Groundbreaking victory for homeschoolers
By Bobbie Patray
The bill that passed the Senate and House Schools requires that diplomas issued by homeschools be recognized by all state and local governmental entities as having the same rights and privileges of diplomas issued by public school systems.
Background: Despite the fact that home schooled students are being accepted in colleges and universities all across the nation as well as being recruited by Ivy League schools, it was learned a couple of years ago that some entities here in Tennessee that require a high school diploma to work decided that home schooled students from a “Category IV” schools did not meet that criteria. This decision affected day care workers and potential law enforcement recruits among others. Since the state recognizes and authorizes this kind of education, it is only just that diplomas from these schools be recognized. An effort to fix this problem failed last year. SB 433 was on the Senate floor May 4 where is passed 30-0. Sen. Sen. Andy Berke and House Speaker Ron Ramsey were among them.
HB 431 sponsored by homeschool dad repl Mike Bell (R-Riceville) was on the House floor Thursday morning. You would have been so proud of prime sponsor Mike Bill as he stood at the lectern at the front of the House floor for an hour and 40 minutes defending this ground-breaking piece of legislation. Mike did an outstanding job as he was peppered with questions, some that didn’t have anything to do with the bill. This was such a picture of “grace under fire,” that when the bill finally passed, he received a well-deserved round of applause.
In the end this bill passed Ayes 61, Nays 27. There was a minor change requiring it to go back to the Senate for a concurring vote Monday (May 11), but no problem is expected. Here’s the coverage in the Tennessean.