Restrictive Homeschool Legislation to be introduced Thursday (NJ)

email | 1/6/03 | Scott Woodruff, HSLDA staff attorney

[agrace]

Please see reply 149 for updated information. AM

From the HSLDA E-lert Service...

January 6, 2004

Dear HSLDA members and friends:

A bill that would force New Jersey homeschool children to submit to the same statewide assessment tests required of public school students, and force their parents to give the local school board proof the student had received an annual medical examination, is set to be introduced in the New Jersey legislature this Thursday.

The bill would also give the State Board of Education power to impose regulations on homeschool families. Homeschooled students would be forced to take the assessment tests in a public school. (For full text of bill, go to http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=1257)

Your help is needed immediately to convince the sponsors of the bill, AB 4033, that it should NOT be introduced.

Action Requested

1. Immediately call all the sponsors of the bill (contact information is below).

2. Explain to them that the bill should NOT be introduced. Your message can be as simple as, "Please withdraw as sponsor of AB 4033 and do all you can to prevent it from being introduced as planned this Thursday. The bill violates federal law and could cause the loss of federal money."

3. Pass this message along to others.

Contact information for sponsors:

1. Assemblywoman Loretta Weinberg (D) (201) 928-0100 , AswWeinberg@njleg.org

2.Assemblyman Gordon M. Johnson (D) (201) 541-1118, AsmJohnson@njleg.org

3. Assemblywoman Joan M. Quigley (D) (201) 217-4614, AswQuigley@njleg.org

Reasons to Oppose AB 4033

1. HR 1, signed by President Bush exactly one year ago, prohibits states from requiring that homeschoolers take the state assessment designed for public school students. New Jersey would lose federal funds if AB 4033 is enacted, since it violates this requirement.

2. State assessment tests are designed to test material taught in the public school curriculum. Homeschool children do not use the public school curriculum. It would be unfair to test them on material not covered in their individual homeschool programs.

3. The statute does not say what score is needed to "pass." The Board of Education however, may have power under the bill to determine the passing score. A passing score imposed by a bureaucracy would not take into account the individual learning characteristics and abilities of each unique child.

4. No state requires an annual medical examination for homeschoolers.

5. This bill is being introduced at the very end of the legislative session, and it is highly unlikely it would pass before the session ends in a few days. Often bills introduced at the end of a session are to "test the waters" for filing the bill in the next session. We need to send a "tidal wave" message that this bill should not be introduced-now or ever.

Thank you for standing with us for freedom in New Jersey!

Sincerely,

Scott Woodruff

HSLDA Staff Attorney

[MHGinTN]

New Jersey ... 'First In Cannibalism', and now this too!

[Coleus]

http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=1257

 

AswWeinberg@njleg.org; AsmJohnson@njleg.org ; AswQuigley@njleg.org

 

and don't forget your 3 state legislators:

 

Find your Legislator Here:

http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/members/legsearch.asp

Toll Free (800) 792-8630

[Lady Eileen]

bump

[little jeremiah]

Yes: This has nothing to do with the childs education , its all about School Boards losing power and money.

And one more important motive: Children educated at home are missing out on the leftist/socialist/internationalist/feminazi/gaystapo indoctrination. They may grow up to be conservatives.

[Lady Eileen]

bttt

[Salvation]

** and force their parents to give the local school board proof the student had received an annual medical examination**

Even public school kids do not need an annual medical exam.

[agrace]

Really. I thought they did.

[fatima]

Coleus,Why is this bad?

[Coleus]

Many parents in NJ would rather home school their children instead of sending them to public schools where they are indoctrinated with left-wing politics, start sex education in the 1st grade, do not teach phonics to read or the rote method of addition and multiplication. A parent should be free to teach their children at home as many others do througout the USA. Many Catholics and Evangelicals home school their kids.

[fatima]

Coleus,I missed where they said you could not home school?

[Lancey Howard]

Well, good luck. You will need it.
New Jersey is one sick, foul toilet, politically - - fully owned and operated by the education mafia. Which means the legislators are controlled by the education mafia. They will, as always, do what they are told to do.
Again, good luck.

[Coleus]

Coleus,I missed where they said you could not home school? >>

They are doing their best to make it as difficult as possible, almost impossible. The South Jersey Child abuse case sparked this. Remember the 19 yr. old who only weighed 45 pounds. They were home schooled and are using that rationale and not the faults of the parents, neighbors, church, and DYFS as the cause. Home schooling did not cause this travesty to the 4 adopted boys bad parents and social services did. You know how govt. works, this will be one bill of many to regulate homeschoolers out of the home and under the auspices of govt. controlled schools.

[fatima]

Coleus,I see your concern and have read about this case-freepmail-Father Pavone coming in for Tv in 1 day-wanna come-if not do not freepmail,love fatima.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[Tired of Taxes]

The main reason I pulled my oldest son from the local NJ public school system after two months of preschool was that I saw that I was dealing with educrats (who obviously cared more about their careers than educating children). Even though we pay a very high school tax, homeschooling was the right option, after all. Now, the very idea that legislation might pass forcing me to deal with those same educrats... it just makes me sick.

I didn't receive the email notices about tomorrow's bill until late tonight (I don't have daily access to the internet anymore). I hope this idea of regulating is dropped.

[Ed_in_NJ]

Early Riser bump.

[Ed_in_NJ]

Little Later bump.

[George from New England]

Is this also a requirement for public school students?

Oh. Yes. In most states this yearly exam is very costly escpecially for ANY kid who wants to participate in sports.

Just another unfunded mandate that drives up the cost of health insurance. Or if you're uninsured, screw you too.

[George from New England]

And when the New Jersey authorities contact my relatives to ask for verification of their school attendance, they would simply reply: "We're home-schooling them. You don't have any jurisdiction here anyway, so get the hell out of my face."

If these children are deductions on IRS 1040 forms they will be expected to be at the address where the deduction is taken.

Big Brother is everywhere! The system knows all.