http://www.hslda.org/Legislation/Sta...41/default.asp


Senate Bill 3641: Homeschool Freedom Bill


Author:
Sponsored by Senator George Winner


Summary:
For the last three years, we have passed the Homeschool Freedom Bill in the New York Senate but it has been held up in the Assembly.


We are not going to give up on homeschool freedom for New York and will continue to press for legislation which will remove the burdens from homeschool families.


A key reason the Assembly has not acted is because our sponsor, Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg, has told us he only received calls from people who were opposed to the Homeschool Freedom bill. In deference to his support, we had asked you not to contact him last year.


Now we are shifting our strategy and asking everyone to call Assemblyman Weisenberg so there can be no mistake we want the Homeschool Freedom bill to pass this year.


The Homeschool Freedom bill has been re-introduced in the Senate by State Senator George Winner as Senate Bill 3641. The bill is needed to provide homeschooling families in New York the freedom to devote more time to teaching their children at home rather than spending it filling out unnecessary paperwork. If passed, this legislation would eliminate over 75% of the present restrictions governing home instruction programs in New York. Few states have as many regulations as New York and the trend in other states is to reduce paperwork burdens.


Status:
03/23/2005 Referred to Senate Committee on Education.


HSLDA's Position:
This bill is strongly supported.


Action Requested:
(1) Please contact Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg with this message:


"Please sponsor the Homeschool Freedom bill again this year and work to have it brought up for a vote in the Assembly. Homeschoolers need relief from burdensome and unnecessary restrictions. It has been reintroduced in the Senate as S. 3641 by Senator Winner. Home educators have earned the right to regulatory relief after demonstrating their overwhelming success under the current law for the past 15 years. It will also save each public school district thousands of dollars in administrative costs."


Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg
731 Legislative Office Building
Albany, NY 12248
518-455-3028
weisenh@assembly.state.ny.us

Letters are most effective.


2) Please call your state senator and give him this message:


"Please vote for Senate Bill 3641 which will relieve public school officials and homeschooling parents from burdensome and costly administrative tasks. Home educators have earned the right to regulatory relief after demonstrating their overwhelming success under the current law for the past 15 years. This bill must be passed. We need relief."


The link below is for the website that lists all the senators in New York and their contact information. If you do not know who your senator is, then there is a link on this page that will allow you to search for your senator by zip code.


http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?ID=2223


3) Plan to attend the Loving Education at Home (LEAH) annual Homeschool Rally and Lobby Day, which is scheduled for May 3rd in Albany. It's a great opportunity for a homeschool field trip for your children. Please reserve this day and watch for more information on this crucial event.


4) Please pray for the Legislature and for the Homeschool Freedom bill. Pray that God would give us favor and grant homeschooling families greater freedom in New York.


Background:
Senate Bill 3641 would make the following changes in the current law:


- eliminate the requirement of an Individualized Home Instruction Plan (IHIP);


- eliminate the requirement of quarterly reports;


- eliminate required subjects at all grade levels;


- permit an alternative method of evaluation (instead of standardized testing) every year;


- permit parents who wish to test their children to choose any nationally-normed standardized achievement test, in addition to a State Education Department test or another approved test;


- eliminate the requirement that the local superintendent consent to the person who administers a standardized achievement test or who conducts the alternative method of evaluation;


- lower the minimum standardized test score from above the 33rd percentile to above the 23rd percentile; and


- eliminate the provision for home visits while a home instruction program is on probation.


If this legislation is enacted into law, it will not only relieve parents and public school officials of time-consuming administrative tasks, it will significantly increase the freedom of home educators in New York to direct the education of their children.