[email protected]

Feel free to forward.

Especially notice where it says:

d. DoDEA will convene a full HSWG in September (tentative).

(1) The HSWG will consist of voting and non-voting members:

(a) The voting members will be comprised of representatives from
each component command, i.e. USAREUR; U.S. Air Force, Europe (USAFE);
Marine Forces, Europe (MARFOREUR); Navy, Europe (NAVEUR); Central
Command (CENTCOM); Marine Forces Pacific (MARFORPAC); U.S. Army,
Pacific (USARPAC); Eighth U.S. Army (EUSA); Commander in Chief,
Pacific (CINCPAC), and the Defense Domestic Education School System.
(DDESS). Each of the component commands will be permitted to
designate two voting representatives, one command representative and
one home schooling parent. (Only exception will be DDESS with two
home schooling parents.)

SO WHO ARE THE HOME SCHOOLING REPS GONNA BE????? I sure hope it'll
be people who consider themselves responsible for being *visible* and
*open* and *respectful of all homeschoolers* and *accountable to the
ENTIRE community*. This secret stuff is getting really old.

Anyways, here's the rest of it.

***************************

E-mail Letter from Dr. Mike Perez (Education Director, USAREUR):

1 . Over one year ago, LTG Jordan, USAREUR Deputy Commanding General
(DCG), became aware of a situation in Heidelberg involving a young
man who had been home schooled throughout his high school years.
This young man was a military family member who was unable to achieve
high enough scores on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery
(ASVAB) to qualify for entrance on active Army service. The DCG
began to ask a series of questions, such as:

a. Who is responsible for ensuring that home schooled children
within USAREUR communities receive a quality education?

b. What are the Commander's responsibilities concerning education of
all school age children in USAREUR?

c. How many school age children in USAREUR communities are being
home schooled?

d. What set of laws, rules, regulations apply for home schoolers in
USAREUR?


2 . The Education Division within the Office of the ADCSPIM is
responsible, among other things, for the DoDDS Liaison and Policy
Function at Headquarters, USAREUR. Research into this issue revealed
the following: Home schooling, like all education, is a States'
rights issue in the U.S. Therefore, almost all regulatory authority
concerning public education is found in the individual States' laws.
Likewise, each State passes laws concerning the conduct of home
schooling within that State.


3 . The crux of the home schooling issue is the balance of two sets
of rights:

a. The rights of parents to home school their school age children.

b. The rights of children to a quality education.


4 . In Europe, the rights of parents to home school their school age
children are protected. In fact, many parents within the European
U.S. community exercise this option.


5 . In Europe, there are no U.S. laws that protect the rights of
children to a quality education.


6 . Although there is a current Army regulation that briefly
addresses "educational neglect," there is insufficient definition to
provide meaningful guidance to Commanders in the enforcement of any
policy related to such neglect.


7 . A review of existing State laws in the U.S. reveals a wide range
of possible laws concerning home schooling.


8 . There is a series of councils in USAREUR that makes it possible
for parents, DoDDS teachers and administrators, and Commanders to
voice their concerns about education of school age children in this
Command. This series includes:

a. School Advisory Council (SAC) at the individual school level.

b. Installation Advisory Council (IAC) at the installation (ASG)
level.

c. Component Commander's Advisory Council, chaired by the DCG twice
annually.

d. The European Schools Council, chaired by the J-1 staff at
Headquarters, European Command (EUCOM), and attended by the USAREUR
DCG (also twice annually).

e. The Dependent Education Council, chaired by DoDEA in Arlington,
Virginia and attended by the USAREUR DCG twice annually.


9 . In the past two years, at each CCAC, ASG Commanders have voiced
their concern about the lack of detailed policy on home schooling in
EUCOM and in USAREUR. Based on these concerns, the USAREUR DCG
raised this issue at the past two DEC meetings in Arlington, VA. As
a result, the Department of Defense Education Agency (DoDEA) has
formed a Home Schooling Working Group (HSWG). The first meeting of
the HSWG was held on 12 Feb 01 at DoDEA HQ in Arlington, VA. Present
were representatives from:

a. HQ, DoDEA.
b. HQ, EUCOM, J-1.
c. HQ, Department of the Army, Community and Family Support Center
(CFSC).
d. HQ, U.S. Marine Corps.
e. HQ, U.S. Air Force.
f. HQ, USAREUR.


10 . Based on current States laws, following issues were identified
to be included in the HSWG focus:

a. Attendance/Hours of Instruction per Subject.
b. Record keeping.
c. Curriculum requirements/core subjects.
d. Teacher qualifications.
e. Requirement to notify of intent to home school.
f. Accountability.
g. Access to sports and other school-sponsored activities and
facilities.
h. Testing.


11 . Based on this preliminary meeting, the following actions were
taken:

a. DoDEA has requested Department of Defense (DoD) General Counsel
(GC) to conduct research and report concerning the laws of host
nations where military personnel are stationed outside the
Continental U.S. (OCONUS).

b. DoDEA has requested DoD GC to conduct research and report
concerning current regulations within DoD which might impact on home
schooling OCONUS.

c. DoDEA has requested Component Commands, e.g. USAREUR, to conduct
Home Schooling focus groups and has provided a set of standardized
questions for those groups.

d. DoDEA will convene a full HSWG in September (tentative).

(1) The HSWG will consist of voting and non-voting members:

(a) The voting members will be comprised of representatives from
each component command, i.e. USAREUR; U.S. Air Force, Europe (USAFE);
Marine Forces, Europe (MARFOREUR); Navy, Europe (NAVEUR); Central
Command (CENTCOM); Marine Forces Pacific (MARFORPAC); U.S. Army,
Pacific (USARPAC); Eighth U.S. Army (EUSA); Commander in Chief,
Pacific (CINCPAC), and the Defense Domestic Education School System.
(DDESS). Each of the component commands will be permitted to
designate two voting representatives, one command representative and
one home schooling parent. (Only exception will be DDESS with two
home schooling parents.)

(b) The non-voting members will be: DODEA; representatives from
each CINC (5)


12 . It is estimated that this meeting of the full HSWG will take 3-
4 days. This meeting will be conducted in the Washington, DC area.
The Home School Defense League of America and other external groups
will be invited to present.


13 . The HSWG will:

a. Consider the issues identified in paragraph 11 above.

b. Develop recommendations.

c. Report out to Director, DoDEA and other DoD officials.



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