HB 1128 is scheduled for the House Education Hearing tomorrow. This South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship legislation would change requirements where there is a higher potential for homeschool eligibility. The bill has six Representative sponsors and two Senate sponsors. It seems the perspective varies as to whether the lack of set public high school coursework should allow more “certain students to participate in the opportunity scholarship program under certain circumstances”.
American Clarion - with a mind to American principles and the Judeo-Christian values that made this country the greatest in human history - reports:
South Dakota Homeschool Scholarship Eligibility by Bob Ellis
HB 1128 would change the ACT requirement so that homeschoolers simply have to meet the same requirement as all other kids.
Indications are that the Department of Education opposes passage of this bill, likely because of the usual establishment bigotry against homeschooling. Education bureaucrats indicate they don’t believe that homeschool students have done the work, yet the ACT is a very objective test which reveals whether the student knows the material or not.
The Madville Times - From Madison to Spearfish: real liberal media for the great state of South Dakota - has a different perspective:
House Bill 1128 lowers that ACT standard to a 24, the same score that all other students must get to qualify for the Opportunity Scholarship.
In other words, HB 1128 sponsors Rep. Lance Russell (R-30/Hot Springs), Sen. Tim Begalka (R-4/Clear Lake), and their six co-sponsors, all conservative Republicans, want to effectively repeal the course requirements. They want to dumb down the Opportunity Scholarship.
The comments are good reads.