Legislative Alert!

Please Call to Terminate Mandatory Homeschool Notice Bill

On Jan. 10th, Assemblywoman Cleopatra Tucker (District 28-Essex) filed bill A1375 which requires parents to submit an annual letter of intent to homeschool with the local public school superintendent by August
15. The bill also requires the resident district to maintain a record of the name, age, and place of residence of each homeschooled child in the district.

The New Jersey Homeschool Association [NJHA] is united with other members of the Homeschool Task Force–Catholic Homeschoolers of New Jersey, Education Network of Christian Homeschoolers, HSLDA, and National Black Home Educators–in opposing A1375.

NJHA does not believe that any child’s education is enhanced by registering with a local school district, nor do we believe that monitoring attendance records for homeschoolers is a valid use of our tax dollars. The Task Force recommends that all home educators and friends of home education who live in Assemblywoman Tucker’s district [Bloomfield, Glen Ridge, Irvington, Newark, Nutley] call her office (973) 926-4320 to ask her to withdraw this bill. Your courteous message can be as simple as: “Please withdraw A1375.  New Jersey has a sensible legal framework for homeschooling right now.  No changes are necessary.”

Please email with questions and also to let us all know how your call was received. And please share this email with anyone who might be interested.

Barbara Rapaport and Pamm Kerr for NJHA

Update – December 8

Hi everyone,

We are encouraged by meetings with legislators on both sides of the
aisle, as well as by the reduction of the Senate calendar. It seems
extremely unlikely that S3105/A4372 will move during the lame duck
session.

The bills are extremely unlikely to move out of committee. Our
suggestion is to stop calling and writing our representatives for now.
Should something totally unexpected occur, the NJ Homeschool Task
Force members will alert everyone asap. For now, though, the word
from quite a few offices of state representatives is that there is
little support for the bills.

Thank you again for contacting your representatives over the past
couple of weeks. Going forward, it’s always good to build
relationships with your representatives, to let them see clearly the
“face” of home education in New Jersey.

For NJHA,

Barbara Rapaport

barbara.rapaport@gmail.com

Pamm Kerr

pammkerr@comcast.net

To all homeschooling families:

As many of you have read, on 11/21/2011, S3105 was introduced in the NJ Senate and referred to the Senate Education Committee. You can read the full text of the bill here: http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bills/BillView.asp

but in summary, there are 3 items of concern to homeschoolers: by requiring an annual medical exam, S3105 establishes a different and higher standard for homeschoolers; the portfolio requirement increases school boards’ oversight/regulatory powers with a consequent increased tax burden; S3105 mistakenly targets homeschooling parents, rather than DYFS, for the tragic death of a neglected child.

The current homeschooling task force – comprised of representatives from New Jersey Homeschool Association (NJHA), Education Network of Christian Homeschoolers of NJ (ENOCH), Catholic Homeschoolers of New Jersey (CHNJ), and the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) – and others are united in opposing S3105. Please join us to stop S3105, a bill Senator Loretta Weinberg filed last week, from being moved out of the Senate’s education committee.

In addition to requiring proof of an annual medical exam for every homeschooled child, S3105 would require parents to submit each child’s name, birth date, and homeschool instructor’s name every year by August 1. A mandatory “portfolio of records and materials including, but not limited to, a list of reading materials used, and samples of writings, worksheets, workbooks, or creative materials used or developed to assess the reading, writing, and computational skills of the student” would be due June 30. We believe that the phrase “but not limited to” gives local boards of education uncircumscribed new power over homeschooling families by empowering those boards to regulate homeschooling.

This bill would add burdensome requirements for New Jersey’s home educators and limit freedom for many. With three filings every year for an estimated 42,000 homeschooled children, overworked public school staff would have yet more burdens added to their shoulders. Taxes will inevitably go up, as taxpayers would pay the cost of filing, processing, checking, responding to, and storing 120,000 sets of paperwork each year.

The media carried reports recently about the Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS) failing to protect an allegedly homeschooled child in danger—with tragic results. It is important not to confuse failings in the laws and procedures of DYFS or of negative outcomes in some of their cases with the issues of homeschooling. Homeschooling was not the cause of the tragic death of this child, just as schooling is not the cause when a schooled child under DYFS supervision dies or is hurt in any way.

How You Can Help to Preserve Current NJ Homeschooling Law

I. Make courteous phone calls to the Senators serving on the Education Committee. Your message can be as simple as “Please oppose S3105. Don’t punish homeschoolers and public school staff for the failures of DYFS.” Alternatively, you can frame your own message using information in this email.

– Call Sen. Stephen Sweeney. He is the president of the New Jersey Senate, and he controls its business.

(856) 251-9801 (West Deptford office)

(856) 455-1011 (Bridgeton office)

(856) 339-0808 (Salem office)

– Call Sen. Teresa Ruiz. She is the Assistant Senate Majority Leader and Chair of the Senate Education Committee, to which S3105 was referred.

(973) 484-1000

– If you are a constituent of the other four members of  the committee (Sens. Jim Whelan, Diane Allen, Thomas Kean and Shirley Turner), call them.

Sen. Jim Whelan: Absecon, Atlantic City, Brigantine, Corbin, Egg Harbor City, Egg Harbor Township, Estell Manor, Galloway, Hamilton (Atlantic), Linwood, Longport, Margate City, Mullica, Northfield, Pleasantville, Port Republic, Ventnor City, Weymouth (609) 383-1388

Sen. Diane Allen: Beverly, Burlington, Burlington Township, Cinnaminson, Delanco, Delran, Edgewater Park, Florence, Maple Shade, Merchantville, Mount Holly, Palmyra, Pennsauken, Riverside, Riverton, Westampton, Willingboro

(609) 239-2800

Sen. Thomas Kean: Berkeley Heights, Chatham Township, Cranford, Garwood, Harding, Long Hill, Madison, Millburn, Mountainside, New Providence, Roselle Park, Springfield (Union), Summit, Warren, Watchung, Westfield

(908) 232-3673 (Westfield)

(908) 918-0414 (Summit)

(908) 232-2073 (Westfield)

Sen. Shirley Turner:Ewing, Hopewell (Mercer), Hopewell Twp. (Mercer), Lawrence (Mercer), Pennington, Princeton, Princeton Township, Trenton

(609) 530-3277

II. Share this email with any lists, groups, or individuals who might be willing to call members of the Senate education committee on behalf of our effort.

Thanks in advance to all of you for making these important calls. Our hope is that a courteous display of telephone opposition to the proposed bill will keep it in committee.

Please don’t hesitate to email us with any questions.

For NJHA,

Barbara Rapaport

barbara.rapaport@gmail.com

Pamm Kerr

pammkerr@comcast.net

Home education newbies

What is homeschooling? And how does it work?

Are we allowed to do that? The legal facts & FAQ.

Books about home education

Quick-start guide for new homeschooling families.

Support & networking

Teens!

For the Media

Covering a home education story? Here’s what you need to know before you start:
What is homeschooling? Info on home educations, philosophies, & methodology.

Are you allowed to do that? Legalities of home education.

A fun little test of knowledge about home education:

Attn: freelancers and reporters who want to write about homeschooling

(Feel free to email us for help if you don’t “get” the answers.)