This CBN article and video clip provide sobering details about the homeschool situation in Europe. Take a look and be reminded to pray for our brothers and sisters over there. We have so many freedoms here to be thankful for — and diligent to preserve!
Blog @ November 13, 2009 | International Homeschooling | Comments (0)
The files below contain information on a few more upcoming vaccination opportunities.
Central Region Vaccination Plans as of 11-12-2009
11-12-09 Pediatric Vaccination Clinics
Important Note: HEAV does not recommend or endorse any vaccine. Because homeschoolers fall within the target at-risk group for H1N1 influenza, HEAV is publishing information regarding the availability of the H1N1 vaccine. Vaccination decisions are the responsibility of the parent.
Blog @ November 13, 2009 | General | Comments (0)
The files below contain information from the Virginia Department of Health regarding upcoming pediatric clinics.
11-10-09 Pediatric Vaccination Clinic Info – Primary List (2)
New River Health District Clinic Schedule
Rappahannock-Rapidan Press Release
Blog @ November 11, 2009 | General | Comments (0)
[Editor's Note: We came across this op-ed in an HSLDA e-newsletter, and felt you would appreciate reading it.]
by J. Michael Smith
HSLDA President
Christopher J. Klicka, senior counsel and director of state and international relations for the Home School Legal Defense Association, died Oct. 12 in Colorado Springs. His death is a tremendous loss.
Chris started full time with HSLDA in 1985 after graduating from law school. During an internship, he researched the laws of all 50 states as they related to the right to homeschool. His treatise, Home Schooling in the United States: A Legal Analysis, which is updated regularly, is the leading authority summarizing the 50 states’ laws.
Chris is survived by his wife, Tracy, and their seven children. Although he died at the very young age of 48 after a 15-year battle with multiple sclerosis, Chris achieved more than most people ever will. For 24 years, he fought valiantly on behalf of homeschool freedom and intervened on behalf of thousands of families to establish their right to teach their children at home. Not only did he fight for homeschool freedom in the courtroom, he helped draft legislation that recognized the right of parents to teach their children at home in dozens of states and testified before numerous legislatures.
He lobbied Congress on behalf of homeschoolers to level the playing field in the military, colleges and universities; as well as issues regarding educational grants and benefits, Social Security and veterans benefits. Through his advocacy, homeschoolers were exempted from requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act, a law that could have allowed the federal government to regulate homeschooling.
Because of his interactions with departments of social services as a result of child abuse and neglect investigations, he became an advocate to protect families from abuses by these agencies. He helped write legislation that amended the Child Abuse and Protection and Treatment Act (CAPTA) to establish the right of parents and guardians.
He also persuaded Congress to require that all social workers and police officers be trained on the Fourth Amendment, which protects against unreasonable search and seizure.
Not only was Chris an outstanding advocate for parental rights and homeschool freedom, but he was an even better person. As the MS took an ever-increasing toll, he continued to travel to homeschool conferences around the country, bringing a message of hope and encouragement. He informed the homeschool community that through faith in God, one can do all things.
Many times he could barely stand, gripping the podium to deliver a message that lifted the spirits of thousands of homeschool moms and dads. After all, if Chris could do the things he was doing every day, certainly they could overcome their petty problems and fulfill the calling in their life to teach their children at home.
The homeschooling movement has lost a giant in our struggle for freedom and acceptance. No one individual has done more to bring about the freedom to homeschool in the United States and around the world. Chris also had a heart for international homeschooling and was responsible for starting organizations similar to HSLDA in other countries. His enthusiasm and advocacy for homeschooling is expressed through his books and other writings, and thousands of families homeschool as a result of reading one of his books, hearing him speak at a conference, or getting personal encouragement from him to get started and keep going.
Despite his death, Chris’ legacy will live on. Those of us who worked with him daily, and the thousands of families that have interacted with him through his writing, speaking and counseling, will continue his legacy as we’re challenged by his determination to never give up no matter how difficult the circumstances appear.
Chris had many great character traits, but perhaps the greatest was his love for God, which was reflected in his love for his wife and children. The example he gave through his life and through his death is indelibly placed in the hearts of all of us who knew and loved him. His vision of freedom for families to homeschool will never die in our hearts as we vow to carry that same determination forward to protect and advance the precious right of families to teach their children at home.
Michael Smith is the president of the Home School Legal Defense Association. He may be contacted at (540)338-5600; or send email to media@hslda.org.
annemiller @ November 11, 2009 | General | Comments (0)
Important Note: HEAV does not recommend or endorse any vaccine. Because homeschoolers fall within the target at-risk group for H1N1 influenza, HEAV is publishing information regarding the availability of the H1N1 vaccine. Vaccination decisions are the responsibility of the parent.
From the Richmond City Health Department:
Beginning, Thursday, October 29, The Richmond City Health Department will be offering an H1N1 Swine Flu Vaccine Clinic to children who are being home schooled in Richmond City. Children will be given the LAIV (live attenuated) FluMist which does not require an injection. Children who are immune compromised, have asthma, diabetes, or otherwise and cannot take the nasal FluMist vaccine for medical reasons, will be given the injectable vaccine. Visits are by appointment only. For an appointment please call Tashana Stith at 482-5506. Due to limited quantities of vaccine, this clinic is for Richmond City residents only. The clinic is being held at the Richmond City Health Department office located at 400 East Cary Street, Richmond, Virginia. There is no charge for the vaccine or its administration.
Parents are asked to review the attached information regarding the FluMist vaccine, and complete the Screening Questionnaire and Consent Form prior to their appointment in order to expedite the vaccination process.
Thank You!
Richmond City Health Department
To view a daily updated list of clinics in other areas of the state see http://www.vdh.state.va.us/index.htm.
Attachments:
H1N1-LAIV-final-2.pdf
screeningquestionnaire_flumist.pdf
consent-form.doc
Yvonne Bunn @ November 11, 2009 | General | Comments (0)
As the H1N1 vaccine* is arriving at pubic schools for distribution to students, some homeschool parents are asking if their children can also receive the free vaccine from a public school. Many private and homeschooled students have reported being unable to receive the vaccine, while a limited number of other parents have had no problem.
HEAV contacted the Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources and the Virginia Department of Education to quickly resolve this matter. Michelle Vucci, director of policy for the Virginia Department of Education, was sympathetic to homeschool parents, and suggested they contact their local health department to determine distribution policies at the local level. She also recommended parents contact their local school. HEAV has had no official response from the state health department, but some local health officials urged parents to check with their primary-care physicians.
Parents who choose to have their children vaccinated* will be required to supply personal information that will be compiled in a statewide database that may be linked to a national database.
Virginia has received only about five percent of the state’s requested order for H1N1 vaccine, and at the present time, availability is sporadic in schools and health departments.
For information about the H1N1 shot or inactivated vaccine, visit www.cdc.gov/vaccines/Pubs/vis/downloads/vis-inact-h1n1.pdf.
For state and national information, visit www.vdh.state.va.us/index.htm or www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu.
*Important Note: Vaccinations are a controversial issue. Because homeschoolers fall within the target at-risk group for H1N1 influenza, HEAV is requesting information regarding equal access to the vaccine for homeschoolers. HEAV does not recommend or endorse any vaccine. Vaccination decisions are the responsibility of the parent.
Yvonne Bunn @ October 27, 2009 | General | Comments (0)
- From the HSLDA e-lert service , October 7
Dear HSLDA Members and Friends:
We recently told you about the plight of the Johanssons, a Swedish family whose only child, 7-year-old Dominic Johansson, was seized by Swedish police from a plane just as the family was about to leave the country for a new life in India.
After investigating the facts surrounding the case, HSLDA President J. Michael Smith wrote to Swedish officials to protest this action.
Read his letter >>
Read the response from Mr. Berglind, minister of public affairs for the Swedish Embassy in Washington >>
Citing confidentiality concerns for not commenting on the Johansson case, Mr. Stigland noted that a county administrative board in Sweden is reviewing how it was handled by local officials.
In a telephone conversation with HSLDA, Mr. Johansson confirmed that he has been in contact with the county administrative board.
“They told me that they are looking into the case to determine if anything was done improperly,” he said.
And at a meeting with the social workers on Tuesday, October 6, Mr. Johansson was told that he and his wife would only be allowed to visit their son at the social workers office once every two weeks for a maximum of two hours.
What does Sweden hope to gain from such an aggressive action? The situation is tragic. It is deeply troubling that a Western democracy would go to such lengths to prevent a homeschool family from simply trying to leave the country.
Dominic has been traumatized, and his mother has been hospitalized several times because of the depression this incident has caused. Yet the social workers persist in keeping custody of Dominic. When Mr. Johansson asks why, they reply “Because it’s better for him.” According to Mr. Johansson, both he and Dominic have been subjected to psychological and other testing with results showing no valid reason for continued separation of the family.
In light of this aggressive behavior and because the Swedish parliament is poised to impose draconian regulations on homeschoolers, HSLDA is asking its members to contact the Swedish Ambassador to the United States.
Swedish Ambassador Jonas Hafström can be reached:
By email: ambassaden.washington@foreign.ministry.se
By phone: 202-467 2600
By fax: 202-467 2699
Visit Swedish embassy website >>
First, we ask you to request that the Swedish government return Dominic to his family. The social welfare agency has taken custody of Dominic, and they have the power to return him to his parents. Request that they do so immediately.
Second, inform the ambassador that homeschooling allows children to thrive academically and socially. Valid research has demonstrated that homeschooling is a mainstream educational approach that works. Tell him that the world doesn’t need any more countries like Germany that repress freedom in education, and that a person should be permitted to opt out of public education because of philosophical or religious convictions.
In his letter to Mr. Smith, Mr. Stigland noted that since Sweden is a state party to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, that the starting point for children is Sweden is the “ best interests of the child and the child’s right to be heard .” Mr. Stigland noted that social services have an obligation to “intervene and remove a child from the family if the child’s health and development are endangered.” Mr. Stigland noted that a child should be returned home as soon as possible if it was “in the best interests of the child.”
Of grave concern to HSLDA is Mr. Stigland’s citation of the legislative history of the Education Act which says: “The legislative history of the current Education Act states that home schooling in isolated cases, mainly in the lower grades, might be an acceptable substitute for education if a particular external circumstance exists. Examples of such are: if the child lives in a sparsely populated area or needs special care. Legal practice shows that the situation also arises when parents for other reasons, such as philosophical or religious, want to educate their children at home. In connection with the new Education Act, these rules are now being reviewed.”
The act is indeed being reviewed and the proposal is even more draconian. The proposed language would remove philosophical or religious convictions as valid reasons to home school. The new law would allow homeschooling only in “extraordinary circumstances” (read: never). If the proposed Swedish law passes it would become as bad as in Germany where homeschooling is effectively banned.
Mike Farris recently said in his address to the World Congress of Families, “Any nation that severely restricts the ability of parents to choose alternative forms of education, including home education, in the name of creating national unity, cannot call itself a free nation. Freedom necessarily requires the individual to have the liberty to think differently and believe differently than programs instituted by the current rulers of any nation. Educational freedom is the cornerstone for all freedom of thought and conscience.”
HSLDA encourages its members to communicate their concerns to the Swedish Ambassador. We hope that his influence may help correct an injustice and also pave the way for better laws for homeschoolers in Sweden
HSLDA thanks its members and friends for their ongoing support. It’s when all homeschoolers join together that we are most effective advocating for homeschool freedom in America and abroad.
Read the HSLDA article: “Sweden—the Next Germany for Homeschoolers?”
Katherine Loop @ October 21, 2009 | International Homeschooling | Comments (0)
Memorial Service
Here is the information for Chris’s memorial service.
All are invited to attend.
Memorial Service for Christopher J. Klicka, 1961-2009
Senior Counsel, HSLDA
Christian Fellowship Church
21673 Beaumeade Circle
Ashburn, VA 20147
Saturday, October 31, 2009
10 a.m.
For directions, visit: www.cfellowshipc.org
For more information, contact Judy Taylor (540-303-2102)
Radio Tribute and Interviews
(Thanks to Bernie Beall.)
Here’s a moving radio tribute put out by Moody Bible Institute.
http://moodyradiopaulbutler.wordpress.com/2009/10/13/chris-klicka-tribute/
And here are two less-than-eight-minute interviews Moody did with Chris last year.
http://moodyradiopaulbutler.wordpress.com/2008/08/11/home-school-history/
http://moodyradiopaulbutler.wordpress.com/2008/08/20/home-school-history-legal-battles/
Congressman Comments on Klicka’s Life
WASHINGTON—U.S. Congressman Todd Tiahrt (pronounced TEE-hart), R-Kan., issued the following statement following the announcement that Home School Legal Defense Association Senior Counsel and Director of State and International Relations Christopher Klicka passed away following his 15-year battle with multiple sclerosis.
“Chris Klicka was a passionate man of faith and trailblazing advocate for homeschoolers and homeschooling issues,” said Tiahrt. “Through his dedication and great work at the Home School Legal Defense Association, Chris helped protect families and their freedom to choose homeschooling as an education method. Generations for years to come will benefit from the many doors opened by Chris.
“Vicki and I send our heartfelt thoughts and prayers to the Klicka family during this time.”
YouTube Video
If you haven’t seen it yet, take a look at this powerful video of Chris as he shares portions of his story. We hope you’ll be as blessed as we were!
annemiller @ October 20, 2009 | General | Comments (0)
Thank you to all who have written sweet notes expressing your gratitude for Chris’ life and your sympathy and prayers for his family! Below is information taken from their blog on how to send these notes directly to the Klicka family.
E-MAIL
The e-mail the Klickas have listed on their blog is klickaclan@erols.com.
DONATIONS
The Klickas have been overwhelmed by the many expressions of love and care they have received. Thank you again for your prayers and support. Some of you have asked how to help the Klickas, financially and otherwise: There are two direct ways to give to the Klicka family, as well as a third, tax-deductible way to give to the Klickas’ church and its benevolence program:
1. As usual, direct gifts and donations for the family may be sent to their home address:
6779 Riley Road
Warrenton, VA 20187
2. Corey Cheney generously established an account for the Klicka family through which you may electronically donate funds:
Please read the instructions below before donating.
Click here to send a donation to the Klickas.
1. After clicking the above link a new page will open that has a “To” & “From” e-mail field & a box for you to enter in the amount you would like to donate. (In the “To” field put this e-mail address: tracy.klicka@gmail.com.)
2. Click the “Personal” button right under the “Amount” box, then select the “Gift” option, then click “Continue.”
3. On the next page you will be asked if you already have a PayPal account. If you do, sign in. If you do not have an account, click “Sign-up.”
4. After you sign-in to your PayPal account, you will see the checkout page. Just make sure everything is correct and add your personal note to the Klicka family!
5. Click “Send Money” and the donation will be sent!
3. Finally, tax deductible gifts to their church’s benevolence fund may be sent to:
Grace Community Church
Benevolence Fund
19420 Golf Vista Plaza, Suite 220
Lansdowne, VA 20176
Katherine Loop @ October 14, 2009 | General | Comments (0)
http://www.alliancedefensefund.org/news/story.aspx?cid=5050
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
LACONIA, N.H. An Alliance Defense Fund allied attorney filed motions with a New Hampshire court Monday asking it to reconsider and stay its decision to order a 10-year-old home-schooled girl into a government-run school in Meredith.
Although the marital master making recommendations to the court agreed the child is “well liked, social and interactive with her peers, academically promising, and intellectually at or superior to grade level” and that “it is clear that the home schooling…has more than kept up with the academic requirements of the…public school system,” he nonetheless proposed that the Christian girl be ordered into a government-run school after considering “the impact of [her religious] beliefs on her interaction with others.” The court approved the order.
“Parents have a fundamental right to make educational choices for their children. In this case specifically, the court is illegitimately altering a method of education that the court itself admits is working,” said ADF-allied attorney John Anthony Simmons of Hampton. “The court is essentially saying that the evidence shows that, socially and academically, this girl is doing great, but her religious beliefs are a bit too sincerely held and must be sifted, tested by, and mixed among other worldviews. This is a step too far for any court to take.”
The parents of the child divorced in 1999. The mother has home-schooled their daughter since first grade with curriculum that meets all state review standards. In addition to home schooling, the girl attends supplemental public school classes and has also been involved in a variety of extra-curricular sports activities.
In the process of renegotiating the terms of a parenting plan for the girl, the guardian ad litem involved in the case concluded, according to the court order, that the girl “appeared to reflect her mother’s rigidity on questions of faith” and that the girl’s interests “would be best served by exposure to a public school setting” and “different points of view at a time when she must begin to critically evaluate multiple systems of belief…in order to select, as a young adult, which of those systems will best suit her own needs.”
Marital Master Michael Garner reasoned that the girl’s “vigorous defense of her religious beliefs to [her] counselor suggests strongly that she has not had the opportunity to seriously consider any other point of view” and then recommended that the girl be ordered to enroll in a government school instead of being home-schooled. Judge Lucinda V. Sadler approved the recommendation and issued the order on July 14.
“The New Hampshire Supreme Court itself has specifically declared, ‘Home education is an enduring American tradition and right…,’” said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Mike Johnson. ”There is clearly and without question no legitimate legal basis for the court’s decision, and we trust it will reconsider its conclusions.”
Simmons filed his motions and supporting brief in the case In the Matter of Kurowski and Kurowski (Voydatch) with the Family Division of the Judicial Court for Belknap County in Laconia.
annemiller @ October 5, 2009 | General | Comments (0)