A Loss in Maine
Veteran homeschool mom, support group leader and former HOME Regional Representative, Sue Lufkin, of Warren, passed away suddenly on December 20th. Sue had Wegener’s disease, which is an autoimmune disease that affects the respiratory system. Sue and her husband helped many families start and continue the homeschooling lifestyle. Sue was loved by all who knew her, and many homeschoolers looked to her for support and wisdom. She was not only a homemaker, but also a home builder! (She helped build houses, and was laying tiles the day before she was hospitalized, and found out about her illness.) She is survived by her husband Terry, and four teen children. Please pray for the family, friends, and the homeschooling community who depended upon Sue, she was an outstanding leader, mother, and wife. Of all the great stories and testimonies that could be give in memory of Sue, the greatest of these would be that she loved the Lord with all her heart and served Him with all her strength. Sue is greatly missed by all who knew and loved her.

Maine: Suspicious 'Truant Officer' in Southern Maine
A routine lunch for a Home School Legal Defense Association mother and her 8-year-old daughter at a local restaurant resulted in an unexpected and unwanted meeting. The lunching duo was approached by an older man who asked the mother why her daughter was not in school. When the mother replied that she homeschooled her daughter, the man identified himself as a school truancy officer and said, "I'm going to have to arrest you." The mother wisely decided that the best course of action was to ignore this man. After a few moments, he left the mother and daughter and did not bother them again. Later, the family called HSLDA. We called the school district with the name and description of the man. The school district immediately confirmed that he was not a truancy officer with the school district, and their truancy officer would never approach a family in public and threaten to arrest them. We encourage families to know their rights. You are free to keep a flexible homeschool schedule. If you are harassed by someone claiming to be from the school district, and they are in fact not from the school district, you always have the option of reporting this to the police.

Homeschool Graduates Enlisting in the Military Protected by New Law
There is more good news for homeschool graduates seeking to enlist in the Armed Services. On January 6, 2006, President Bush signed Public Law 109-163, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006. Section 591 of the Act requires all four branches of the Armed Forces to institute a uniform recruitment policy for homeschool graduates, to communicate the policy down to the recruiting officer level, and to exempt homeschool graduates from any otherwise applicable requirement to have a secondary school diploma or a GED (which suggests the student dropped out of high school). Homeschool graduates who desire a career with any of the four Armed Services are currently designated as "preferred enlistees." This means that homeschool graduates who enlist in the military will be treated as if they are Tier I candidates even though their formal status will remain Tier II. Therefore, homeschoolers will receive the same educational benefits, cash bonuses, and available positions in the Armed Services that they would receive if they were Tier I candidates. HSLDA has been working with the military for several years to remove discriminatory barriers for homeschool graduates. Beginning in 1998, HSLDA secured a pilot project that lasted six years where homeschoolers were experimentally categorized as Tier I candidates, which is the same status as high school graduates from public schools. Although the program continued until October, 2004, it was not renewed. HSLDA contacted the Administration and explained our situation. A meeting was arranged for us with the Assistant Secretary of Defense and a few other Pentagon officials a month later. As a result of the meeting in January 2005, the Department of Defense issued a letter stating that homeschoolers were considered "preferred enlistees" and that there were no "practical limits" to the numbers of homeschoolers who could obtain entrance into the Armed Services. At that point, the Department of Defense, at the highest levels, began working with HSLDA to resolve every problem at the local recruitment level with homeschool graduates. Over time, as the new policy is implemented, local recruiters will be able to properly advise homeschoolers. As a result of the 1998-2004 pilot project, and the January 2005 directive from the Department of Defense, thousands of homeschoolers are serving our country faithfully in the Armed Services.
 

"Home School Heartbeat"--Bringing History to Life
Turn history from a dry collection of facts to a meaningful account of God's hand in the affairs of men. Read more about it at: http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=2823

 

From HSLDA: Dear Friends of the Home School Foundation,
In early November, the Foundation launched a program to send gift checks to the widows and single parents we had been able to help over the last year. We gave out 255 gifts through this program, sending out a gift of $100 to each widow or single parent plus $100 for each of their children. Each check was sent in a beautiful Christmas card along with a personal note of encouragement from one of our staff. The responses we received are overwhelming. Even a month later, we are still getting thank-you notes from widows and single parents who are praising the generosity of God. Thanks to homeschoolers like you, we were able to show that God really does care for the widows and the fatherless. Thank you, dear friends, for providing hope to these precious families who struggle to keep going and make ends meet. You touched hearts and gave a testimony of Christ's love and intimate care for the "least of these."

Homeschool Graduate Told to Get a GED or be Fired
In November, Richard, a young homeschool graduate who also completed four years of college, obtained a job at the same company as his father. The company is located in the suburbs of Chicago, Ill. Everything went well at work until a few months into his employment. He was told by a member of the management that he "must get a GED or be fired." The homeschool family was very upset since taking the GED carries the stigma of being a high school dropout and their son had already completed four years of college. They contacted HSLDA for help. HSLDA immediately reviewed the case and contacted the employer. After some delay, HSLDA Senior Counsel Chris Klicka was able to speak with a member of management. He explained that a GED is objectionable because it carries the stigma of being a dropout. Richard Belmont had fully completed high school at home and received his homeschool high school diploma. Furthermore, he had completed four years of college and had graduated. Klicka explained that the U.S. Congress previously required homeschool graduates to obtain a GED in order to receive federal financial assistance, but that an amendment to the Higher Education Act removed this requirement. Ever since, homeschoolers have been able to obtain federal financial aid for college by merely stating that they have a homeschool high school diploma. Klicka also explained that the military used to require homeschool graduates to obtain a GED in order to enlist in one of the four branches of the armed services. Again, an amendment was made to federal legislation which removed the GED requirement for homeschool graduates. Now they only have to produce a homeschool diploma and transcript. Also, many colleges required GEDs but the overwhelming majority have abandoned this requirement because it as an unnecessary test. Colleges now rely on ACT or SAT college entrance exams because they are a more meaningful indicator of college readiness. The management of this business was very eager to solve the problem and agreed to drop any further demands for a GED. They admitted that it was wrong to require a GED after the young man was already employed and doing his job well. After a short conversation, the problem was solved. Richard Belmont, would not be fired, nor would he have to obtain a GED. We are thankful that this employer saw the situation clearly.

 Home School Heartbeat--Living on One Income and Making it Work
You can survive on a single income! Jonni McCoy shares tips and tricks for successfully living on a reduced budget.
Read more about it at: http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=2739

There's No Place Like Home
Much concern has been expressed by conservative groups across the nation over a recent decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, in San Francisco. In the case of "Fields v. Palmdale School District," Circuit Judge Reinhardt, writing for the court, ruled against the fundamental constitutional right of parents to direct the upbringing and the education of their children. Read more about it at: http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?ID=2673

 
Homeschooler's Essay Garners National Award by Andrea Longbottom
Ian Gilbert was one of six high school juniors to win the third annual Idea of America Essay Contest sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The 17-year-old homeschooler joined the grand-prize winner and five other finalists at the NEH awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., on October 18, 2005. Ian received $1000 and a medal for his winning essay. This year, NEH required contestants to write an essay answering the following questions: "How were the tenets of . . . totalitarian movements different from the ideals that unite Americans? How did the ideals embodied in the American founding prevail?" In his essay, "The People's Government or the Government's People?" Ian contrasted the ideals of totalitarian governments with the ideals of democracy. "While the citizens of Communist and Fascist nations slaved away for the benefit of a dictator, the governments of democratic countries such as the United States trust citizens to make their own decisions," he wrote. His essay was judged by a panel of 16 history teachers and then reviewed by the National Council on the Humanities, which recommended it to NEH Chairman Bruce Cole. "I didn't really think about the 'contest' aspect that much," says Ian. "I had no idea I was going to win!" The high schooler decided to write the essay when his online history teacher offered extra credit to students for entering the contest. Ian spent several weeks researching and writing before submitting his essay in April 2005. "Writing the essay gave me a greater appreciation of our democratic system," says Ian. "It also gave me better organizational skills in writing. I think it was one of the most strongly organized papers I've ever written. I did more revising and proofreading than I've ever done before!" Ian has been homeschooled since 2nd grade, along with his two younger brothers. He says home education helped him develop critical thinking skills that he used when writing his essay. Frequent family discussion played a large role in sharpening his thinking. "We discuss topics together, like the different forms of government," says Ian. "Because of that, I'd done a lot of thinking about the topic of the essay before I decided to do the contest." Now a senior in high school, Ian is researching liberal arts colleges and considering majors. He is interested in many different fields of study, from science to writing. He also enjoys astronomy, his local 4-H program, building scale airplane models, and playing the piano and guitar in his church youth group.