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Home Educators Association of Virginia Legislative Update

To: Virginia Home Educators
From: Martin Brown, HEAV Lobbyist

Friday, March 3, 2006

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SUCCESS IN THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY!

HEAV’s strategy for this year’s General Assembly session was to build on the success of legislative wins in previous years, address several
concerns related to the current homeschool statute, and oppose any negative bills that would attempt to restrict the rights and freedoms of
homeschooling families in Virginia. This has proven to be one of the most successful legislative sessions ever!

There were five bills that directly affected homeschoolers in this year’s session. HEAV was proactive, aggressive, strategic, and diligent in
helping to defeat or pass each of these pieces of legislation. HEAV’s legislative team also closely monitored numerous additional bills identified
 as indirectly affecting Virginia homeschoolers.

During this year’s General Assembly session, HEAV worked collaboratively with the Organization of Virginia Homeschoolers and Home School Legal
Defense Association to develop a unified strategy prior to the session. We closely communicated during the entire session.

HEAV obtained patrons for HB 1340 and SB 499 and primarily oversaw the introduction and passage of these companion bills. Both addressed
long-standing problems with option (iv) by giving parents with a high school diploma the same oversight as parents with a baccalaureate degree.
 The Organization of Virginia Homeschoolers did the same with the introduction and passage of HB 1483 and HB 1588: two bills addressing positive
 changes in testing and the availability of PSAT and AP exams. The Home School Legal Defense Association partnered with both organizations
 throughout the process.

With the defeat of one onerous bill (HB 537), and the pending passage of the most dramatic changes in the homeschool statute since its initial
creation in the 1980s, we are glad to report that the 2006 Virginia General Assembly Session has been very successful for homeschooling families
 in the Commonwealth.

2006 LEGISLATION THAT DIRECTLY AFFECTS VIRGINIA HOMESCHOOLERS

THE HOMESCHOOL EQUAL OVERSIGHT BILL
HB 1340 (Delegate Rob Bell - Charlottesville) and SB 499 (Senator Phillip Puckett - Tazewell) are companion bills designed to give homeschooling
 parents with a high school diploma the same oversight as parents with a college degree. Currently all parents who meet the requirements under the
 homeschool statute can homeschool. However, if you had anything less than a college degree, the law unnecessarily required more oversight.

Parents with a high school diploma will no longer be required to use option (iii) or option (iv).* They can now comply with option (i) of the
homeschool statute!

*Option (iii) required the use of a state-approved correspondence course, and option (iv) required parents to include the SOL objectives in their
 language arts and mathematics curriculum, and to offer evidence of their ability to provide an adequate education for their child.

HEAV has been aggressive at garnering support for this bill, winning new votes from both Democrats and Republicans, briefing the Secretary of
Education and the Deputy Secretary of Education, and positioning this bill to pass with strong bipartisan support. HB 1340 and SB 499 have both
passed the House of Delegates and Senate.

Last week, the Governor’s office indicated they would like the Department of Education to monitor the change in the law over the next two years.
 HEAV has worked on an agreement with the Governor’s office, and we now await the final wording of the proposed amendment. If all goes well,
 Governor Kaine has agreed to sign this legislation into law.

THE HOME INSTRUCTION REVITALIZATION ACT
HB 1483 (Delegate Bob Tata - Virginia Beach) will increase options for parents filing under option (iv) of the homeschool statute, and clarify the
 language regarding mid-year withdrawal of children from public school. It will also allow homeschoolers to meet the option (i) testing
 requirement by using ANY nationally normed standardized achievement test. In previous years, homeschoolers were subject to use the tests approved
 by the State Board of Education. This gives homeschoolers greater flexibility in the selection of tests. This bill passed the House and the
 Senate, and we expect it to be signed by Governor Kaine.

PSAT AND AP BILL
HB 1588 (Delegate Brian Moran – Alexandria) will require school districts to make the Advanced Placement (AP) and Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude
Test (PSAT) examinations available to homeschooled students. This bill clarifies last year’s legislation, which required school districts to
 notify homeschoolers of the availability of these tests. Some school districts interpreted this language as not requiring them to administer the
 tests. HB 1588 will require school districts to notify and make these tests available to homeschool students. HB 1588 passed the full House 99-0.
 We expect it to pass the Senate and be signed by Governor Kaine.

CURRICULUM NOTIFICATION & INCREASED RESTRICTIONS BILL.
HB 537 (Delegate Harry Parrish – Prince William, Manassas) would have required homeschool parents to notify the division superintendent anytime
their curriculum changed during the school year. It also gave the Division Superintendent new authority to terminate home instruction at any time
if he “perceived” a lack of progress. HEAV aggressively opposed this bill, meeting with Del. Parrish and other delegates on the House Education
Committee and the Subcommittee on Students and Daycare. The bill was successfully defeated during its first opportunity for public debate when
HEAV and the Organization of Virginia Homeschoolers testified against it.

THANKS FOR WORKING WITH US!
Thank you for working with us in making these much-needed changes to the homeschool statute. Your phone calls, e-mails, and presence at Day at the
Capitol made a positive impact on our legislators and on the good outcome of these bills. They will go into effect July 1, 2006.