Sen. Mary Easley, a Democrat from an undetermined municipality, has proposed legislation to remove the homeschooling exemption from state truancy laws.
Yes, you read that right. Homeschooling would no longer be viewed as a legitimate education option for your children and therefore would no longer be protected from being prosecuted as truancy, penalties which include having your children removed from your custody.
5-to-1 Easley has connections to the OEA. (This matter is still being investigated.)
The original language of the truancy law reads “An attendance officer, any school administrator, or designee of the school administrator who is employed by the school, or any peace officer may, except for children being home schooled pursuant to Section 10-105 of the Oklahoma Statutes, temporarily detain and assume temporary custody of any child subject to compulsory full-time education, during hours in which school is actually in session, who is found away from the home of such child and who is absent from school without lawful excuse within the school district that such attendance officer, peace officer or school official serves…”
The new language in Easley’s bill removes the bolded phrase excepting homeschooled children. To read the bill, click here.
This is the same woman who apparently lives in a different district than she represents, doctored her mileage reimbursement papers to hide that fact, and has also proposed legislation to remove term limits on elected officials.
This is a big deal to me because I was homeschooled for eight years, all through elementary and junior high. I transitioned easily into a private high school, was ranked in the top ten of my class, and got a full four-year scholarship to the state university of my choice. I know many people still have the skewed vision of homeschoolers living like the Amish,* and some do, but the majority of us are well-rounded civically-aware and socially-active products of parental teaching and guidance. And we win all the spelling bees.
We need to get Mary Easley out of office. (Can we send someone to Tulsa to recruit a Republican? Anyone? Bueller?) This is one dangerous, crazy waster of taxpayer dollars. But until that happens, we need to fight her tooth and nail on every piece of legislation she has proposed.
Flood Sen. Easley’s office with phone calls and email. Tell her you do not support either of these measures she has proposed. If I find out about anything else this moron tries to put over on us, I’ll let you know.
Phone: (405) 521-5590
Email: easley@oksenate.gov
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*I mean no disrespect to the Amish, just to those who think all homeschoolers bake their own bread and never cut their hair.
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