MI needs your call!!

Discussion in 'Homeschooling in the News' started by Hippychick, Jan 25, 2008.

  1. Hippychick

    Hippychick New Member

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    January 25, 2008

    Michigan: Calls Needed Now to Oppose
    Expansion of State Control Over Education

    Dear HSLDA Members and Friends,

    Here we go again! God used your calls last year to stop this bill--but
    now the forces trying increase state control over your children are
    back.

    The Michigan legislature is trying to expand the upper age limit of
    compulsory attendance by requiring children to be in school until the
    age of 18. House Bill 4042 would raise the age of compulsory
    attendance from where it is currently at age 16, to age 18.

    As you may remember, the Michigan legislature introduced several bills
    last year to expand the compulsory attendance age. Your calls,
    however, halted the progression of all those bills! H.B. 4042 will be
    heard by the House Education Committee next week, and we need you to
    call members of this committee now.

    We are working closely with INCH, legislative staff, and the Home
    School Legislative Action Committee.

    REQUESTED ACTION:

    We are requesting you to do two tasks:

    1. Please call through Jan. 31 the members of the House Education
    Committee designated for you (by the initial of your last name) and
    give them this message:

    "Please vote against H.B. 4042, which will raise the age of compulsory
    school attendance. It only serves as a waste of taxpayer's money by
    forcing unwilling, disruptive students into the classroom. Studies of
    all 50 states show that raising compulsory attendance ages does not
    increase graduation rates."

    You do not need to identify that you homeschool--just that you are a
    concerned parent and taxpayer.

    Be sure to put the message in your own words.

    2. Also, please send a short email opposing H.B. 4042 to ALL the
    committee members AND a blind copy to elert@inch.org so we can keep
    track of the number of responses for lobbying purposes.

    HOUSE EDUCATION MEMBERS:

    If your last name begins with A-I, please call the following members:

    Chair Tim Melton (D), 517-373-0475, timmelton@house.mi.gov
    Kathy Angerer (D), 517-373-1792, kathyangerer@house.mi.gov
    Terry L. Brown (D), 517-373-0476, terrybrown@house.mi.gov
    Barb Byrum (D), 517-373-0587, barbbyrum@house.mi.gov
    Brenda Clack (D), 517-373-8808, brendaclack@house.mi.gov
    Jacob Hoogendyk (R), 517-373-1774, jackhoogendyk@house.mi.gov
    Glenn Steil, Jr. (R), 517-373-0840, glennsteil@house.mi.gov

    If your last name begins with letters J-R, please call these members:

    Vice-Chair Mary Valentine (D), 517-373-3436,
    maryvalentine@house.mi.gov
    Hoon-Yung Hopgood (D), 517-373-0852, hoon-yunghopgood@house.mi.gov
    Steven Lindberg (D), 517-373-0498, stevenlindberg@house.mi.gov
    Fred Miller (D), 517-373-0159, fredmiller@house.mi.gov
    Tom Pearce (R), 517-373-0218, tompearce@house.mi.gov
    Gino Polidori (D), 517-373-0847, ginopolidori@house.mi.gov
    Bettie Cook Scott (D), 517-373-1776, bettiecookscott@house.mi.gov
    Marty Knollenberg (R), 517-373-1783, martyknollenberg@house.mi.gov

    If your last name begins with letters S-Z, please call these members:

    Minority Vice Chair John Moolenaar (R), 517-373-1791,
    johnmoolenaar@house.mi.gov
    Marc R. Corriveau (D), 517-373-3816, marccorriveau@house.mi.gov
    Andy Meisner (D), 517-373-0478, andymeisner@house.mi.gov
    Robert Dean (D), 517-373-2668, robertdean@house.mi.gov
    Judy Emmons (R), 517-373-0834, judyemmons@house.mi.gov
    Dave Hildenbrand (R), 517-373-0846, rephildenbrand@house.mi.gov
    Tonya Schuitmaker (R), 517-373-0839, tonyaschuitmaker@house.mi.gov
    Paul E. Opsommer (R), 517-373-1778, paulopsommer@house.mi.gov

    BACKGROUND:

    Raising the compulsory attendance age will not reduce the dropout
    rate. In fact, the two states with the highest high school completion
    rates, Maryland at 94.5% and North Dakota at 94.7%, compel attendance
    only to age 16. The state with the lowest completion rate (Oregon:
    75.4%) compels attendance to age 18. (Figures are three-year averages,
    1996 through 1998.)

    Twenty-nine states only require attendance to age 16. Older children
    unwilling to learn can cause classroom disruptions and even violence,
    making learning harder for their classmates who truly want
    to learn.

    It would restrict parents' freedom to decide if their 16-year-old is
    ready for college or the workforce. (Some 16-year-olds who are not
    academically inclined benefit more from valuable work experience than
    from being forced to sit in a classroom.

    Another significant impact of expanding the compulsory attendance age
    would be an inevitable tax increase to pay for more classroom space
    and teachers to accommodate the additional students compelled
    to attend public schools. When California raised the upper age limit
    of compulsory attendance, unwilling students were so disruptive that
    new schools had to be built just to handle them and their behavior
    problems, all at the expense of the taxpayer.

    For more information on compulsory attendance legislation please go to
    our website at
    http://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/Issues/E/Early_Education.asp.

    Thanks for taking the time to call or email!

    Sincerely,

    Christopher J. Klicka
    HSLDA Senior Counsel


    ======================================================================
    The HSLDA E-lert Service is a service of:

    Home School Legal Defense Association
    P.O. Box 3000
    Purcellville, Virginia 20134
    Phone: (540) 338-5600
    Fax: (540) 338-2733
    Email: info@hslda.org
    Web: http://www.hslda.org

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------
    How To Subscribe:

    - Subscribe to the HSLDA E-lert Service at our website:

    https://secure.hslda.org/hslda/elert/account.asp?Process=Subscribe

    - Or send an email with name and complete mailing address to:

    subscribe@hslda.org

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  3. Earthy

    Earthy New Member

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    Thanks for all the info.
     
  4. Actressdancer

    Actressdancer New Member

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    This really confuses me. I mean, I graduated from HS when I was 17. Would they have required me to hang around an extra year if the compulsory age was 18? By the time I turned 18 I had already taken my first college midterms.
     
  5. Ava Rose

    Ava Rose New Member

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    Same here! I was a June baby so I was one of the young ones. That is nuts. And what about someone who skipped a grade or two? Doesn't sound like that was well thought out.
     
  6. Jo Anna

    Jo Anna Active Member

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    Wyoming is trying to do the same thing. But the want to move ours from 16 to 17. But if the child has written consent from the parent and it is given to the school board, then you can get out of it basically. (well that is wyoming).
    Also I think that once you have graduated that this law doesn't apply to you. I think they are trying to cut down on the drop out rate. Which if you look at it is to darn high! I thought it was a mistake when Wyoming fist adopted the law if you finish 8th grade or turn 16 it was your choice to continue school. Most at the age of 16 do not really grasp the fact of how dropping out will effect them.
    So, what I am saying is that I think raising the age is a good thing. I also think this will effect public and private schools more than homeschoolers. Yeah, it raises our age, but as long as we can prove that our children have finished at a certain age then we should have no problems. Just my opinion.
     

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