom a problem.
Herein lies the problem. There are a great many families that depend on the income of both parents. The certainly have the education to homeschool their children, but they are simply unable to.
I think what concerns me the most with elimination of education is what will happen to the middle class. There are plenty of children from less fortunate backgrounds who DO go to school to learn and succeed in life. If this avenue is closed to them America will actually become the nation of "haves and have nots" that the left claims we are.
The education system needs to be overhauled from the ground up. Vouchers need to be made widespread and the unions must be broken.
It’s bad enough they want to peek into kids’ after-school thoughts. But this is just as bad:
“The state teachers union supports passage. Jean Hessberg, a spokeswoman for the Iowa State Educational Association, said the union would oppose any provision requiring the school district to report anti-gay or transgender ‘bullying’ to the victims’ parents, since they may not know their children were having sex with members of the same sex or choosing to identify as members of the opposite sex.”
So hopefully you would actually have a handle on what was going on with your child . . . but it’s possible that your kid could be going through absolute hell at school, and you’d never hear about it . . . until you find the kid swinging from a rope. This is the most bizarre, horrible thing. If nothing else, I can’t believe they don’t realize they’d be very likely to get sued from here to breakfast for not telling the parents something that could result in a child self-harming.
LOL! Are homeschooler’s telling him how to vote? I highly doubt it. But no matter. Everyone needs to break the habit of pressuring other voters. Present your case but show respect for the right of others to make up their own minds. Rude is not persuasive.
“’The inner city poor may comprise something of a general exception, because so many lack basic literacy and numeracy. But really, anyone who can get a long on a day-to-day basis, can read a newspaper, or use a cookbook recipe, can teach his or her children successfully....’
“’When I look at the results, especially of inner city school systems, I don't see that much, if any, education has taken place. Many of these children receive diplomas when they turn 17 or 18, but yet remain illiterate and innumerate.’
“Which is it? You can't have both.”
Sure I can!
To be more clear, most folks have the education to homeschool. The population where this is least true is the inner city poor, many of whom are illiterate and innumerate and cannot read a newspaper or follow a cookbook recipe. These are folks who often get to the end, chronologically, of their school experiences, may actually receive a piece of paper, but can't read the words written on it.
That proportion of that population will be unable to homeschool their children.
“I agree that the education system in America is a complete mess, but eliminating it altogether will only make things worse.”
I didn't say we should eliminate the system. I questions the compulsory nature of the system. Forcing folks into buildings who don't want to be there and who disrupt those who would like to obtain an education doesn't seem productive to me. The folks who are coerced often receive little or nothing by way of education, and interfere with the education of those who might wish to learn something.
“There are a great many families that depend on the income of both parents.”
That's a different reason for not homsechooling than you gave originally: “...and a great many parents (especially among the inner-city poor) are not educated enough to homeschool.”
Again, I'm not proposing the elimination of schools, or even of free schools. I'm just iffy that forcing folks to attend them does much good.
sitetest
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