Dear HSLDA Members and Friends,

The 2012 New Hampshire Legislature convened on January 4, 2012 and the House of Representatives voted to significantly improve New Hampshire’s homeschool law by passing an amended version of HB 545 by a majority voice vote.

The bill adds language to the law that “It is the natural and fundamental right and duty of parents to determine and direct the education of their children.” It also dramatically reduces the number of times notification is required and gives more authority to the Home Education Advisory Council (HEAC). Under HB 545 the State Board of Education must obtain approval from HEAC for proposed rules. The bill now moves on to the Senate. HSLDA congratulates all the homeschoolers, homeschool organizations and legislators who worked hard to develop this legislation.

Part of our mission at HSLDA is to keep you informed about legislation that may affect you, and this year looks to be active with more improvements on the way for homeschoolers and virtually no negative legislation. We believe that the following bills will be of interest to New Hampshire homeschoolers.

• HB 1571 changes the homeschool law to require parents to simply keep a copy of an evaluation rather than having to send it to a participating agency.
• HB 1440 provides for online driver education.
• HB 1607/SB 372 establishes an education tax credit.
• HB 1139 changes the unique pupil identification system for homeschoolers requiring an opt-in instead of today’s opt-out.
• HB 1162 establishes a committee to study the effects of compulsory school attendance on children and families.
• HB 1360 requires the State Board of Education to submit proposed rules to the House and Senate education committees for approval.
• HB 1536 prohibits the government from substantially burdening a person’s free exercise of religion.
• CACR 31 would amend the New Hampshire Constitution to explicitly state that parents have the natural right to control the education of their children.
• SB 272 makes truancy a violation for children 12 and older.

Please stay tuned for email action e-lerts and updates regarding the status of these bills and how they may affect you. HSLDA supports most of these bills and opposes SB 272. You can learn more about each bill by visiting our website.

HSLDA works with the Christian Home Educators of New Hampshire (CHENH) and encourages you to support CHENH through membership and participation in the annual statewide conference. CHENH is a valuable partner, and together we work to preserve your freedoms. To learn more about the CHENH and its upcoming annual convention, visit their website.

We greatly value you and your support—it is a privilege to serve you! If you or someone you know is not a member of HSLDA, will you consider taking a moment today to join or recommend us and support our work defending individual families threatened by government officials and protecting homeschooling freedom for all? Join today >>

Very truly yours,

Michael P. Donnelly, Esq.
Staff Attorney

HSLDA messages are reprinted by permission. CHENH and HSLDA work together to preserve parental rights and promote home education in NH. If you are a home school family we encourage you to join HSLDA.