HOMESCHOOL FREEDOMS THREATENED! CALL YOUR LEGISLATORS NOW!
by Shay Seaborne
While this article is specific to a situation in Virginia 2001, the information about reacting alerts and While this article is specifc to a situation in Virginia 2001, the information about reacting alerts and While this article is specifc to a situation in Virginia 2001, the information about reacting alerts and alarms is still noteworthy.
Urgent legislative "alerts" often direct Virginia's homeschoolers to call their legislators right away. Like in prior years, we are likely to receive such "alerts" during the upcoming General Assembly. As well intentioned as these alerts may be, they sometimes don't offer the information we need to determine our position on legislative matters. We need to avoid being frightened by the sometimes-alarming wording of legislative "alerts," and we need to stop and think before doing something just because a particular organization says we should.
Before acting on anyone's "alert," we homeschoolers need to fully understand the legislation and its potential benefit or harm to us. We need to know that something that sounds good in theory is not necessarily good in practice. Proof of this was shown in the 2000 General Assembly, when VHEA's efforts to gently improve the homeschooling statutes were negatively affected by the actions of other homeschool organizations working in the state. According to then VHEA President, Will Shaw-who was present at the 2000 VA General Assembly-"the education tax credit legislation was loudly supported by certain homeschool organizations," which contributed to some talk of more regulation of homeschoolers, such as imposing SOL-based testing.
Initially, VHEA alone supported SB486, which would have freed Option iv parents from the local superintendent's judgment as to the sufficiency of curricula and qualification to teach. The bill was also intended to free all homeschooling parents from the local superintendent's judgment as to evidence of adequate educational progress. SB486 was gutted in the House Education Committee, but VHEA continued salvaging efforts.
Then the Amundson amendment-which would have required every homeschooling child to pass the SOL tests beginning THIS YEAR-was attached as an apparent backlash against the pushing of the tax credit bill. VHEA had implemented corrective measures against this very onerous amendment, and the highly trained and competent Legislative Committee felt entirely confident that the measure would be defeated. However, HEAV and HSLDA disseminated emergency alerts, which VHEA says were "unwarranted, may have damaged preexisting legislative strategies, and succeeded only in creating panic" among Virginia's homeschoolers.
Don't let "alarms" suck you in to blindly calling your representative, or you may find yourself supporting legislation that may offer you little, if any, benefit, and that may actually harm homeschooling in the long run. Or, equally as unproductive, call to oppose or support a bill that you haven't read or analyzed to develop opinions. If a legislative aid asks "what's wrong with SOL testing?" you'll need to provide an answer or have egg on your face.
The 2001 Virginia General Assembly will begin meeting on January 10, and trained volunteers from the Virginia Home Education Association will be there, protecting and promoting homeschooling through member-directed action in legislative work. VHEA provides full information on pending legislation, allowing and encouraging each homeschooling family to determine which bills they support or oppose. VHEA does not tell members what to think; members tell VHEA what to do. You won't find that in any other major homeschool organization operating in the Old Dominion.
To receive full information on homeschooling issues and legislation in Virginia, join VHEA. The bimonthly newsletter contains balanced news and views on matters of interest to Virginia, and members may opt to receive Legislative Updates (not overblown and unnecessary alerts) via E-mail. The Virginia Home Education Association is member-directed, which means that it surveys members on which matters are important to them. Any bills VHEA seeks to introduce in the General Assembly, and the position it takes on legislation, reflect the direction given by members.
VHEA's Web site
