Homeschool Freedom Under Fire in New Hampshireby Staff
February 11, 2009
PURCELLVILLE, Virginia, (christiansunite.com) -- Representative Judith Day is the sole sponsor of legislation that would radically rewrite the testing and assessment portion of the New Hampshire homeschool law. "If passed, New Hampshire would have one of the most restrictive homeschool laws in the nation," said Mike Donnelly, staff attorney for HSLDA.
Over the past few years increasing numbers of parents have been turning to homeschooling to raise their children. Homeschoolers are thriving since all the research shows that homeschoolers significantly outperform their peers on standardized tests. Furthermore, studies show there is no correlation between increased regulation and homeschool students' performance, which is why most states have removed their assessment and testing requirements.
The current New Hampshire law is already more burdensome than most states. In addition to an annual notice homeschoolers must provide an annual statement of academic progress and maintain two years of records and instructional materials. The proposed law would require all homeschoolers to take both a test, and to submit to a portfolio evaluation by a "credentialed educator." It then places subjective authority in the hands of a superintendent or non- public school principle to terminate a family's homeschool program.
"It's amazing that New Hampshire is considering these kinds of additional restrictions when it already requires parents to provide annual assessments," said Donnelly. "This new law is unnecessary. It would simply waste taxpayers' money and parents' time," he added.
Hearings are scheduled for February 11th in Concord New Hampshire.
Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) is a 26 year old, 85,000 member non-profit organization and the preeminent association advocating the legal right of parents to homeschool their children.
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