04/01/2021
UPDATE: THIS BILL WAS HELD FOR FUTHER STUDY.
Holding for further study is typical for bills. I was able to give verbal testimony and it was well received. THANK YOU to ALL that took the time to send in written testimony. If you would like to see the written testimony that was submitted you can go here:
http://www.rilegislature.gov/Special/comdoc/Pages/HEDU.aspx .
Also here is the link to the hearing:
http://ritv.devosvideo.com/show-videos?g=3f38fb80&p=3fdc05f4&deep=true&page=1&filter=vod
We will continue to keep you updated if there is any further progress with this bill.
Good Afternoon RIGHT Family,
RIGHT and ENRICHri keep a close watch on the RI legislative sessions each year while making efforts to collaborate with each other legislatively. Together we want to make our membership aware of the following:
On Wednesday, March 17th, the House Education Committee will be hearing Bill H5492. The proposed bill has calls for a commission to be formed for 4 months in 2022.
Here is the short version:
“This resolution would create an eleven (11) member special legislative commission 2 whose purpose it would be to examine the State's growing home school population and provide 3 recommendations to ensure that all students have access to all available services in order to 4 maximize their education, and who would report back to the House of Representatives no later 5 than January 4, 2022, and whose life would expire on April 4, 2022.”
Over the weekend I spoke with Representative Mary Ann Shallcross Smith who introduced the bill. Melissa Robb from ENRICHri also spoke with the representative today. We learned that she was under the impression that homeschoolers have little to no support of any kind in this state. She did not know that RIGL 16-23-2 gives us access to textbooks. She did not know that many districts welcome homeschoolers for a class or extracurricular. She did not know that we have a thriving community in which (during non-pandemic times) there are classes, playground dates, co-ops, meet-ups. She did not know that many businesses, libraries and museums offer homeschool programs. She did not know that many high school homeschoolers take classes at local colleges. These are some examples of many things that she was unaware were available to homeschool families.
Because Representative Mary Ann Shallcross Smith was not aware of these things, she thought we needed help. Neither the representative nor her staff reached out to homeschoolers prior to writing the bill. I had a positive conversation with her. In the end Representative Shallcross Smith's was feeling that this bill is likely not necessary but as of today it remains on the agenda to be heard this Wednesday afternoon. Even if she does not want to proceed with the bill, because it is on the agenda, there is a need to contact the committee members prior to Wednesday’s meeting. RIGHT and ENRICHri are not alarmed or greatly concerned at this point, but we do feel it is best to have a call to action to ensure our homeschool voice is heard and properly represented.
What you can do:
1. Send an email TODAY. See sample email below. Send it to the bill sponsor as well as the entire House Education Committee. Keep it brief so they will read it. Individual emails are best. Sign your name and only include your address if your local representative is on this committee. If the email is going to someone other than your local rep, omit your address. This is advice that was given by a rep as the best way to have your emails “heard”.
2. Call members of the House Education Committee and explain the same as above.
3. Make a personal testimony before the committee. Be polite, be concise, be heard.
DEADLINE: Requests for verbal testimony must be submitted via the link, by 4:00 PM on Tuesday, March 16, 2021. The link can be found here, scroll to the end:http://status.rilegislature.gov/documents/agenda-17203.pdf
WRITTEN TESTIMONY Written testimony is strongly encouraged and may be submitted via [email protected] Indicate your name, bill number, and viewpoint (for/against/neither) at top of message. Due to high volume, clerks are not screening this inbox for verbal testimony requests. This inbox is for written testimony only. DEADLINE: Written testimony should be submitted no later than three (3) hours prior to the posted meeting time. Every effort will be made to share written testimony submitted before the deadline with committee members prior to the hearing. Testimony received after the deadline will be sent to committee members and posted to the website as soon as possible. For faster processing, it is recommended that testimony is submitted as a PDF file. Testimony will be posted on the General Assembly website, http://www.rilegislature.gov/Special/comdoc/Pages/HEDU.aspx .
Sample PDF to be submitted in an email as an attachment:
I, (insert your name), am opposed to H5492. My family homeschools in (insert your town here). (Insert a BRIEF sentence or two about your experience as a homeschooler especially if you have had positive interactions with your school district through sports or classes- maybe that you have been homeschooling for X # of years). This is an invalid concern that does not need to be addressed. Rhode Island has a thriving homeschool community with an abundance of support and available resources. Living in a small state ensures that access to the support we need is readily available. I do not believe that a special commission is necessary nor would add any benefit to my family’s education as homeschoolers.
Name
Address (if going to your local rep.)
Send to
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
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[email protected]
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[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
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[email protected]
I, Jen Curry, have signed up to give verbal testimony on Wednesday. If you have any questions please feel free to reach out via email to [email protected].
