From Homeschool Legal Defense Foundation - Hawaii
Senate Bill 1384: Mandatory Kindergarten
Sponsors: Tokuda, Oakland, Cruz, Kidani, Ige Bill Text Bill History
Summary: Senate Bill 1384 would require any child who turns 5 by December 31 to attend kindergarten beginning in the 2012-2013 school year. Senate Bill 1384 would also require any child who was enrolled in an alternative educational program or in a homeschool program to successfully pass a standardized admission test before they would be allowed to enter grade one in a public school.
HSLDA's Position: Oppose.
Action Requested: None at this time
Status: 12/01/2011 (Senate) Carried over to 2012 Regular Session
Last Updated: February 17, 2011
Senate Bill 86: Kindergarten Bill
Sponsors: Sen. will Espero
Summary: Senate Bill 86 would require a child who turns 5 years old by August 1 to attend kindergarten beginning in the 2013–2014 school year.
HSLDA's Position: Oppose.
Action Requested:
1) Please call and email the Senate Education Committee members listed HERE and give them this message in your own words:
"Please oppose Senate Bill 86. Lowering the compulsory attendance age will prevent parents from determining when their child is ready for school. Research has also shown that by the 3rd grade there is no academic advantage for mandatory kindergarten programs. Please vote this bill."
Status:
2/14/11 (Senate) Education Committee deferred the measure.
12/1/2011 (Senate) Carried over to 2012 Regular Session.
Background: Lowering the compulsory attendance age from 6 to 5 would subject Hawaii home educators to the requirements of the homeschool statute one year earlier than now required.
If Hawaii were to lower the compulsory attendance age, it would join only eight other states that have their compulsory attendance age that low. Twenty-four states, including Hawaii, have their compulsory attendance age at 6. Sixteen states have it at 7 and two states wait until 8.
According to the 2005 NAEP test scores of children from states that have low compulsory attendance ages (5-6) did not score any higher than children from the other states, and in some subjects their average was actually lower.
Many education experts have concluded that beginning a child's formal education too early may actually result in burnout and poor scholastic performance later.
Lowering the compulsory attendance age erodes the authority of parents who are in the best position to determine when their child's formal education should begin.
A report published February 6, 2007 by the Goldwater Institute examines Stanford 9 test scores and finds Arizona kindergarten programs initially improve learning but have no measurable impact on reading, math, or language arts test scores by fifth grade.
The data show that students in schools with all-day kindergarten programs have statistically significant higher 3rd-grade test scores, but there is no impact on 5th-grade scores. This finding is consistent with previous research. Forcing children into school early delivers short-term benefits at best.
Another significant impact of expanding the compulsory attendance age would be an inevitable tax increase to pay for more classroom space and teachers to accommodate the additional students compelled to attend public schools.
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House Bill 2701 and Senate Bill 2571: Relating to Domestic Relations
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Bill extends the rights, benefits, protections, and responsibilities of partners of civil unions.
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Bill extends the rights, benefits, protections, and responsibilities of partners of civil unions.
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01/24/2012 House Pending Introduction
01/25/2012 House Introduced
01/25/2012 House Referred to the House Judiciary
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01/20/2012 Senate Introduced
01/23/2012 Senate Passed first reading
01/23/2012 Senate Referred to Senate Judiciary and Labor
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Oppose.
Parental rights, including the right to homeschool, rest on marriage as it has been known and honored for centuries. An attack on one-man, one-woman marriage is an attack on the foundation of parental rights and, thus, on your right to homeschool your children.
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Oppose.
Parental rights, including the right to homeschool, rest on marriage as it has been known and honored for centuries. An attack on one-man, one-woman marriage is an attack on the foundation of parental rights and, thus, on your right to homeschool your children.
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None at this time
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None at this time
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 Other Resources
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House Bill Text
House Bill History
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Other Resources
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Senate Bill Text
Senate Bill History
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