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Oklahoma
State Senate
Communications Division
State Capitol
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73105
For Immediate Release: February 3, 2011
Sen. Jim Wilson
Sen. Wilson says legislation would create accountability for home-schooled children
Although
Oklahoma
’s constitution mandates compulsory education for children,
the
re currently are no laws to ensure home-schooled children are actually being exposed
to educational materials. State Sen.
Jim Wilson has introduced two bills this session to ensure a level of accountability
for children being taught at home.
“We don’t even know exactly how many children are being home-schooled, and
the
re is no way to verify that even minimum standards are being met,”
Wilson
said. “My legislation would not impact
the
vast majority of parents who are providing a good education for
the
ir children—it simply establishes basic accountability to make sure some children
are not simply being kept out of school and offered little or no education at all.”
Wilson
said under current law, if a parent or guardian simply says he or she is home-schooling,
the
court system cannot intervene. Senate
Bill 393 would allow a truant officer to investigate compliance with compulsory
education to ensure children are being taught at home.
A companion measure, Senate Bill 394 would require a report at
the
end of each semester to measure
the
student’s academic progress.
Wilson
noted that during her campaign for State Superintendent, Janet Barresi voiced her
support for all forms of choice in education, as long as
the
re is strong accountability.
“Oklahoma
law guarantees families
the
right to home-school
the
ir children. That will not change,”
Wilson
said. “But as we strive to require
even greater accountability in our schools to ensure children are getting
the
education
the
y need for college and
the
workforce, it just makes sense to have standards that make sure home-schooled students
are getting
the
instruction
the
y need to succeed as well.”
For more information contact:
Sen. Wilson: 405-521-5574
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