I just got back from the capitol in Springfield concerning an informational meeting regarding SB 136 which would require homeschoolers in IL to register with the state. I think Mr. Woodruff, senior counsel for the HSLDA, had a very good summary which I wanted to share here. If you look very, very closely, I am one of the brown spots you see sitting against the wall on the right :). I will try and keep you posted of any more happenings as they come to light.
Illinois: 4,000 Homeschoolers Say "No" to Registration Bill
Dear HSLDA Friends and Members,
An awe-inspiring 4,000 homeschoolers flooded the Statehouse today as
Sen. Maloney did his best to get the Senate Education Committee to
support his plan to mandate registration for homeschoolers. But the
committee did not vote, so homeschoolers must continue to press for
the withdrawal of the bill.
ACTION REQUESTED
Please call your own senator and ask him or her to contact Sen.
Maloney and ask him to withdraw--NOT AMEND--his bill. Use our
legislative toolbox at http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=10343 to find
your senator.
BACKGROUND
Sen. Maloney has stated he intends to amend his bill so it impacts
homeschoolers only--not other private schools. There is no way to
amend his bill to transform it into a good bill. Its objective is to
push government control into your living room and kitchen, and that is
unacceptable no matter how he may amend it.
Prior to the hearing this morning, the entire auditorium filled up
quickly for the 9:15 a.m. Home School Freedom Summit in the Howlett
Building. After that, homeschoolers poured into the Statehouse. They
filled the committee hearing room, then completely filled that entire
floor of the Statehouse, even pushing up into the upper galleries.
Security estimated the crowd at 4,000.
While waiting for the hearing to start, the crowd beginning singing.
Strains of "America the Beautiful," "God Bless America," "Amazing
Grace," and "The Star-Spangled Banner" drifted into the committee
room. No one present will ever forget the huge, orderly, but
passionate crowd, the singing, and the sense that their presence made
a powerful statement in defense of liberty. No Illinois senator or
representative will forget that statement, either, I believe.
Recognizing the crowd, staff agreed--for the first time in the history
of the Illinois legislature--to leave the doors to the committee
hearing room open during the hearing (if the crowd would stay quiet)!
The hearing went longer than scheduled. Homeschool leaders testified
powerfully against the bill. Sen. Maloney testified that officials
"needed to know" who was homeschooling, though it was never entirely
clear why.
Some senators worried about homeschoolers "falling through the
cracks." But if "falling through the cracks" means kids ending high
school without a diploma, without being able to read, without being
able to enter college without remedial classes, and with a juvenile
justice record, then "falling through the cracks" is quite common in
public schools. The sad truth is that the public schools do not have
the solution to "falling through the cracks!" Why have the least
effective system of education supervise the most effective system?
The senators on the committee seem closely divided between "for" and
"against" on SB 136. The change of a single vote could have dramatic
consequences. The efforts of every single homeschool family in the
state are urgently needed.
Sincerely Yours,
Scott A. Woodruff
HSLDA Senior Counsel
