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Alert to Kentucky Home
Schoolers from the HSLDA
State Proposes to Raise
Compulsory Attendance Age
Dear Home
School Families:
There are three compulsory attendance bills before this session of our
legislature. You can locate a copy of these bill at the following web
sites: http://www.lrc.state.ky.us/RECORD/01RS/HB127/bill.doc
and http://www.lrc.state.ky.us/RECORD/01RS/HB28/bill.doc
and http://www.lrc.state.ky.us/RECORD/01RS/HB126/bill.doc
Home School Legal Defense Association believes we should oppose these
bills. Darin Jones the lawyer for Kentucky has offered these talking
points as to why these bills should be opposed. The suggestion from
HSLDA is that you contact your state representative in Kentucky and tell
them why you oppose these bills and ask them to vote no on these bills.
Below you will find the talking points from attorney Jones.
-- The obvious effect of changing the age for compulsory attendance
would be to subject home schoolers in Kentucky to the compulsory
attendance requirements for two more years than now required. This would
mean submission of a notice of intent providing information about the
private home school and the requirement for keeping attendance records
and scholarship reports for two extra years.
-- Legislation raising the compulsory attendance age further erodes the
authority of parents who are in the best position to guide their child's
education.
-- Studies have shown that 16 year olds who lack the self-motivation to
continue in school receive little benefit from compulsory attendance,
and, in fact, have a negative influence on other students their age who
are attending school voluntarily. Given the increasing breakdown of
discipline in the public schools, legislators should not impose any
requirement of attendance over age 16 on students who do not wish to be
there and who will further disrupt efforts of teachers to instruct those
students who desire to learn.
-- Another significant aspect of expanding the compulsory attendance
ages would be the need for additional tax revenues from Kentucky
citizens to pay for the added cost of educating more children in the
public school system. More classroom space will have to be constructed
and more teachers hired in order to accommodate all of the additional
students who will be compelled to attend school, some against their
will, under the proposed law. School systems can also expect to incur
the additional expense of security personnel necessary to deal with the
inevitable increase in discipline problems.
-- There is no statistical data or research to support the position that
raising the compulsory attendance age will reduce the dropout rate. To
the contrary, according to U.S. Department of Education statistics
charting 16 to 19 year olds not attending or graduating from high
school, the top five states with the lowest dropout rates only require
attendance through age 16. Statistics indicate that the states with the
highest compulsory attendance ages also have the highest dropout rates
in the nation. Therefore, there is no true need to raise the compulsory
attendance age in Kentucky, nor is there any statistical data to prove
that this has any effect of reducing dropout rates in any other state.
I hope that this information is helpful to Kentucky home schoolers who
want to fight this important battle. As they lobby, we recommend they do
not identify themselves as home educators, but rather as parents and
taxpayers who are concerned about family issues.
Darren A. Jones
Home School Legal Defense Association
Staff Attorney
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