Relgious Freedom Wins! 

 

February 1, 2014

 

 

 

Thank you for standing with us to defend religious freedom! Your targeted calls, visits, and e-mails were very effective! HEAV, HSLDA, and VaHomeschoolers worked together to make this important homeschool issue known to committee members. A majority of legislators on the Rules Subcommittee (3-1) responded by protecting religious freedom.

 

We also appreciate the young professionals--all homeschool graduates--who carried the torch for homeschooling, one by giving compelling testimony and the others by standing to show their opposition.

 

Read more below about the committee hearing that stopped this threat to our religious freedoms.

 

Thank you for your prayers, and for making a difference in the outcome of this legislation!

 

Regards,

Yvonne Bunn

HEAV Director of Legislative Affairs

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Rules Subcommittee Halts Study

The House Rules Subcommittee on Studies convened Thursday afternoon and worked into the evening with a full agenda that included Delegate Tom Rust's House Joint Resolution 92 (HJ 92). This resolution would require the Department of Education to study the religious exemption statute and potentially make recommendations for changes.

 

After Delegate Rust presented HJ 92, the chairman asked for testimony supporting the measure, but no one testified in support. When those in opposition to the measure were permitted to speak, an articulate college student who had been educated at home under religious exemption graciously refuted newspaper articles that had stirred up questions in the media. With limited time for testimony, two other young professionals who had also been successfully homeschooled under RE and were ready to speak, were instead asked to stand rather than give testimony in opposition.

 

Scott Woodruff of HSLDA, Parrish Mort of VaHomeschoolers, and HEAV lobbyist Bob Shanks, all spoke in opposition to the measure. The committee then agreed by voice vote "to lay it on the table." This means it was left in committee and no other action will take place.

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Home Educators Association of Virginia
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www.heav.org