ESD Notification
The Northwest Regional ESD, which includes Clatsop, Columbia, Tillamook and Washington counties, sent out a letter to some homeschoolers announcing their new online homeschool notification system. The last sentence states, "To ensure compliance with ORS 339.035, please log on and update your student information as soon as possible."
Currently, their new online registration system requires a telephone number and email address; however, OAR 581-021-0026(1)(f) states:
"Notification" means written notice containing:
(A) The child's and the parent's name, address, telephone number (optional), and e-mail address (optional);
(B) The child's birth date; and
(C) The name of the school the child is presently attending, or last attended, or if child has not attended school, the name of the public school district in which the child resides.
Roger Williams, OCEANetwork's Legislative Coordinator, has talked with the Northwest Regional ESD about reworking their online registration so that entering your telephone number and email address are optional.
If you choose to register using the new online system and you don't want to share your telephone number or e-mail address, you may need to wait until the ESD has changed the system so that telephone number and email address are optional. You may also choose to notify on paper through the mail since that continues to fulfill the legal requirements.
The Statutes and Administrative Rules governing Oregon homeschoolers are available on the OHEN website:
http://www.ohen.org/oregon/legal
HB 2797
House Bill 2797 was heard by the House Education Committee on April 15, 2009.
Unfortunately, we don't have enough votes on the committee to move the bill forward this year. However, as sponsor Senator Starr described it, this
hearing was good "continuing education" for the legislators, especially for some new Education Committee members who have not heard these issues before.
Please continue to work with your legislators to build a better understanding of the "home education is private education" message, and increase our chances of strengthening our home education freedom next session.
HB 2797 would have removed the standardized testing and reporting requirements to which homeschoolers are still subject but other privately educated children are not. HB 2797 was sponsored by Representative Barker and Senator Starr, at the request of Oregon Home Education Network (OHEN) and Oregon Christian Education Association Network (OCEANetwork).
A synopsis of HB 2797
Arguments in favor of HB 2797
To read the content of HB 2797, go here.
Contacting Your Legislators
To find your state legislator, go to http://www.leg.state.or.us/findlegsltr/
enter your street address, and then scroll down the resulting list to the last two entries, which will be your state Senator and state Representative.
Tips for contacting legislators
Information addressing common concerns:
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