State-licensed day care centers and police departments had turned up their noses at the qualifications of several homeschool grads, claiming they hadn’t really graduated from high school because they had their credentials from an umbrella school.

Gov. Phil Bredesen signed the bill to end this unfavorable trend.

The bill was sponsored by Rep. Mike Bell, a homeschool dad who got his start in the affairs of the state legislature by being engaged as a lobbyist for THEA.

We should praise God that the law has been altered to give this largely Christian group of families the credit that the marketplace is already given to their graduating children.

Here is the bulk of the language of the less-than-one-page piece of legislation passed by both houses of the General Assembly:

Section 1-3-1__. Notwithstanding any rule, regulation, or other provision of law to the contrary, a high school diploma awarded by a school as defined by Section 49-50- 801 or Section 49-6-3050 in recognition of completion of secondary educational requirements shall be considered by all departments, agencies, commissions or other such entities of state and local government as having all the rights and privileges of a high school diploma awarded by a public school system. This section shall not apply to state lottery proceeds as provided in title 49, chapter 4, part 9.
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.

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.

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20090508/NEWS0201/905080380/Bill+orders+equality+for+home-school+diplomas

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is a major threat to parents’ freedom to raise their children as they believe best — to teach them their religious faith, to discipline them in a Biblical manner, to manage their health care, and much more. Support for a Parental Rights Amendment to the federal constitution is an important way to stop this threat.

Many leaders in the new Administration and Congress support the UNCRC, including Hillary Clinton (nominated for Secretary of State) and Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif. Godly parents need to unite to protect our rights from this attack, and <www.ParentalRights.org> offers an important way we can help prevent adoption of the UNCRC by the federal government.

10 things you need to know about the structure of the CRC

• It is a treaty which creates binding rules of law. It is no mere statement of altruism.
• Its effect would be binding on American families, courts, and policy-makers.
• Children of other nations would not be impacted in any direct way by our ratification.
• The CRC would automatically override almost all American laws on children and families because of our supremacy clause.
• The CRC has some elements that are self-executing, while others would require implementing legislation. Federal courts would have the power to determine which provisions were self-executing.
• The courts would have the power to directly enforce the provisions that are self-executing.
• Congress would have the power to directly legislate on all subjects necessary to comply with the treaty. This would constitute the most massive shift of power from the states to the federal government in American history.
• A committee of 18 experts from other nations, sitting in Geneva, has the authority to issue official interpretations of the treaty which are entitled to binding weight in American courts and legislatures. This effectively transfers ultimate authority for all policies in this area to this foreign committee.
• Under international law, a treaty overrides even our Constitution.
• Reservations, declarations, or understandings intended to modify our duty to comply with this treaty will be void if they are determined to be inconsistent with the object and purpose of the treaty.

10 things you need to know about the substance of the CRC

• Parents would no longer be able to administer reasonable spankings to their children.
• A murderer aged 17 years, 11 months and 29 days at the time of his crime could no longer be sentenced to life in prison.
• Children would have the ability to choose their own religion while parents would only have the authority to give their children advice about religion.
• The best interest of the child principle would give the government the ability to override every decision made by every parent if a government worker disagreed with the parent’s decision.
• A child’s “right to be heard” would allow him (or her) to seek governmental review of every parental decision with which the child disagreed.
• According to existing interpretation, it would be illegal for a nation to spend more on national defense than it does on children’s welfare.
• Children would acquire a legally enforceable right to leisure.
• Teaching children about Christianity in schools has been held to be out of compliance with the CRC.
• Allowing parents to opt their children out of sex education has been held to be out of compliance with the CRC.
• Children would have the right to reproductive health information and services, including abortions, without parental knowledge or consent.

An important step toward preventing adoption of the UNCRC is to pass the Parental Rights Amendment to the federal constitution being prepared for introduction in Congress.

Amendment’s Proposed Text

Section 1

The liberty of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children is a fundamental right.

Section 2

Neither the United States nor any state shall infringe upon this right without demonstrating that its governmental interest as applied to the person is of the highest order and not otherwise served.

Section 3

No treaty nor any source of international law may be employed to supersede, modify, interpret, or apply to the rights guaranteed by this article.

Action Step

Please go to https://www.parentalrights.org/petition and sign the petition for the adoption of the Parental Rights Amendment to the Constitution.

Pass this information on to friends and encourage them to do the same.

The board would like for as many home educators who are able to come to Oakwood Baptist for a short speech and a Q&A concerning issues dear to home schooling families. The event will be held at Oakwood Baptist Church in the Fellowship Hall at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 13, a Monday. We are thankful that Sen. Berke is taking the time and showing interest in the homeschooling community and would like to have a good showing of families. Feel free to bring your well behaved younger children and encourage your older children to come with you for a little impromptu civics lesson.

This is a great opportunity to meet, question and chat with a legislator who represents senate district 10 which is all Marion County and large areas of Hamilton County.

To check if you are in his district go to http://www.lib.chattanooga.gov/govDocs/images/HamCosenatedistricts.jpg.