In a roll call vote on the floor of the House, legislators in New Hampshire have voted 324 to 34 to finally accept the House Education Committee recommendation of inexpedient to legislate (ITL) on HB368 . HB368 was justified by its sponsors and supporters with the familiar, ‘falling through the cracks’ and ‘for the good of the children’ arguments, but would have weakened homeschooling freedoms by changing “the definition of home education and the evaluation procedure used to determine the child’s educational progress.” (Scroll to read HB368 amendments
An overview of the bill’s history can be found at New Hampshire Homeschooling Coalition. An announcement of the vote is here.
Video of homeschooler’ rallying for ITL on HB368:
Congratulations to homeschoolers for a great collective effort in New Hampshire!
Next for NH homeschoolers is Rep. Ingbretson’s HB1580 which being referred to as “Parent’s First” Legislation.
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From NH Parents’ First site:
Restoring the “Presumption of Innocence”
HB 1580 would restore the “presumption of innocence” (of educational neglect) for all parents who instruct their children at home.
NH parents are tired of Rep. Rous, Rep. Day and others presuming … without due process … that all parents are irresponsible.
On its face their presumption is illogical… as well as unconstitutional. A child wouldn’t fall for their line: “Please be responsible, but don’t ever expect us to treat you as such.”
It’s primarily the parent’s duty to instruct his child, not the state’s.
HB1580, as written, is a huge statement for trusting parents. It also directly effects the public school and private school industries. This will worth be watching closely.
A hearing on HB1580 is scheduled for Thursday January 21st. More info.