Illinois Homeschooling Registration Bill Tabled |
| Illinois Homeschooling Registration Bill Tabled Posted: 17 Feb 2011 04:27 PM PST The sponsor of an Illinois bill that would require homeschooling families to register with the State Board of Education has tabled the legislation. Senator Edward Maloney (D-Chicago) tabled the bill on Thursday after intense opposition. Approximately 4,000 homeschoolers showed up at the Illinois capital building in Springfield on Tuesday, February 15 to attend an initial reading of Senate Bill 136. The bill would have required homeschoolers in the state to register with the State Board of Education but homeschooling families were against the forced registration. Maloney tabled the bill which essentially withdraws it, but it is uncertain if he will introduce another bill that will affect homeschoolers within the state. The Homeschool Legal Defense Association--a legal advocacy group--alerted members on Thursday that SB136 had been tabled and declared that "With the withdrawal of the bill, the battle is over, and freedom is Homeschoolers around the state bombarded their legislators with phone calls and emails opposing the bill. Initially, the wording of SB136 stated that it would require "the parents or legal guardians of children attending non-public schools, a defined term, or private or parochial schools to annually register their children with the State Board of Education, in conformance with procedures prescribed by the State Board of Education." The intent of the bill was aimed at homeschoolers specifically and Maloney initially planned to amend the language to specify homeschooled students. The Illinois capitol building was overwhelmed with visitors on Tuesday when the bill was read and debated. Attendees were Tweeting, including Curt Mercadante--a homeschooling dad from Morris, Illinois. Mercadante, though, Tweeted his concerns on Thursday that the issue of registration in Illinois is not dead even though SB136 has been tabled. Mercadante Tweeted in a reply to another Twitter follower that the tabling of SB136 "doesn't meant it's dead. He's (Senator Maloney) going to see 'other venues' for registration." Currently, the Illinois School Code requires that schooling is aimed at students between the ages of 7 and 17. In regard to homeschoolers, the law recognizes homeschools as private schools and dictates that private school students are to be "taught the branches of education taught to children of corresponding age and grade in the public schools, and where the instruction of the child in the branches of education is in the English language;" This language allows homeschoolers great flexibility and autonomy in the state. Whether further legislation regarding homeschooling will be introduced by Maloney or another Senator or Representative in Illinois remains to be seen, but homeschoolers and advocacy groups within the state will be watching closely. As has already been shown by the massive grassroots effort among Illinois homeschoolers, legislation within the state will be watched closely by homeschooling families that are willing to speak out and make their voices heard. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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