Volume III, Issue
1
Online
Edition
January 1998
1997 IN REVIEW ~ 1998 FORECASTS
Battles Case 1997 Update
FHM Report; page
1
ANNE ARUNDEL county district court Judge Dryden ruled in 1996 that home school mom Cheryl Battles was not guilty of a crime after he required her to present her home school portfolio to the court. Ms. Battles was being prosecuted by the Anne Arundel county state’s attorney, Andy Jesic, for refusing to sign an Assurance of Consent form and allow her portfolio to be reviewed. Instead of being sent to jail, though, Ms. Battles was acquitted of any crime.
In September of 1997, the State Board of Education met with members of the Maryland home school coalition including Family Heritage Matters, our associate attorneys, and Jon Shilts, the Executive Director of Maryland Association of Christian Home Education. At this meeting, State Board of Education officials were friendly and hospitable, and informed our delegation that they agreed with our interpretation of Judge Dryden’s ruling and had decided not to go ahead with plans to introduce such restrictive legislation.
This recent decision was good for it allows the historic bylaw to remain with the force of law without adding new criminal penalties for failure to file the assurance of consent form. This allows Maryland’s 11,000-12,000 home schoolers not to be hassled by the Maryland State Board of Education trying to pass more restrictive legislation because of the Ms. Battles case. May God be glorified!
Key point of the case: Accountability through a portfolio review is required!
CARROLL COUNTY home schoolers no longer are required to fill
out
lengthy annual forms which appear to look like the one-time Assurance
of Consent form in order to update any information to the Carroll
County Board of Education.
During a telephone call, it appeared that there was confusion about the annual notification process and what forms were actually sent out. (There were problems reported by citizens about the annual notification procedures.) Changes in the form were agreed upon. The main change was the addition of a simple check box stating that there have been no changes to the previously filed Assurance of Consent form. The new form will only update changes on the filed form.
We thank God for this good outcome and ask for your continued prayer that our attitudes would reflect the humility and love of Jesus Christ as we deal with local county pupil service workers.
Prayer Alert!
President Bill Clinton Pushes Sodomy "tolerance training" in Workplace and in grades K-12. The following is excerpted from the Capitol Hill Prayer Alert available at http://www.prayeralert.org:
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
November 11, 1997
The Clinton administration, concerned that parents aren't teaching children to be unbiased, yesterday endorsed grade school "diversity" training to encourage students to be tolerant of minorities, homosexuals and the disabled.
"Children have to be taught hate," Mr. Clinton said at a White House conference on hate crimes. "We want to teach them a different way."...
At the one-day conference, Mr. Clinton endorsed legislation
expanding the federal definition of hate crimes to include attacks on
homosexuals, women and the disabled. He also set up a "national
hate-crimes network" to promote cooperation among federal, state and
local prosecutors in combating hate crimes, added 50 more FBI agents
and prosecutors to fight hate crimes, and created a federal
hate-crimes Web page.
LifeLine, a Christian long distance telephone company, is donating 10% of all phone bills signed up to our work at Family Heritage Matters. This is currently over $100.00 per month. Though that may seem minuscule to you, it is our largest monthly support and helps to pay our legislative and legal research costs which benefit families.
Are you currently signed up with Sprint, MCI, or AT&T- OR ANY OF THEIR RESELLERS LIKE EXCEL??? If so, call or email the office and we will send you unbelievable documentation showing that your money is funding abortion, the homosexual activist agenda, violence on television, and anti-family groups.
Call for a free switch over - it will only take two minutes (approx.) - and we will send you Gary Bauer's book on family legislative issues absolutely FREE!!! Call today and support your home school freedom in Maryland - (301) 271-0123 and ask for Daniel Cox or email your request to danc@wcfs.edu.
Maryland Issues
The Maryland General Assembly is in session. We are actively monitoring the Up-to-the-Minute legislation access at the Maryland General Assembly and have a system in place for review and reporting of pertinent bill tracking information. These are some issues that we expect to face this year or are already working on:
Homosexual (Sodomy) Rights Legislation: ACTION ALERT!!! Call 1-800-492-7122 and ask for the House Judiciary Chairman. Tell him that you are opposed to: HB 68 by Delegate Hixson, et al, Antidiscrimination Act (Prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation with regard to public accommodations, housing, and employment; making specified remedies and procedures regarding discrimination applicable to discrimination based on sexual orientation; defining "sexual orientation"; making technical changes; etc.) Assigned to:Judiciary Committee. Hearing Date: not assigned yet. Legislation such as this would have huge ramifications for Christian homeschoolers and the larger Christian community alike.
Child Abuse, Social Services (SS) legislation: We fight some sort of social services legislation practically every year and we expect this year to be no different. Any measure to increase child abuse anonymous tip allegations or review by expanding types of "professional personel" such as certified teachers or nurses instead of law enforcement that may present professional testimony on whether "abuse" of any type was discovered by their investigation will be fought with all the strength and wisdom that God gives us. A key problem with the term "abuse" is that state officials fresh out of universities have redefined it with a term called "injurious treatment." This basically catagorizes any pain as abuse in their eyes, whether emotional or physical. Now the only legal barrier to the state's banning of the Scriptural mandate to discipline children through spanking is the historic laws allowing corporal punishment which still remain intact. Any effort to change these will of course be fought by us as well. Please keep this in your prayers to our Sovereign God.
National Issues
Courtesy of The National
Center for Home Education
American Sovereignty Amendment -House Joint Resolution 83:
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is
considered by many to be the most dangerous threat to parental rights
and our Christian freedoms that faces us in the future. Twice in the
last few years, the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) led
by Mike Farris and Mike Smith, and the National Center (a division of
HSLDA) headed by Chris Klicka have helped to stop the rush toward
ratification, by God's grace. Their information blitzes to home
schoolers nationwide have allowed state organizations like FHM to
mount serious grassroots campaigns against such United Nations
proposals that President Clinton has promulgated. Senator Jesse Helms
(R-NC) has pledged to not let the proposed treaty out of the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee as he is the Chairman, however, it will
lurk on to future generations for as we found with the GATT treaty,
they may get sidetracked, but can easily resurface at a later
date.
In seeking to put an end to the ever dangerous threat of the CRC and treaties like it such as "women's rights" and possibly other "special rights" which threaten the Home, HSLDA President Michael Farris helped draft a constitutional amendment to protect the United States national sovereignty. Congresswoman Helen Chenoweth introduced this amendment as House Joint Resolution 83 on June 17, 1997. Please be in prayer about this resolution and if the Lord be willing, we will keep you informed as we receive updates from the National Center.
National Testing Fight: Although we won for fiscal year 1998, the President's plan to implement national tests is far from defeated. Please be in prayer and on alert concerning an effort to pass a permanent resolution which bans federal testing of our children. Call our offices for a complete packet of information on this topic courtesey of HSLDA and the National Center if interested at 301/271-0123.
$500 Tax Credit!!!: Sounds good to you? So do we. As of 1998 taxes, families may deduct $400.00 PER CHILD as a tax credit!!! Next year and every year thereafter the tax credit will be $500.00 per child. This was lobbied on by HSLDA and home school volunteers -- and was passed and signed by the President as TITLE I - CHILD TAX CREDIT.
Child Welfare Reform and Child Abuse Reporting: According to HSDLA, home school families are increasingly being turned in on child abuse hotlines to a "Child Welfare Department." Know your 4th Amendment Rights!! No warrantless searches or siezures! Pray as legislation to stop anonymous tips and Social Service searches makes headway in states across the country.
State Religious Freedom Acts: Since the US Supreme Court struck down the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) on June 25, 1997, religious liberty foundational to our country's beginnings due to persecution in Europe (and established legally under the First Amendment to the Constitution) has been assigned to a non-important, less than fundamental. Therefore, HSLDA and the National Center are encouraging states to enact State Religious Freedom Acts. Religious freedom is fundamentally a part of our home education liberties.
State Parental Rights Acts: Parental rights
legislation at the state level is a must! Recent cases have sided
against basic parental rights and obligations a list of which is
available from our offices. These cases have shown horrendous
disregard for parental direction over the upbringing of their own
children -- even in cases where parents were trying to protect their
children from pornographic influence!!! Parental rights legislation
will require that courts apply the "strict scrutiny standard"
of the "compelling interest test." This would require the state to
prove that its regulation of parental rights follows the least
restrictive means possible. All violations of parental rights
would come under "strict scrutiny" and must be struck down unless the
infringment is proven to be absolutely essential to the state's
existence. May God have mercy on us parents as we seek to raise a
godly offspring!
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THIS NEWSLETTER IS EDUCATIONAL IN CONTENT AND INTENT AND DOES NOT IN ANY WAY CONSTITUTE LEGAL ADVICE. FOR LEGAL ADVICE, WE RECOMMEND THAT YOU CONTACT THE HOME SCHOOL LEGAL DEFENSE ASSOCIATION AT 540-338-5600 FOR LEGAL MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION. Family Heritage Matters (FHM) is the non-profit legal research and education arm of the Walkersville Christian Family Schools , one of Maryland's oldest home school administrations. FHM researches legislation, mediates with government officials, and performs other pertinent legal and legislative tasks such as keeping constituents informed of family and educational issues via alerts by phone, fax, newsletters, email, and our legal web page. Managing Editor: Daniel Cox, Legal Assistant Executive Editor: Gary Cox, President Send inquiries to: FHM Report 4 West Main St. Thurmont, MD 21788-1824 v: 301/271-0123; f: 301/845-7254; |