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LEGISLATIVE ALERT
Dear Fellow Home Educators:
The Equivalent Instruction bill we have been waiting for has arrived: HB 5468
You can see the bill language HERE. Note: Everything in brackets is removed. The new bill language begins at Line 47. At line 56, they retained some of the language of the original 10-184.
The bill changes 10-184 using language that takes us from no regulation to high regulation.
From our President:
Connecticut Democrats turn their back on 275 years of history, completely trashing a colonial-era statute to replace it with their statist agenda. Just two days after the US Supreme Court reaffirmed what has always been the law of the land, that parents are the primary care givers and rightful controllers of their childrens' upbringing, Democrats instead want to impose their own vision for a government approval and tracking system for children. All children, cradle to grave, are cattle to be managed by your friendly neighborhood overseer, not God-given gifts to parents. Read more HERE.
Requirements include:
1) That parents appear in person at a district office to file an intent to educate when first deciding to homeschool.
2) Parents of children age 5 must appear in-person at a district office to sign an intent to educate, although they can still wait until age 6 or 7 to educate.
3) Withdrawals from public or even private schools can be made only with approval from the Board of Education after the Department of Children and Families has reviewed their files to determine if the child is the subject of an order for protective supervision or receiving protective services. (This is worse than Section 5 of SB 6, that required "only a check").
4) Demonstrate equivalent instruction is occurring annually via
~ Portfolio review (may include results of nationally normed test) ; or
~ Causing the child to take the statewide mastery exam, or
~ Receiving a state high school diploma
5) The parents shall retain records for 3 years
6) Allows up to 2 classes in public schools, for which students will be counted as part-time public students and counted as resident students for purposes of school funding.
7) Homeschool students will be added to the public school database currently known as P20WIN but renamed in SB 6 to DataLinks.
8) Adds Boards of Education to list of entities that can receive DCF records without consent
ACTION: Please contact the members of the Education Committee to ask them to Vote No on HB 5468 . Your message needn't be long - simply the bill number and a few reasons why you oppose any oversight of homeschoolers, which in this case includes unwarranted surveillance and data collection.
You can find contact information for the Education Committee members HERE and the key members also listed below . If your legislator is an Education Committee member, it is particularly helpful to contact them. You can find your legislator HERE.
If you email put in the subject line: Vote No on HB 5468. If you are a Democrat, you can add that information as well.
Education Committee Key Members
Co-Chair S Doug McCrory -D mccrory@senatedems.ct.gov tel: 860.240.1453
Co-Chair R Jennifer Leeper -D jennifer.leeper@cga.ct.gov tel: 860.240.8753
Vice Chair R Kevin Brown D kevin.brown@cga.ct.gov tel: 860.240.8466
Vice Chair S Gary Winfield D- winfield@senatedems.ct.gov tel: 860.240.0475
This information will also be available on our website, our Facebook page, TEACH CT, and in our Facebook group, TEACH CT Homeschoolers.
LOOK FOR our emails containing updates and information about a Public Hearing.
Your involvement does make a difference! Large participation by homeschoolers contacting their legislators and coming out for a public hearing has preserved our homeschool freedoms in the past.
Thank you for standing with us to protect parental rights and homeschooling freedoms in CT. Every voice and every body makes a difference!
In Prayer,
Pam Lucashu, Legislative Liaison
The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand. Psalm 121:5
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