Update on A2881

Just a quick update: everyone who spoke about the A2881 today spoke against it, but it passed out of committee anyway. Chair Lampitt promised to meet with homeschool groups and also that the bill would be fully vetted before it reached the Assembly floor. We’ll post as news is available.

To listen to the proceedings, visit the NJ.gov Legislative proceedings archive page here. Bill A2881 was discussed about five hours into the meeting.

Legislative Alert

This bill provides that a child under the care, custody, or supervision of the Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS) in the Department of Children and Families, including a child placed in a resource family or kinship care home, may not be home-schooled unless DYFS approves the child’s home-schooling.”

Because A2881 was only submitted Thursday and is already going to committee Monday, it might seem to be on a fast track; however, since the sole sponsor is the committee chairperson, the pace itself might not be a cause for alarm. There appears to be history attached to A2881, since it is almost identical to last summer’s A4125 introduced by Asw. Valerie Huttle (D-NJ 37th District). One of the differences between the bills is the language concerning home-schooling: A4125 does not provide for the possibility of homeschooling, but A2881 does provide for the possibility of homeschooling. We have questions about why this bill is being submitted now and how the wording of this bill could potentially impact homeschoolers with or without connections to DYFS.

The bill is scheduled to be considered on Monday, May 14th, 10:00AM in Committee Room 16, 4th floor, State House Annex, Trenton, NJ. If the proceeding remains open and there is room, several NJHA members plan to attend the meeting. With any luck, we’ll have something to share via our website – http://jerseyhomeschool.net/ - and via lists after the meeting.

From APP.com: Home’s Where the School Is

From the article: When Mary Rice’s oldest son, David, home-schooled since the age of 5, was ready to graduate 13 years ago, college admissions departments weren’t exactly sure what to make of the family.

“It was kind of like, ‘Home schooling? What is that?’ ” she said.

Not so today, says Rice, 53, of Keyport. She’s taught three grown children — David, 31, Emily, 30, Sarah, 28 — all of whom graduated from Rutgers University with high honors.

Back by popular demand, Alison Snieckus and Barbara Rapaport present the 7th Annual Teen/Parent “You CAN Homeschool through High School!” Workshop

Sunday, June 3rd, 12:30-4:30, Plainsboro Preserve
http://www.njaudubon.org/SectionCenters/SectionPlainsboro/Directions.aspx

We know you CAN because we successfully mentored our own children through high school. After completing high school, those children went on to attend schools that were a good fit for them–engineering schools, liberal arts colleges, music conservatories, and service academies. In addition to founding and co-leading E-Cubed teen homeschool group for the past 8 years, Alison is on staff at the Princeton Learning Cooperative http://plcteens.org/ and Barbara is a member of the Higher Education Consultants Association http://www.hecaonline.org/standards_and_ethics and coaches a homeschool high school Mock Trial team. Our experience has shown us that teens can successfully homeschool through high school and then go on to a successful post-secondary career.

The Workshop will explore how parents and teens can work together to set goals and create a plan for the high school years as well as how to implement that plan with the wide variety of available resources, including community college, online learning, textbooks, travel, and internships. We’ll conclude with a panel of young adults who will speak about their own homeschooling experiences and how those experiences impact their college lives.

The fee for the Workshop is:
–$20 per family if paid prior to May 24th
–$25 per family if paid after May 24th

If you would like to attend, please reply offlist to barbara.rapaport@gmail.com or alison.snieckus@gmail.com

From RosettaStone.com: 10 Reasons to Homeschool in the Summer

From the article: The longer I homeschooled, the more convinced I became that homeschooling through the summer was a good idea. Some of my friends thought I was nuts for not taking the summer off, and I had to agree that I couldn’t keep up my usual pace year-round without risk of burning out. There are definite advantages, though, and I want to share with you my top 10 reasons for homeschooling through the summer months.

From PsychologyToday.com: Meet Kate Fridkis, Who Skipped K-12 and is Neither Weird nor Homeless

From the article: Kate Fridkis is 26 years old, is happily married, lives in New York City, has a master’s degree in religion from Columbia University, is a part-time chazzan (cantor) at a synagogue (a job she’s held since age 15), and is a full-time writer. Her articles have appeared in the New York Times, the Huffington Post, and Salon. She’s working on getting her first novel published. She writes funny and insightful essays about body image on her popular blog, Eat the Damn Cake. And recently she has become a fellow blogger here at Psychology Today.

Oh, and she also skipped all of school from kindergarten through twelfth grade. She generally tells people she was “homeschooled,” if they ask about her schooling, because most people don’t know what it means to be “unschooled.” And, in addition to all her other writing, she has another blog called Skipping School.

PSE&G Scholars Program open to Homeschoolers

The PSEG Foundation is granting scholarships to high school seniors with a passion for engineering and an interest in pursuing a career in the energy industry.

Six students will be each be awarded $24,000, distributed evenly over a 4-year period. In addition to the stipends, PSEG’s Scholars will be matched with a mentor and invited to tour the company’s facilities and join its employees as they volunteer at community events. The students will also be invited to apply for a summer internship following completion of their sophomore year.

Applicants should intend to major in chemical engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, environmental engineering, mechanical engineering or nuclear engineering. They must have attended high school in New Jersey for at least 3 years and be able to demonstrate an aptitude in math and science in addition to financial need.

For application & more information – www.pseg.com/scholars_program

Home-schooling demographics change, expand

From USA TODAY: “According to a home-schooling survey in 2007 by the federal government’s National Center For Education Statistics — the most recent data available — a little more than 1.5 million children in the USA were being home-schooled. That represents an increase from 1.1 million students being home-schooled in spring 2003, according to the center.”

High School, Outside the Box

From West Windward & Plainsboro News: “No one would argue that when it comes to teens, each and every one is unique. No surprise, then, that there is a great variety of learning styles among teens. What works well for one may not work for another, which makes a “one-size-fits-all” educational strategy counterproductive for many.”

Legislative Alert: Action requested

We’re writing to make you aware of 2 compulsory school attendance bills, A1411 and S647,  which are scheduled to be heard within the week. Both bills were re-introduced to the current session. You can read the bills in their entirety here:

Suggested Action
A task force comprised of NJHA, CHNJ, ENOCH, NBHE, HSLDA and others suggest the following action:

1. If you live in the district of one of the Senate or Assembly Education Committee members listed below, please call them right away. Even Senators/Assembly members who you think already oppose the bills need to hear from you.

  “Please vote no on A1411 [S647], which would raise the age of compulsory school attendance from 16 to 18. Parents, not state officials, know whether their 16-year-old young adult should pursue formal education or some other preparation for life responsibilities. The cost of forcing unwilling young adults into a formal school setting should not be added to our tax burden.”

A1411 was sponsored by Asw. Bonnie Watson Coleman and is scheduled to be heard on Thursday, February 2 at 2:00 PM.  Assembly Education Committee members are:

Patrick Diegnan, Chair, 18th District: East Brunswick, Edison, Helmetta, Highland Park,Metuchen, South Plainfield, South River   (908) 757-1677

Bonnie Watson Coleman, Vice-Chair, 15th District:  East Amwell, Ewing, Hopewell Borough (Mercer), Hopewell Township (Mercer), Lambertville, Lawrence (Mercer), Pennington,Trenton, West Amwell, West Windsor    (609) 292-0500

Ralph R. Caputo: Bloomfield, Glen Ridge, Irvington, Newark, Nutley  (973) 450-0484

Mila M. Jasey: Caldwell, Chatham Township, East Hanover, Essex Fells, Florham Park, Hanover, Harding, Livingston, Madison, Maplewood, Millburn,Roseland, South Orange, West Orange   (973) 762-1886

Angelica M. Jimenez: East Newark, Edgewater, Fairview, Guttenberg,Harrison (Hudson), Kearny, North Bergen, Secaucus, West New York   (201) 223-4247

Scott T. Rumana: Allendale, Cedar Grove, Franklin Lakes, Ho-Ho-Kus, Little Falls, Midland Park, Pequannock, Pompton Lakes,Ridgewood, Riverdale, Totowa, Waldwick, Wayne, Woodland Park, Wyckoff (973) 237-1362

Troy Singleton:   Beverly, Bordentown, Bordentown Township, Burlington,Burlington Township, Cinnaminson, Delanco, Delran, Edgewater Park, Fieldsboro,Florence, Moorestown, Mount Laurel, Palmyra, Riverside, Riverton, Willingboro (856) 461-3997

Connie Wagner:  Bergenfield, Fair Lawn, Glen Rock, Hasbrouck Heights, Hawthorne, Lodi, Maywood, New Milford, Oradell, Paramus, River Edge,Rochelle Park, Saddle Brook  (201) 576-9199

David W. Wolfe: Bay Head, Brick, Island Heights, Lakehurst, Lavallette,Manchester, Mantoloking, Point Pleasant Beach, Seaside Heights, Toms River    (732) 840-9028

S647 was co-sponsored by Senator Teresa Ruiz and is scheduled to be heard at 10:30 on Monday, February 6th. Senate Education Committee members are:
Teresa M. Ruiz, Chair: Belleville, Newark   (973) 484-1000

Shirley K. Turner, Vice-Chair:  East Amwell, Ewing, Hopewell Borough (Mercer), Hopewell Township (Mercer), Lambertville, Lawrence (Mercer), Pennington,Trenton, West Amwell, West Windsor                (609) 530-3277

Diane B. Allen: Beverly, Bordentown, Bordentown Township, Burlington,Burlington Township, Cinnaminson, Delanco, Delran, Edgewater Park, Fieldsboro,Florence, Moorestown, Mount Laurel, Palmyra, Riverside, Riverton, Willingboro (609) 239-2800

James Beach:  Berlin Township, Cherry Hill, Collingswood,Gibbsboro, Haddon, Haddonfield, Hi-Nella, Maple Shade, Merchantville, Oaklyn,Pennsauken, Somerdale, Stratford, Tavistock, Voorhees
(856) 429-1572

Michael J. Doherty: Alexandria, Alpha, Bedminster,Bethlehem, Bloomsbury, Bound Brook, Bridgewater, Califon, Clinton, Clinton Township,Franklin (Hunterdon), Franklin (Warren), Frenchtown, Glen Gardner, Greenwich (Warren), Hackettstown, Hampton (Hunterdon), Harmony, High Bridge, Holland,Kingwood, Lebanon Borough, Lebanon Township, Lopatcong, Mansfield (Warren),Milford, Peapack-Gladstone, Phillipsburg, Pohatcong, Raritan (Hunterdon), South Bound Brook, Tewksbury, Union (Hunterdon), Washington Borough (Warren), Washington Township (Warren)  (908) 835-0552

Pushing unwilling older students into the classroom has the potential to disrupt the other students who truly want to learn.

There are no statistics to demonstrate that raising the compulsory attendance age has a positive impact on graduation rates. Some of the states with the highest graduation rates have the lowest compulsory attendance cut-off age. For more information on graduation rates and compulsory school attendance rates by state, see:
http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d10/tables/dt10_174.asp

http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d10/tables/dt10_113.asp

And finally, increasing the age of compulsory attendance means more tax dollars spent for more classroom space and teachers.

Newsweek via The Daily Beast: Why Urban, Educated Parents are Turning to DIY Education

From the article: “In the beginning, your kids need you—a lot. They’re attached to your hip, all the time. It might be a month. It might be five years. Then suddenly you are expected to send them off to school for seven hours a day, where they’ll have to cope with life in ways they never had to before. You no longer control what they learn, or how, or with whom. Unless you decide, like an emerging population of parents in cities across the country, to forgo that age-old rite of passage entirely.”

Secular, liberal N.J. parents buck home-school trend

As featured on MyCentralJersey.com.

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.

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.

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.

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.)