Every day, parents like you are contacted by school and government officials, simply because they homeschool their children. Home School Legal Defense Association is a nonprofit advocacy organization that defends and advances your constitutional right to direct the education of your children. We give you the freedom to homeschool without the worry of facing legal threats alone.

A bill that would place young people under compulsory education for an
additional year is being heard in committee today in Springfield.
Compulsory age in Illinois ends at age 17 right now.  Rep. Jehan
Gordon’s HB 2985 would raise it to age 18.

The committee will probably vote on the bill within a few days.  They
need to hear from you that making an additional year of a young
person’s life subject to state mandate is not acceptable.

REQUESTED ACTION:

1. Please call your representative if he or she is a committee member
(see list below). Use our Legislative Toolbox at
http://www.hslda.org/toolbox to find out who your representative is.
Even representatives whom you think already oppose the bill need to
hear from you.

2. If your representative is not on the committee, call the
chairperson, the vice chairperson and the minority spokesman (see
below).

3. Your message can be as simple as:

“Please vote NO on HB 2985. Parents, not state officials, know whether
their 17-year-old young adult should pursue formal education or some
other preparation for life responsibilities. The additional cost of
forcing unwilling young adults into a formal school setting should not
be added to the current taxpayer burden.”

This bill would undermine the freedom of all parents.  It is not
necessary for you to identify yourself as a homeschooler.

More details and contact information on HSLDA’s website.

Illinois:  Contact Senator Maloney to Stop Homeschool Registration

Dear HSLDA Members and Friends:

Senator Edward Maloney has filed a bill that would force all Illinois
homeschoolers to register. The bill, SB 136, gives the Department of
Education blanket authority to mandate what information families must
submit. SB 136 threatens to expand government power into the realm of
private education on an unprecedented scale.

ACTION REQUESTED

1. If you live in his district (Senate District 18, which includes
parts of Lyons, Palos, Worth, Chicago, and Orland Townships in Cook
County) contact Senator Maloney and ask him to withdraw his bill. You
can also use our legislative toolbox at http://hslda.org/toolbox/ to
find your Senate district. Personal visits and phone calls have the
most impact. Letters and emails are useful as well. Your firm but
courteous message can be as simple as:

“Please withdraw SB 136. Studies show that private education prepares
students for college better than public schools. There is no need for
government to expand into an area that is already so successful.
Existing mandates on private education are sufficient.”

Springfield Office:
Senator 18th District
119A Capitol Building
Springfield, IL   62706
(217) 782-5145
(217) 557-3930 FAX

District Office:
10400 S. Western Ave.
Chicago, IL  60643
(773) 881-4180
(773) 881-4243 FAX

Additional District Office:
6965 W. 111th Street
Worth, IL 60482
(708) 448-3518
(708) 448-3535 FAX

Home:
Edward D. Maloney
2808 West 11th Street
Chicago, IL 60655
(773) 233-6638

2. After you contact him, call or email us to confirm so we can keep a
tally of how many people have contacted him.

3. Pass this message on to other homeschoolers in Senator Maloney’s
district.

BACKGROUND

Right now, Illinois homeschools are not required to register because
they are classified as “non-public” schools. Many other states
likewise do not require homeschoolers to register, including New
Jersey, Indiana, Oklahoma, Missouri, Alabama, Michigan, Texas, etc.

There is a common myth that Illinois homeschools are unregulated.
While Illinois homeschools don’t waste time processing bureaucratic
red tape, they must comply with significant substantive mandates,
including the requirement that they teach the branches of education
taught to children of corresponding age and grade in the public
schools, that they teach in the English language, and, if challenged,
meet the burden of showing that they have in good faith provided an
adequate course of instruction in the prescribed branches of learning.
This sensible combination of no red tape plus meaningful mandates has
protected freedom in Illinois and produced outstanding academic
results.

SB 136 would give the Illinois Department of Education literally
unlimited power to dictate what information homeschoolers must submit.
Since the Department is composed exclusively of staff who are
appointed or hired, rather than elected, they have little or no
incentive to respond to the voice of citizens. In other states, when
education departments have been given power to act against citizens’
wishes, they have sometimes brushed aside overwhelming opposition and
done as they pleased to homeschoolers.

SB 136 is the greatest threat to Illinois homeschoolers in more than a
decade. HSLDA and Illinois Christian Home Educators are united in
opposing the bill and are committed to protect your freedom. This
fight belongs to every Illinois homeschool family.

Thank you for standing with us for freedom!

Sincerely yours,

Scott A. Woodruff
HSLDA Senior Counsel

HSLDA: JOGO—Join for One Year, Get One Free!

Wondering if you can afford HSLDA membership? Here’s an offer you can’t afford to miss!

For two weeks only, new members can join for one year and receive a second year free. That’s two years of expert legal protection for your homeschool—along with all the other excellent benefits HSLDA offers—for less than you would pay for a just one hour of an attorney’s time anywhere else!

Click here to take advantage of this exceptional offer. But hurry—offer expires November 22!

From the HSLDA E-lert Service…
==============================

Illinois–Tax Credit for Homeschools

Dear HSLDA Members and Friends:

If you homeschool in Illinois, you may be eligible for a state tax
credit of up to $500 for homeschool education expenses.

Naturally, there are rules that must be followed.  But a very quick
summary is that you may be eligible for a tax credit of 25% of what
you spent above and beyond the first $250 for certain types of
homeschool expenses.

Check out http://www.revenue.state.il.us/Publications/Pubs/PUB-119.pdf
for an explanation.

Keep in mind that a tax credit isn’t a government aid program.  A tax
credit simply allows you to keep more of your own money. “Voucher”
programs often come with many strings attached, or soon produce
strings. But tax credits are different.  They do not create an
opportunity for the government to control your homeschool program.
Homeschoolers can confidently and safely use the tax credit to help
their family finances.

Governments tend to abolish programs that people do not take advantage
of.  By claiming a homeschool education tax credit as allowed under
the rules, you send a message to lawmakers that this helpful program
should continue.

There is also a similar deal for renewing members. Check out all the details at HLSDA.org

Right now, HSLDA is using art work from last year’s art contest as a fundraiser for the Home School Foundation. The young artists have donated their work for an auction with the proceeds going to benefit home school families in need.

The following came via email from HSLDA:

Contributions to the Homeschool Foundation for the artwork are tax deductible and will go to support the  Special Needs fund.

The auctions end on December 31st, 2009 at 5pm EST.

To view the art and participate, visit:

http://hslda.org/elink.asp?ID=7384

If you have any questions, please contact us at: contests@hslda.org

I would encourage you to take some time to view the pieces available for auction, you just might find one that would look great on your living room or home school room wall, and in the process help a home school family in need.

This year, Patrick Henry College invites aspiring writers to answer the call – more specifically, A Call to Pens. PHC’s first short story competition for students ages 12-18 was set in motion last year by PHC student, Peter Forbes (now an alumnus of PHC) who wanted to support the college and give young writers an opportunity to create original works of fiction that thoughtfully reflected a Christian worldview. Over 250 students nationwide responded to the “call” with mature, well-written stories, and we eagerly await the response of participants this year.

A Call to Pens is a contest with a broader mission than winning prizes. If we wish to shape the culture, we must first engage it – in all aspects of life. Quality Christian literature engages the culture in a less direct manner than other vocations, but it is no less important.

For those interested in entering the contest, please visit www.phc.edu/acalltopens.php. There will be two separate divisions, each with a separate theme, based on age. Several cash prizes will be awarded to the top writers in each division. All proceeds of the competition will be given to PHC’s Annual Scholarship Fund. The entry deadline is December 30th, 2009; winners will be announced in March, 2010.

Dear Friends,
 
  We have recently received word that Chris Klicka, Senior Counsel for HSLDA and 2009 ICHE Convention keynote speaker, will be receiving an intensive 3 week hyperbaric oxygen treatment for MS at Miracle Mountain Center, Creston, NC. He and the family certainly covet our prayers.
 
Please pray that the Lord would:
·         Permit all the needed preparations for travel and treatment to be completed smoothly and on-time.
·         Enable Chris’s temporary personal caregiver, Joseph, to learn his many new tasks and responsibilities quickly and easily.
·         Surround Chris and Tracy with His peace through these stressful days from July 19 through Aug. 10.
·         Use this treatment to bring physical relief from the rapid progression of MS since March and to promote healing.
·         Give insight and wisdom to Chris and Tracy for many decisions yet to be made.
 
You may read Chris’s updates at www.caringbridge.org/visit/ChrisKlicka.

Thank you for praying!