It's become obvious to even the most hopeful among us that Rep. G. A. Hardaway (D-Memphis) is not a man of his word. Despite assuring the public, Special Initiatives sub-committee members and the Chair of the House Education Committee that he would communicate with them and the homeschooling community regarding changes he was making to HB2795 he still hasn't done so. He has ignored phone calls and personal contacts. The result is we're just a day away from the next scheduled sub-committee hearing for this bill and the new wording is not public information. He fully expects us to get a copy of this legislation cold and deal with it immediately. Well, we shall.
You are, again, encouraged to call the Special Initiatives sub-committee members and voice your concerns regarding this bill. Most of them have expressed surprise at Hardaway's actions and do not see the need for the state to test all children in this manner. They, and their staffs, are also frustrated but the process must run its course.
If you can make the trip to Nashville come. The committee meets at 11:45 a.m. in the Legislative Plaza. This committee usually meets in Room 29, however, it may be moved to Room 16 again to accommodate a larger crowd. HB2795 is early on a short agenda so don't be late. If there is no way you can make it to Nashville you can watch streaming video via the Internet from the legislative website here. In the meantime, make phone calls, send faxes, contact their district offices. Focus on Rep. Hardaway, the bill sponsor, and Reps. Brown and Towns who enabled this legislation to even be heard three weeks ago.
I believe we need an even bigger turn out than we had three weeks ago. If our effort is smaller, it will give the appearance that we're already tired of the battle and don't have the stomach for a full scale assault. Let's ensure that's not the case.
Thanks so much for contacting members of the Tennessee House Education Committee about House Bill 2795, the horrendous testing bill. An assistant for Representative John Mark Windle, the chairman of the Special Initiatives Subcommittee, reported that his office received over 4,000 calls opposing the bill. This is a tremendous response by the homeschoolers of Tennessee to this threat to your freedoms!
However, the bill is still alive, and we need your calls immediately to make certain that it dies in committee.
At the bill's hearing on Wednesday, Representative Tommie Brown moved that the bill be considered by the subcommittee. Representative Joe Towns, Jr. seconded this motion. Representative G.A. Hardaway, the bill's sponsor, spoke in favor of the bill. In the end, the subcommittee scheduled another hearing on the bill for Wednesday, March 19, 2008. So, because of the action of these three legislators, this bill is still alive.
At this time we are requesting that you continue to contact only Representatives Hardaway, Brown, and Towns to express your opposition to House Bill 2795. They appear to be the only legislators present at the hearing who are supportive of this legislation, but they have been able to keep it alive. They need to hear from you some more!
Action Requested:
(1) Please call or write (both would be better) Representatives Hardaway, Brown, and Towns with this message:
"Please oppose House Bill 2795, which would impose public school testing on non-public school students. This bill would effectively destroy non-public education in Tennessee by requiring private schools, church-related schools, and homeschools to adopt the public school curriculum for their instruction programs."
The contact information for these Representatives is set forth below.
Representative G. A. Hardaway (615) 741 5625 rep.ga.hardaway@legislature.state.tn.us
Representative Tommie Brown (615) 741-4374 rep.tommie.brown@legislature.state.tn.us
Representative Joe Towns, Jr. (615) 741-2189 rep.joe.towns@legislature.state.tn.us
(2) Please forward this email to other homeschooling families who are not members of HSLDA and ask them to contact Representatives Hardaway, Brown, and Towns as well.
Musings from the me.... I am married to my very best friend, who happens to be perfect (for me!!) and am honored to be the Mama to the best four children in the world. The Lord has surely blessed me most abundantly!!!
You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel like an adult, and you're optimistic about life.
You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences.
You're still figuring out your place in the world and how you want your life to shape up.
The world is full of possibilities, and you can't wait to explore many of them.
