After the defeat of several proposed amendments including requiring additional qualifications for instruction and requiring guidelines for children to be properly integrated in diversity, HB 4175 passed out of the House Education Committee with an amendment to add assessment reporting for grades 3, 5, 8, 11.
The full version of the Bill can be read at the WV Legislative site. Simply insert the Bill number and all the information about the Bill will be shown. It may take a day or so for the amendment adding the assessment reporting for grades 3, 5, 8, 11 to be added to the House Education Committee version.
HB 4175 will now move to the full House Floor for first reading.
JOHN CAREY UPDATE: AMENDMENTS AND A SHOCK
The House Education Committee began deliberations concerning the Modernization Bill 4175 at 4:30.
Delegate Westfall withdrew his amendment that would have prevented parents from home schooling their child if they were accused of truancy. He instead presented an amendment that would require that home school student’s test results be reported to the county in grades 3, 5, and 8. (Grade 11 was added later) This replaces the existing requirement of reporting assessment results yearly.
The bottom line is nothing of consequence was changed in the submitted Bill.
An amendment was offered twice, something I have never seen happen before, to require that parents have a GED or diploma to home school. One of these amendments also provided for a home school certificate something I have never heard of, as neither did the department of Education. After a very lengthy discussion, both amendments were defeated. There was also a technical amendment that merely cleaned up the Bill’s language.
The real shock was Delegate Hornbuckle’s amendment. As I mention this I would ask that your response to Del. Sean Hornbuckle be firm but respectful.
The amendment was as follows:
Delegate Hornbuckle and Perdue amendment
The State board shall develop guidelines for diversity instruction for homeschooled children which provides the child either through social interactions through public school visits or other activities or social interactions that facilitate exposure to other races, religions or belief systems that permits the child to become exposed to the cultural diversity of his or her community, to enhance social skills and tolerance for others with different beliefs or backgrounds.
The amendment did not pass.
Please note: Del. Hornbuckle is getting an overwhelming amount of emails from people who are not happy with his comments. Now is truly the time to be gentle in our responses. It always helps to build bridges with those who are not familiar with home education.
Please also note that only Hornbuckle and Blackwell voted for the amendment. Perdue was not present.
Some have asked about testing. Children will still have to be assessed every year. This Bill now states that the reporting of those results only has to take place in grades, 3, 5, 8 and grade 11.
Please take a moment to send a special thank you to the following delegates- they really helped get the bill through. Chairman Espinosa, Del. Rodighiero, Del Kurcaba, Del Statler, Del Ellington, Del Duke. Others need to be thanked as well. I just wanted a special thanks to go out to these if possible. Here is a link to the entire list of Delegates on the Committee where these names can be found.
http://www.legis.state.wv.us/committe…/…/HouseCommittee.cfm…
Recent Comments