 Sen. Edward Maloney, D-Chicago, said that
Senate Bill 136 targets students who are "falling through the
cracks" of the home-school education system."My concern is with
those parents who are not committed, not making the effort and (are)
not accountable in any way. We have no way of identifying these
parents and students," Maloney said. "We don't know if they are
learning or if they are truant or what that level of truancy might
be."
Janet Hasselbring of Braidwood home-schools her three children
and arrived early Tuesday morning to voice her opposition to the
proposal.
"The government does not need to put more controls in place,"
said Hasselbring, who was among a throng of protesters waiting to
enter the Capitol. "This bill will add expenditures -- to register
this many home-schoolers in the state -- in an already failing
budget."
Michael McCreery, executive director of the Illinois Association
of Regional Superintendents of Schools, said that most parents who
came out on Tuesday were the "cream of the crop," and that he's more
worried about the ones who didn't show up.
"We can point to programs. We can point to home schooling. We can
point to those areas that are available to them. We can assist. We
cannot assist without knowledge of their existence," McCreery said.
Under Illinois law, home schooling is considered private
education. Parents are required to teach their children subjects
"taught to children of corresponding age and grade in the public
schools," including language arts, mathematics, science, social
science, fine arts, and physical development and health.
"Please don't say home-schoolers have to do nothing," said Scott
Woodruff, a lawyer for the Home School Legal Defense Association.
"They have to educate in good faith; instruction has to be adequate;
they have to provide education in all the required branches of
learning. And they have the burden of proving (all of) that."
[to top of second column] |
Jasmine Jasper, 16, a home-school student from Mascoutah, said
she enjoys the one-on-one attention her parents can provide.
"We know what we need to have a better society. We don't need
this," said Jasper.
Twelve states -- Indiana, Michigan, Texas, Missouri, California,
Connecticut, Idaho, Oklahoma, Alaska, New Jersey, Kansas and
Illinois -- are considered to have minimal home-school regulations,
Woodruff said.
A home-schooled transplant from New York said he likes the looser
environment.
"We grew up in a pretty restrictive state as far as home
schooling is concerned. Here there aren't very many regulations, if
any, and we'd like to keep it that way," said David Giove, of
Bourbonnais, who grew up in New York.
Giove, 28, expects to educate his four young children at home.
The measure was supposed to be brought up in committee this week,
but with the outpouring of criticism from parents, future plans
remain on hold.
[Illinois
Statehouse News; By MELISSA LEU]
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