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Home Educators Association of Virginia Legislative Update

To: Virginia Home Educators
From: Yvonne Bunn, HEAV Director of Government Affairs

Monday, January 30, 2006

HB 1340 PASSES THE HOUSE!

This could be one of the most important changes in the homeschool statute in years! HB 1340, patroned by Delegate Rob Bell, R-Charlottesville,
gives homeschooling parents with a high school diploma the same oversight as parents with a college degree. After an unsuccessful attempt to
attach a restrictive amendment, HB 1340 passed the House with a vote of 60-Y, 38-N. A companion bill, SB 499, patroned by Senators Puckett, Houck,
and Quayle, passed the Senate last week.

WHY ARE HB 1340 AND SB 499 IMPORTANT?
Currently ALL parents who meet one of the requirements under the homeschool statute can homeschool. Parents with a high school diploma usually
comply with option (iii) (use a correspondence course) OR option (iv) (include the SOL objectives in their curriculum, subject to the approval of
the division superintendent, and offer evidence that they are able to provide an adequate education for their child). This has resulted in unequal
application of the law and excessive requirements in numerous districts. Because of HB 1340, homeschoolers with a high school diploma will no
longer have to include the SOLs in their curriculum or offer evidence they are able to provide an adequate education for their child. HB 1340
would give parents another option.

There is opposition to this bill. Some delegates believe parents with a high school diploma are not qualified to teach their children. We know
that’s not true. Even with evidence that homeschooling is working, today’s House debate and vote show that some legislators want more, not less,
 control over homeschoolers.

TODAY’S FLOOR DEBATE ON HB 1340
The Clerk of the House of Delegates, Bruce Jamison, announced the reading of the bill; he was followed by Delegate Rob Bell standing to present
the bill to his fellow delegates. He emphasized the following points:
-This is the same bill that was presented and approved by this body two years ago.
-This bill will make it easier for homeschoolers with high school diplomas to homeschool their children.
-It’s important to note that these homeschool parents are still subject to the same oversight by their local division superintendent that
currently exists.

After the bill was presented, Delegate Ward Armstrong, D-Martinsville, introduced an amendment requiring homeschoolers who are taught by a parent
with a high school diploma to take SOL tests. The amendment stated, “Any child who receives home instruction in lieu of school attendance by a
parent who holds a high school diploma pursuant to clause (i) of subsection A shall be required to take the relevant standards of learning
assessments and to achieve the score required by the Board of Education on such assessments.”

Del. Armstrong listed the reasons for this amendment:
-Homeschooling, like all education, is not about parents, but about kids, and the GA should insure that the kids are meeting the educational
requirements that all Virginia students must meet.
-If we permit this to go forward, students may not have the educational level that they need to move forward.
-We need to have something in place to ensure that the kids are protected.

Delegate John “Jack” Reid, R-Henrico County, spoke in opposition to the amendment, “This amendment would be appropriate if the Commonwealth were
 providing the child with a diploma from the Commonwealth of Virginia. And it would be necessary, if in fact their educational achievement were a
 reflection on the Commonwealth. If they choose to go to college, it is up to the college admissions standards. This amendment is not necessary
 because we do not give homeschoolers diplomas.”

Delegate Bell then asked the Speaker to rule on whether or not this amendment was germane (relevant to the bill). Speaker of the House, Del.
William Howell, R-Stafford/Fredericksburg, consulted his counsel and the Clerk of the House, and then ruled that the proposed amendment was not
germane.

Delegate Armstrong stated, “Based on the amendment not being adopted, I request that the House NOT engross [pass] HB 1340.”

Delegate Bell immediately moved that the Speaker call for the question, cutting off debate and requiring the House to vote on the question of
engrossing [passing] HB 1340 in its current form. Speaker Howell called for a voice vote, which was inconclusive. He then called for an electronic
 vote. The final vote tally was 60 yeas and 38 nays.

YOUR CALLS MADE A DIFFERENCE!
Delegate Bell, the patron of HB 1340, was very encouraged to hear reports of your phone calls and e-mails to the delegates. He knows it really
made a difference in the final vote! We thank you for responding to our call to action. We seriously consider requests for phone calls and
e-mails, and only make the request when it is necessary.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
Even though both bills have passed their respective houses, we’re not “out of the woods yet.” In about two weeks, each bill will “cross-over” to
the opposite chamber to begin the same process -- we hope for final passage -- and then they will go to the Governor for his signature. HEAV
lobbyist Martin Brown is now scheduling meetings with the Department of Education and the Governor’s office to make sure we address any questions
they may have. We will keep you posted as the bills progress through the General Assembly.

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STATUS OF HOMESCHOOL BILLS
HEAV, VaHomeschoolers, and HSLDA are working together and lobbying for positive changes to the homeschool statute as described in the bills listed
below. All homeschool bills have now passed the House and Senate and will “cross-over” on February 15th to be heard by the opposite house for
final vote.

1) HB 1588, PSAT and AP Test Clarification (Delegate Moran, D-Fairfax) - School boards will be required to notify homeschool students about the
dates and times of these tests, as well as make them available for homeschoolers to take -- something one school district refused to do based on
their interpretation of the language passed in a similar bill last year. PASSED THE HOUSE.

2) HB 1483, Option (i) Test Choices (Delegate Tata, R-Virginia Beach) - Parents can comply with option (i) testing by using ANY nationally normed
 achievement test. PASSED THE HOUSE.

3) HB 1340, Homeschool Equal Oversight Bill (Delegate Rob Bell, R-Albemarle County) - This bill will give homeschooling parents with a high school
 diploma the same oversight as parents with a college degree, and allow more options and choices in curricula. PASSED THE HOUSE TODAY.

4) SB 499, Homeschool Equal Oversight Bill (Senator Phillip Puckett, D-Tazewell) – This is a companion bill (Senate version) to HB 1340 described
above. PASSED THE SENATE.

5) HB 537, Curriculum Change Notification (Delegate Parrish, R-Manassas)
Last week HEAV joined with the Organization of Virginia Homeschoolers and Home School Legal Defense to defeat HB 537. This bill would have
required homeschool parents to notify the division superintendent anytime they changed curriculum, and it gave the superintendent new authority to
 terminate home instruction at any time. Yvonne Bunn, HEAV director of homeschool support, and Parrish Mort of VaHomeschoolers, testified against
 the bill. HSLDA attorney Scott Woodruff and several homeschool families were also prepared to address the committee when the vote was called, and
 the bill was defeated. DEFEATED IN SUBCOMMITTEE.

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DAY AT THE CAPITOL
During the same week of lobbying, attending committee hearings, and testifying for and against legislation, we had a wonderfully successful Day at
 the Capitol! Homeschoolers from all across the Commonwealth enjoyed a crisp, sunny day at the Capitol. Activities began with a warm greeting from
 Virginia Department of Education Policy Advisor Michelle Vucci, and ended with a scavenger hunt on the Capitol grounds.

Lt. Governor Bill Bolling eagerly addressed the parents and students at the Library of Virginia. He expressed his support for homeschooling and
recognized the sacrifices of parents who teach their own children. Senators Cuccinelli and Puckett and Delegate Rob Bell shared their political
goals and described the bills they are proposing. Senator Cuccinelli is currently the only homeschool dad in the General Assembly. Senator Puckett
and Delegate Bell are patrons of two of the homeschool bills listed above.

John Taylor, president of the Virginia Institute of Public Policy, shared inspiring history vignettes about the differences and strengths of our
nation’s founding fathers -- all Virginians. Eve Barner described her journey from quiet homeschool student to local political volunteer, from
Patrick Henry College graduate to Senator Cuccinelli’s legislative assistant. Recounting the small steps that led her to such an exciting position
in state government was an inspiration to all. And what would Day at the Capitol be without Joe Guarino’s interactive “How a Bill Becomes a Law!”
Through this dynamic roll-play, we not only learned about the legislative process, but we found we had some very politically savvy students -- and
parents -- in our audience! What fun!

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HOW YOU CAN PARTNER WITH US DURING THE SESSION
1. Receive, review, and pass on our HEAV Legislative Updates. Get on our e-mail list, and encourage others in your support group to sign up at
www.heav.org for our regular Legislative Updates.
2. Pray for our legislative team.
3. Support the work of HEAV through volunteering and financial contributions (see our special “Gift-Giving Offer” at www.heav.org).

TRACK HOMESCHOOL BILLS YOURSELF WITH LOBBYIST IN A BOX
The Virginia General Assembly has given private citizens the ability to track up to five bills with the bill tracking software Lobbyist in a Box.
You can find out more about this software at http://leg1.state.va.us/h015.htm.

JOIN US AT HEAV’S SECOND DAY AT THE CAPITOL ON FEBRUARY 22
Show your support for homeschool legislation and Home Educators Association of Virginia by coming to Richmond on February 22 for our second Day at
 the Capitol. This is an excellent way to learn about our state government. Over the years thousands of homeschool families have joined us to
 express their support for homeschooling to their elected and appointed representatives in Richmond.

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HEAV - Serving the homeschoolers of Virginia through information, legislation, and resources since 1983! Be sure to sign up to receive the FREE
Virginia Home Educator magazine and Legislative Updates at http://www.heav.org

HEAV (Home Educators Association of Virginia)
2248-G Dabney Road
Richmond, VA 23230