Effect of Calfornia Ruling Felt in Nebraska

by Andrea Hermitt | More from this Blogger

14 Mar 2008 10:32 AM

According to former teacher and Nebraska Senator. DiAnna Schimek,

It's been almost 25 years since the current (homeschool) law passed and it's time to look at it again. I've been hearing stories over the years about students not being in school, about people wondering whether they were being properly educated or not. I wanted to explore the issue.

Nebraska Education bill LB 1141 was introduced to hold schools not accredited by the state accountable, according to Sen. Schimek, but it also threatens to restrict parental rights. It also affects homeschools.

The bill would require:

• Homeschoolers to submit annually attendance records
• Assessment of home schooled children through standardized testing or portfolio submission to certified teachers
• Homeschoolers would be required to attend an accredited school is they do not meet requirements

At last count, homeschoolers have nearly 6000 homeschooled children that would be affected by these regulations. The current fiasco in California is being used as an impetus to get this bill passed. I guess this answer the question that I am now seeing repeatedly. "Should I be worried about the ruling in California?" "Will it affect us?" It very well could. This is why homeschoolers everywhere need to get involved in some way.

How do you get involved?

Study homeschooling laws in your state. Know what is required of you as homeschooling parents and be sure to adhere to those rules and regulation.

Call your legislators and discuss those laws. Your legislators are called public servants for a reason. You need to Know who they are and have their contact information. Your opinion matters. Fight to get unsavory laws changed.

Stay abreast of current homeschool issues. When issues that affect homeschooling occurs, take the time to fully educate yourself on the issues. Read court documents. Don't just listen to hearsay and hysterical reactions.

Homeschool your children well. Avoid having your own personal homeschool issues by homeschooling your children well. Whether you use a virtual school, a classical homeschool approach, or unschool your kids and document what they have learned, be thorough and beyond reproach at all time.

Learn more about Andrea Hermitt

Andrea Hermitt is a native New Yorker currently residing in GA. She has been married for over 16 years and has two teenage children.

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MomieTullottes (15) 14 Mar 2008 04:26 PM

Wow! Thanks for this. I hadn't known about Nebraska yet. Since I'm in Texas, I'm not quite worried yet because home school laws are different here. Home schools are considered private schools. Still, I will continue to school my children well as always and keep my records organized as I have been, just in case. Great advice. :-)