As of Friday, July 23, 2021, Senate Education Committee Chair Darling has removed the public hearing for SB 201 (Creation of Micro Education Pods) from the committee’s calendar. Your testimony and attendance are no longer required on August 3. However, a hearing on the bill may be rescheduled at any time. WHPA’s Legislative Watch Committee will continue to monitor this and all proposed legislation, and update members when necessary.
Whereas Wisconsin statutes state that, “‘Home-based private educational program’ means a program of educational instruction provided to a child by the child’s parent or guardian or by a person designated by the parent or guardian. An instructional program provided to more than one family unit does not constitute a home-based private educational program.” (s. 115.001[3g]); and Whereas a homeschool in Wisconsin is a private school that is limited to one family unit; and Whereas a national homeschooling organization based outside of Wisconsin has informed some homeschoolers in Wisconsin that they can disobey this part of the statutes by using a
Whereas parents are the primary educators of their children; and Whereas the family has consistently been shown to provide the best environment for a child’s growth and development; and Whereas the family provides continuity of significant human relationships that provide academic, social, emotional, and moral support for a child’s learning; and Whereas a child’s interaction with people of many different backgrounds and ages (rather than isolation with age-mates) provides him or her with adult role models and lessens stress and problems of peer pressure and dependence; and Whereas children are individuals who vary in talents, abilities, and needs and in
ACTION NEEDED: Three bills have been introduced in the 116th Congress to expand the use of Section 529 education accounts* to qualified homeschool expenses.
(On July 20, 2018, WPA asked for action on S.3102 Student Empowerment Act, introduced during the 115th Congress. Read more about it below.) Please call your U.S. Representative and Senators and respectfully ask them to OPPOSE both H.R.65 Enhancing Educational Opportunities for Home School Students Act
Whereas federal and state governments are requiring that more and more personal information about any family that receives government education services be collected, stored, and used in government controlled databases; and Whereas these databases include or will soon include a great deal of personal information that goes well beyond the names and addresses of families to include nicknames, disabilities, income level, occupation, test scores, etc.; and Whereas the information collected serves the interests and values of those designing the database systems and not the interests of parents or students and more specifically not the interests of homeschoolers; and Whereas information
Board meetings are open to all members. The next board meeting will be Tuesday, July 23 2024, beginning at 5:30 PM. If you wish to attend, please email wpa@homeschooling-wpa.org for more information. The final 2024 board meeting will be:
President – Jodi Buntin – Jodi strongly believes in homeschooling and preserving the right and freedom for all families in Wisconsin to homeschool according to their own beliefs and convictions. She and her husband have homeschooled their
The Wisconsin Legislative Council has released the Joint Legislative Council Co-Chairs’ recommendations for the establishment of study committees. NONE of the approved study committees pertain to homeschooling. This is great news for homeschoolers in Wisconsin. Homeschooling was not seen as a problem in need of study or possible legislative solutions by the Co-Chairs of the JLC . There will be no study committee regarding homeschooling. Thank you all for your contacts with legislators regarding this issue.
On Friday, March 4, the Senate Committee on Education passed both “micro education pod” bills, AB 122 and SB 201, out of committee, and AB 122, which has already been passed by the Assembly, has been scheduled for a vote by the full Senate on Tuesday, March 8. It is critical that WHPA members and supporters speak up in defense of our homeschooling law. You can find background and analysis of these bills on our website. Call your Senator before Tuesday and ask them to vote NO on AB 122. (Find tips on our website.)
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Whereas the Wisconsin Parents Association (WPA) is a state-wide association that watches, promotes, and defends the rights of parents, families, and children; and Whereas WPA recognizes that there is no one best way to educate children since their talents and abilities are so varied; and Whereas home schoolers are a very diverse group with widely varying income levels, approaches to education, religious and philosophical beliefs; and Whereas the one thing home schoolers have in common is their commitment to establishing and maintaining their parental rights to educate their children according to their beliefs and principles; Be it resolved that WPA
Whereas social service and educational professionals, corporations, the media, and public policy makers are increasingly identifying the family as the primary cause of many of our social problems; and Whereas these same interests have tremendous political power through their professional associations, institutions, companies, and access to the media; and Whereas addressing the complexity of social problems includes assigning significant responsibility for our problems to the very professions, institutions, corporations, and government bureaucracies that hold most of the power in our society; and Whereas some of these interests are now advocating fundamental changes in the rights, authority, and role of the
Whereas the U. S. Constitution gives no authority to the federal or state governments in the area of education; and Whereas rights and powers not granted to the state are reserved for the people; and Whereas section 432 of the federal statute General Education Provisions Act of 1970 states that the federal government may not control education; and Whereas the states have the authority to control schooling through compulsory school attendance laws based on the policing powers granted to the states by the U. S. Constitution; and Whereas the federal government acquires its power in the area of education by
Whereas legislative proposals are being made to combine the budgets, rule making authorities, and exchange of information about individuals and families among the state government departments of education, social services, labor and employment, the judicial system (including law enforcement officials, the courts, and corrections), and the University of Wisconsin-Extension service; and Whereas such collaboration would greatly expand the authority of the state in the lives of individuals and families, ranging from prenatal care and counseling to day care to mental health assessments and employment services; and Whereas collaboration would change the role of the government from that of providing a
Betsy DeVos was confirmed as Secretary of Education. She is a strong proponent of vouchers for “school choice.” Her list of choices includes homeschooling. A bill (HR610) was introduced, at the federal level, by Rep. Steve King (R) of Iowa. This bill seeks, in part, to render financial assistance to parents who choose to educate their children outside the public school system, including homeschoolers. The bill has now been referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. WPA believes that homeschoolers taking any government money (i.e. vouchers, tax credits, educational savings accounts, etc.) will lead to additional regulation
Whereas there is a growing movement to institutionalize children at younger and younger ages; and Whereas this movement takes a variety of the forms including the Birth to Three year old program, Child Find programs aimed at identifying children in need of special services, preschool screening, preschool programs, and kindergarten programs for three- and four-year olds; and Whereas professionals, corporations, and government have joined together through federal and state commissions and through studies and have identified early childhood education as a good practice and part of the answer to ensuring a strong economy; and Whereas the National Center on Education
Whereas state and federal governments are proposing tax credits for educational expenses and are trying to convince homeschoolers to support such proposals by including homeschooling expenses; and Whereas specific expenses such as “educational” expenses qualify for tax credits only if those expenses meet the state’s standards in education, schools qualify only if they are accredited or in some other way approved by the state, tutors qualify only if they are officially licensed, etc.; and Whereas tax credits are one way for the government to get people to do things the government wants them to do whether or not these things
ACTION NEEDED: On March 29, 2019, H.R.1994 SECURE Act was introduced, and as a part of this bill, language was inserted to expand the use of Section 529 Education Savings Accounts* to qualified homeschool expenses. (On February 12, 2019, WPA asked for action on H.R.65 Enhancing Educational Opportunities for Home School Students Act and H.R.621/S.157 Student Empowerment Act. Read more about it below.) Please call or email your Representative and Senators and respectfully ask them to REMOVE from H.R.1994 SECURE Act the language referring to Section 529 Education Savings Accounts being used for homeschool expenses. You may also wish
Whereas bills have been introduced in several states, including Wisconsin, authorizing the governor to require that all citizens be immunized against one or more diseases by declaring a public health emergency; and Whereas there would in effect be no exceptions to this requirement since those objecting or refusing to be immunized for reasons of health, religion, or personal conviction would be placed in quarantine; and Whereas giving the government this authority would override existing statutory law that recognizes and provides for exemptions from required immunizations based on health, religion, or personal conviction; and Whereas clear evidence indicates that immunizations are
Whereas some home schoolers want to take one or more courses in a public school; and Whereas the Wisconsin Constitution provides for free public education to all persons ages four through 20 years of age; and Whereas the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) has given advice to local school boards that has led to policies denying home schoolers access to public school courses; and Whereas some formal policies adopted by local school boards prevent (in highly discriminatory ways) home schoolers from taking public school courses; and Whereas such policies are often in violation of a parent’s and student’s rights under
