Today home schoolers from across Arkansas gathered at the Arkansas Capitol Building in Little Rock for Home School Day at the Capitol.
This is an opportunity for home schoolers to meet elected officials; tour the Capitol; and learn about state government.
Below are a few pictures from the day’s events.
Yesterday Rep. Mark Lowery (R-Maumelle) filed H.B. 1574. This bill simplifies the Notice of Intent to Home School that home schoolers are required to file annually, and it removes the requirement that home school parents sign a waiver acknowledging the State is not responsible for their child’s education.
The bill also clarifies that the Notice of Intent can be filed electronically–including by email; that the information on the Notice of Intent is confidential; and that the Department of Education cannot add requirements to the Notice of Intent without legislative approval.
This is a good bill we believe will simplify the process of filing the annual Notice of Intent to Home School.
Rep. Mark Lowery (R-Maumelle) has filed two bills expanding opportunities for home schoolers to utilize the state’s “Tim Tebow” law.
Arkansas’ “Tim Tebow” law lets home schoolers try out for extracurricular activities at their local public schools, provided they can demonstrate academic eligibility and meet any other criteria required by the school
H.B. 1474 lets a home schooled student try out for extracurricular activities at a neighboring school district if the student’s resident school district and the neighboring school district both agree to allow it.
Right now, some public school students can attend school in neighboring school districts by “mutual agreement” of the two districts; if both school districts agree it is OK, the student can attend school in a neighboring district. H.B. 1474 gives home schoolers the same option under the state’s “Tim Tebow” law.
The bill also ensures tryout criteria are fair for home schoolers . In some school districts, home schoolers who want to participate in extracurricular activities have been required to meet unfair tryout criteria. H.B. 1474 ensures public school students and home schoolers have an equal opportunity to tryout for extracurricular activities.
H.B. 1481 expands Arkansas’ “Tim Tebow” law to let home schoolers tryout for extracurricular activities at private schools as well as public schools.
Under this bill, a home schooler may request to tryout for extracurriculars at a private school within 25 miles of where he or she lives. The private school is not obligated to let the home schooler tryout. Any home schooler who is allowed to tryout for extracurricular activities at a private school would be required to meet the same standards and criteria as a student enrolled in the private school.