Eileen Weiser, State Board of Ed Trustee who opposes "War on Homeschoolers" along with fellow Republican, Dr. Richard Zeile

By Brandon Hall
(Email him at WestMiPolitics@Gmail.com)

State of Michigan Board of Education trustee Eileen Weiser blasted a controversial bill declaring "War on Homeschoolers" in an email to fellow BOE members this week, defending the homeschool community and urging the State Board not to pass a resolution supporting controversial legislation from Democrat State Rep. Stephanie Chang.

The Board voted 5-1 to back Chang's homeschool surveillance bill. Dr. Richard Zeile voted no, and Weiser attended most of the meeting, but was unable to stay for the vote because of a commitment to a family event-her son's graduation.

Dr. Richard Zeile, MI State BOE

Here is the email from Weiser:

"This bill wouldn't have prevented the Blair murders. According to media reports, the daughter was enrolled in school, and the teacher who questioned her absence asked the mother but didn't report the child's absence to the school for truancy evaluation. This bill doesn't provide measures to ensure that children would be educated or safe if their parents are negligent or worse. It's unlikely that any major new restrictions to home schoolers in the School Code can pass without the support of the home school community.

SBE is charged with overseeing the education of all children in Michigan. One possibility might be to have every parent in the state give their district a "notice of intent to educate" annually for every child - listing public (traditional, school choice, PSA), private or home schooling, or other (out of state custodial parent or boarding school). That might help districts plan for enrollment in the fall. It's unlikely that this nuance could become law without some accommodation for home-school and private school parents who are often denied any use of their local schools after hours despite paying taxes that include local millages for those facilities; and who see no reimbursement for their educational costs - a fact that saves the state millions of dollars annually.

Michigan's opposition to vouchers mean it's unlikely that committed, caring private school parents and home school families will ever be reimbursed for their substantial costs for tutors, privately-contracted regular or special education services, curriculum costs, enrichment programs in arts, sports or other areas, or educational materials for which they currently pay. But if they could join their neighbors in using their local district facilities and services after school, more of them might support being part of the system. The overwhelming majority of home-schooling families are people you know through community or church (including several members of the Legislature). They deserve respect with thoughtful conversations that may bring a compromise on this issue.

I can't support HB 4899. If the State Board truly wants all children learning as safely as possible with high academic outcomes, we should ask legislators to find a healthy compromise with private and home school families. It's entirely possible a better solution can be found if the right parties talk with each other. This bill won't do that"

>>>Read more here:

DISGUSTING: State Board Of Ed Declares WAR On Homeschoolers, Backs Chang Bill

WAR On HomeSchoolers: Pavlov Blasts Controversial New Legislation, Calls It Bullying

GOP lambastes Democratic home-schooling bill

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Brandon Hall is a lifelong political nerd from Grand Haven, and is the Managing Editor of West Michigan Politics.
>>>Email him at WestMiPolitics@Gmail.com

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