I cannot stress it enough -- know your rights and know what's going on in your community. Knowing your rights isn't enough if you don't use that knowledge to defend yourself--and knowing what's going on won't do you any good if you don't know your rights. Be aware.
We endeavor to keep you well-informed about issues in the community, but we can't monitor every action in every community. In many cases, we don't even know about an issue until after it's been resolved.
Homeschoolers in Mississippi recently had their rights challenged by Judge Joe Dale Walker of the 13th Cnancery District Court, who issued a court order in late March that ordered attendance officers to give him the names and addresses of all homeschooling students and parents in his jurisdiction. Thankfully, the families who received letters from those attendance officers obtained assistance from HSLDA, who challenged it in court. Thankfully, the Mississippi Supreme Court ruled in favor of the homeschooling families.
While seeking names and addresses may seem innocent and harmless, Mississippi homeschool mom Natalie West Winningham pointed out, "If I were a vigilante judge who got my hands on a database of homeschoolers’ names and addresses, perhaps I would cross-reference it with past criminal records, DHS cases, driving records, credit histories, tax information, etc. And if I thought I could get away with it, maybe I’d send someone to your home to interview you and hope that you don’t know your legal rights. I’m not saying that Judge Walker would do those things. But there are many possibilities and none of them are pleasant." (Quote taken from the article in The New American... Read more about the case and about Natalie Winningham on her blog, Ramblings Rants & Remedies)
Showing posts with label organizations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label organizations. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Friday, April 1, 2011
Legal Organizations
Last Monday, Homeschool Skills featured an article about a New Hampshire homeschool student who was ordered to attend public school. While this case was certainly unique in many cases, it is nonetheless alarming.
Homeschooling is legal in all 50 states. However, state laws vary in complexity and, just because it is legal, doesn't always mean that homeschooling is easy. Although there is a brief overview of each state's homeschooling law on the Laws page of this website, the laws for some states are extremely complex.
While this may seem overwhelming, it doesn't need to be. Several different organizations exist to help homeschoolers with the legal aspects of homeschooling.
The two most prominent of these organizations are HSLDA (Homeschool Legal Defense Association) and HLA (Homeschool Legal Advantage). Both of these organizations are dedicated to defending homeschooling.
Below is a brief overview of each organization for your consideration.
Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) (http://www.hslda.org/)
HSLDA is a nonprofit that defends and advances homeschooling. Tens of thousands of homeschool families maintain membership in this organization. Membership is paid for in one year, two year, five year, lifetime or monthly increments.
As a nonprofit, all of the membership fees are directed toward operational expenses. HSLDA uses the fees to directly defend homeschool members in legal cases, monitor and influence federal legislation, assist state legislatures in creating homeschool-friendly environments, advocate in the media, research and present information about homeschooling.
The cost of membership is the only price that members pay. If a legal situation arises and the family seeks help from HSLDA, there are no further charges. All attorneys fees, travel expenses, and other related charges are paid by HSLDA. Legal advice is available 24/7 via telephone.
HSLDA membership also offers additional benefits, such as access to an Online Curriculum Market, HSLDA PerX program, and access to coordinators that specialize in high school homeschooling, homeschooling struggling learners, and homeschooling younger children (preschool to middle school).
HSLDA does not accept families who use charter schools, public school independent study programs, or similar distance-learning courses as members. Membership discounts are available to discount groups, full-time pastors, full-time missionaries, or active/retired/disabled military service members. Special membership offers are available here: http://www.hslda.org/join/offers.asp
Homeschool Legal Advantage (HLA) (http://homeschoollegaladvantage.com/)
HLA has defended more than 8,000 cases and maintains a network of full-time and affiliated attorneys throughout the United States. As an outreach of the Christian Law Association, HLA offers its members free legal representation in cases that involve religious liberty but are not directly affiliated with homeschooling (such as workplace discrimination).
Membership fees for HLA are based on suggested donations instead of flat fees. The suggested donation for membership is $65 for the first year and $51 per year after that. Would-be members who cannot afford the full suggested donation are welcome to pay less. According to the HLA website, "If you cannot afford any donation at this time, but would still like to join, please contact us and we'll be glad to provide you with a complimentary membership. Whatever your circumstance, we want to be of service and will never let finances stand in the way." (Widows and widowers can enter "James 1:27" in the registration code field for a complimentary membership at any time.)
HLA members also receive a last will and testament drafted by an attorney, a 20% discount on resources from the Christian Law Association and 10% off admission to the Creation Museum (near the Cincinnati airport). HLA also operates a 24-hour emergency legal help line.
Homeschooling is legal in all 50 states. However, state laws vary in complexity and, just because it is legal, doesn't always mean that homeschooling is easy. Although there is a brief overview of each state's homeschooling law on the Laws page of this website, the laws for some states are extremely complex.
While this may seem overwhelming, it doesn't need to be. Several different organizations exist to help homeschoolers with the legal aspects of homeschooling.
The two most prominent of these organizations are HSLDA (Homeschool Legal Defense Association) and HLA (Homeschool Legal Advantage). Both of these organizations are dedicated to defending homeschooling.
Below is a brief overview of each organization for your consideration.
Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) (http://www.hslda.org/)
HSLDA is a nonprofit that defends and advances homeschooling. Tens of thousands of homeschool families maintain membership in this organization. Membership is paid for in one year, two year, five year, lifetime or monthly increments.
As a nonprofit, all of the membership fees are directed toward operational expenses. HSLDA uses the fees to directly defend homeschool members in legal cases, monitor and influence federal legislation, assist state legislatures in creating homeschool-friendly environments, advocate in the media, research and present information about homeschooling.
The cost of membership is the only price that members pay. If a legal situation arises and the family seeks help from HSLDA, there are no further charges. All attorneys fees, travel expenses, and other related charges are paid by HSLDA. Legal advice is available 24/7 via telephone.
HSLDA membership also offers additional benefits, such as access to an Online Curriculum Market, HSLDA PerX program, and access to coordinators that specialize in high school homeschooling, homeschooling struggling learners, and homeschooling younger children (preschool to middle school).
HSLDA does not accept families who use charter schools, public school independent study programs, or similar distance-learning courses as members. Membership discounts are available to discount groups, full-time pastors, full-time missionaries, or active/retired/disabled military service members. Special membership offers are available here: http://www.hslda.org/join/offers.asp
Homeschool Legal Advantage (HLA) (http://homeschoollegaladvantage.com/)
HLA has defended more than 8,000 cases and maintains a network of full-time and affiliated attorneys throughout the United States. As an outreach of the Christian Law Association, HLA offers its members free legal representation in cases that involve religious liberty but are not directly affiliated with homeschooling (such as workplace discrimination).
Membership fees for HLA are based on suggested donations instead of flat fees. The suggested donation for membership is $65 for the first year and $51 per year after that. Would-be members who cannot afford the full suggested donation are welcome to pay less. According to the HLA website, "If you cannot afford any donation at this time, but would still like to join, please contact us and we'll be glad to provide you with a complimentary membership. Whatever your circumstance, we want to be of service and will never let finances stand in the way." (Widows and widowers can enter "James 1:27" in the registration code field for a complimentary membership at any time.)
HLA members also receive a last will and testament drafted by an attorney, a 20% discount on resources from the Christian Law Association and 10% off admission to the Creation Museum (near the Cincinnati airport). HLA also operates a 24-hour emergency legal help line.
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