Illinois HB 3560

I know this post is "late to the game" so to speak and that current word is to just wait and see and hopefully we will know early this coming week if the sponsor is true to her word and will table the bill.

I have not had time to formulate a blog post until now so this will be more of a recap in case you haven't been out of the loop. Late last night I did get word about bill HB 3560 and did make a quick post on my facebook page:

I woke up this morning to a whirlwind of posts and notifications. I spent several hours going over them and updating myself and spreading the word on what was going on -- plus you know those normal mom duties: house cleaning, grocery shopping, etc.

As of now, the time of this post, the bill sponsor has promised to table the bill when she goes back to work later this coming week.  This will most likely come Tuesday, perhaps as late as Wednesday seeing it's the holiday weekend: Presidents' Day. So we have to wait and see if she will be true to her words.

So what is HB 3560? What is the cause for concern?
The synopsis as written on the Illinois General Assembly page:

Amends the School Code. Provides that, after a home-schooling registration form is submitted, the State Board of Education must request a Child Protective Service Unit of the Department of Children and Family Services to investigate the home in which the home schooling will occur to ensure there is no suspected child abuse or neglect in the home. Provides that after the investigation by the Child Protective Service Unit is complete, the State Board must notify the school district in which the home is located that the child is being home-schooled. Provides that once every 2 school years, the State Board must inspect the academic records of a registered home-school student. Amends the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act to require a Child Protective Service Unit to investigate the home of a child upon a request from the State Board. Effective immediately.

Currently, Illinois has no mandatory registration, no letter of intent, no standardized testing. Homeschoolers submit absolutely nothing to the state or local school boards. Bill HB 3560 if passed and allow to proceed would radically change the homeschool landscape and turn Illinois from a low regulated state to a highly regulated state overnight! Just like that!

It was unclear if registration would become mandatory with this bill, but it was very clear once registered homeschoolers would have to submit to home inspections carried out by DCFS/CPS and have to to have some kind of portfolio academic review with the school board. -- which would make record keeping mandatory too.

I keep records for MYSELF and I have no issue with keeping records in general, I think I should not have to submit those records to the state. It's not the state's business. My records for elementary/middle school is light -- I don't have anything official for those grades, but I have always blogged in some fashion for the years, mostly, so I have blog posts, pictures, and other some other things I have kept. So I always felt if needed, in a court of law, I would be okay. Now with high school, because I'm looking to do transcripts I have more complete records. However, that is all for myself and the transcripts would be given to those that need it based on my child's post-secondary education plans.

Putting the whole registration and record keeping to the side, the fact that a legislator thought to circumvent people's 4th amendment rights was a good thing is alarming! The 4th amendment is to protect you from searches without just cause. Homeschooling in and of itself is not reason enough to subject a family to home inspections and searches. As my friend Tina, Homeschool Resource Roadmap, said on my personal facebook profile subjecting families to CPS investigations and home inspections just because they homeschool is like saying we found a meth lab at this house and they own a white Toyota truck so everyone who owns a white Toyota trucks will have their homes searched for drugs.

If HB 3560 is tabled it will be tabled very early on in the process. Which is a good thing, the sooner the bill is squashed, especially when you don't support it, the better. Historically it seems bills are easier to squash when they are in the early process and within Illinois' First House vs when they make it to the Second House. This diagram shows how bills are passed in Illinois.

The "we are here" written on this diagram shows where Illinois HB 3560 shows where in the process the bill was/is at:

While the call from the advocacy groups is to keep a watchful eye, hang tight, and no need to contact your representative. I just want to end by saying if you feel convicted to contact your representatives about this OR any issue you should. You should contact your representative anytime there is any measure you oppose or support is being introduced. You should fill out witness slips when they become available if you state has witness slips for a way for you to officially record your position.

When you contact your representative be polite!

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