Category: Local

Colorado Legislative District Connection – Maybe You Could Do This in Your State?

Posted on | by saldaya

Christian Home Educators of Colorado (CHEC) is facilitating a personal connection between homeschooling families and their elected state representatives and senators through their Legislative District Connection.

“When each House Representative and Senator has a positive, personal, ongoing connection with a family in their district, they’ll have a clear understanding of how potential legislation may negatively (or positively) affect homeschoolers.”

We all have the potential to impact our freedom to homeschool for generations to come, and it starts with getting involved today.

Coloradans can sign up to commit to being your district’s personal connection to homeschooling.

Not a Colorado resident? Can you envision this in your state? Reach out to your state homeschool organization to find out if you have something like this in your state or if you can help start something similar.

Minnesotans, Quick Action is Needed —Oppose HF 1269!

Posted on | by saldaya

HF 1269 will impose restrictions on Minnesota homeschoolers.

On February 3, 2023, Minnesota introduced HF 1269, a bill that would require homeschool parents in Minnesota to submit:  

  • a copy of the actual test scores sent from the testing provider of the annual nationally normed achievement test from the previous school year, unless exempt from the testing because of school accreditation; (2) evidence that any protocols agreed to with the superintendent’s office were followed; and (3) any changes to the information required in paragraph (a) for each student. 

These requirements would force parents to maintain additional paperwork for no justifiable reason while creating the potential for friction between parents and school districts.  

Because the bill was submitted Friday afternoon, parents were only given two and a half days (including the weekend) to sign up to testify before the House Education Policy Committee to express their thoughts on these proposed changes. That opportunity has passed, but you can still write and call your legislators.  

You can find out who represents you and obtain their contact information here. Please feel free to use our template to structure your letter, email, or phone call. Furthermore, HSLDA and MÂCHÉ both offer great talking points for your convenience.

And, above all, Minnesota and your fellow homeschoolers could use your prayers.  

Together, we can protect our liberties. Please take action today!

Christianity a Minority Religion as Early as 2045?

Posted on | by saldaya

“God is the architect of our good fortune and the bedrock of our blessings . . . . Instead of raising our kids to be Christians, learning and living according to the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, we outsourced our values to an increasingly godless culture, schools, and media.” —Pete Hegseth

Pete Hegseth, cohost of FOX News Channel’s Fox & Friends Weekend, expounds how politics and faith are not divorced from each other in “Losing the Faith” (aired September 2022).

He explains two key facts about human nature and government that the Founders understood and prepared for and how we have come to the place in which we now find ourselves. He then interviews Charlie Kirk of Turning Point USA and shares data from the Pew Research Center.

“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious People. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” —John Adams

Homeschool Organizations Ally to Protect Homeschooling Freedoms & Offer More Help Understanding EdChoice, ESAs, Vouchers

Posted on | by saldaya

Constitutional Home Educators Alliance has been helping parents navigate the nuances of EdChoice, ESAs, parent/school choice, vouchers, and special scholarships. Visit their site for information and research on the topic, and read why they support Education Liberty over EdChoice and similar policies.

Parent Rights Erosion Continues

Posted on | by saldaya

Even if you aren’t a Colorado resident, it is important to keep abreast of the political climate in other states because it won’t be long before it’s in your state. Be prepared for what’s coming your way.

Carolyn Martin, the Director of Government Relations for Christian Home Educators of Colorado, sounds the warning on HB23-1003, a bill currently under consideration that represents an outright assault on parental rights.

The question we need to ask is: “Where does the civil government’s authority and jurisdiction stop?

“This year an introduced bill, HB23-1003 School Mental Health Assessment, grants children twelve years or older the ability [to] override a parent’s wishes concerning a mental health assessment given in a public school. Although the bill allows parents to opt their child out of the assessment, it also authorizes the school to ignore the opt-out when the child dictates. Children can also keep parents from seeing the results of the assessment. Note: If your child participates in a part-time public-school program, this bill applies to you as well!“

Keep reading here.

Confused by ESAs, Vouchers, and EdChoice?

Posted on | by saldaya | 1 Comment on Confused by ESAs, Vouchers, and EdChoice?

Education policy jargon is enough to make anyone’s head spin! What in the world is the difference between school vouchers and ESAs? How does taxpayer-funded education threaten your educational freedom? And how does so-called parent choice (or school choice) actually eliminate your educational options?

The Constitutional Home Educators Alliance has created a fantastic video to answer these questions and more. And have you read our blog post, All That Glitters Isn’t Gold, published on December 28, 2022? Be sure to check it out!

Get Ready! January & February Homeschool Days at the Capitol!

Posted on | by saldaya

Capitol Days, Legislative Days, Homeschool Day at the Capitol, Pie Day, and other similar events foster communication between parents and their elected representatives. This is a great opportunity for you to teach your children the importance of the legislative process and help them mature into civic leaders who will help protect American freedoms. While the chart below lists January and February Capitol Days, you can check your state’s dates here if not listed below.

ArkansasFebruary 21, 2023
CaliforniaJanuary 18–19, 2023
Hawaii February 27, 2023
IdahoFebruary 8, 2023
IndianaJanuary 19, 2023
KansasFebruary 2, 2023
New MexicoFebruary 2, 2023
Oklahoma (Homeschool Oklahoma)February 7, 2023
Oklahoma (Constitutional Home Educators Alliance)February 8, 2023
VirginiaFebruary 2, 2023
West VirginiaFebruary 3, 2023

Unfrgamented Book Club Starting Soon!

Posted on | by saldaya

Save the date for Unfragmented, a new book club hosted by our very own Leigh Bortins, beginning Thursday, January 5, 2023, at 8:00 p.m. EST. Just click the Unfragmented book club banner on the home page of Leigh’s website to find the Zoom link and join in the discussion.

January will feature author Kevin Novak and his book, Abolition. No preparation is required, but it definitely helps to have the book in hand. Enjoy the relaxed conversation!

You can also listen to this interview between Leigh and the author.

All That Glitters Is Not Gold

Posted on | by saldaya | 2 Comments on All That Glitters Is Not Gold

Taxpayer-funded education goes by a variety of names these days, such as school vouchers, charter schools, and education savings accounts (ESAs), which different states variously call Education Freedom Accounts, Empowerment Scholarship Accounts, or Individualized Education Accounts.

These lovely names suggest a commitment to the principles of freedom and self-determination that define the homeschooling movement, but buyer beware: all that glitters is not gold.

Take No Child Left Behind: glittering name, pyrite legislation. Enacted with bipartisan support, NCLB promised to fix the substandard and ever-worsening quality of the public education system. In fact, one of the legislation’s objectives was to offer parents school choice! (Sound familiar?)

Instead, NCLB vastly expanded the federal government’s role in education while public schools continued to deteriorate and school choice was left by the wayside. Despite the glittering name, despite the promise of school choice, NCLB only eroded educational freedoms.

School choice—a.k.a. “parent choice”—funded by taxpayers’ money represents a similar bait and switch. The government  offers this money to parents when they withdraw their students from the public school system, ostensibly because the money would’ve followed the students anyway. Sounds great, right?

Here’s the catch: this money is then deposited in government-authorized savings accounts—accounts subject to government oversight. And that’s where the trouble begins.

Government oversight means regulation. Regulation is the death of freedom and self-determination. Soon, you won’t be able to spend those funds according to your own wants and needs. Instead, you’ll need the government’s approval for your expenditures.

And then your home school won’t be your home school—rather, your home school will be just another government-run program in your living room.

Pyrite is called fool’s gold because it tricks people into believing it’s real gold. School choice funded by taxpayers’ money isn’t school choice at all—it’s just fool’s gold. Like No Child Left Behind, taxpayer-funded education will only undermine legitimate educational freedom.

Don’t trade your child’s future for pyrite.

Learn more about taxpayer-funded education here!

Classical Conversations Partners with ALEC and Legislators to Protect Churches

Posted on | by saldaya

Classical Conversations joined with the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and legislators around the country to draft and adopt a model policy to further protect churches that host homeschool communities in their facilities. The legislators, who attended the ALEC Annual meeting in July, anonymously adopted the model policy. Classical Conversations will work with state legislators in several key states to get this policy fully adopted, during the next legislative sessions. Read the “Protecting Religious Homeschooling Act” model policy. Do you know if your state has adopted this policy? Reach out to your state legislator to find out. If not, ask them to adopt it for your state.