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Another On-Line Charter School Continues Threat to Homeschooling in

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Ohio Home Education Coalition Another On - Line Charter School Continues Threat to Homeschooling in Ohio Revised April, 2002 " Summary : White Hat Management, a for - profit charter school management company from Akron, recently received sponsorship from the U niversity of Toledo Charter Schools Council to begin another state - wide, on - line community (charter) school in Ohio called OHDELA. The first of this type of state - wide community cyber - school, eCOT, began in September, 2000. " Both of these community school s tart ups have targeted homeschooling as its cmarket. d " Both have ignored the clear distinction between the regulations which have successfully described home education since 1989 and the required, expansive (and growing) community school laws as they market their product.

" Both presented proposals to sponsors and the media which extensively named homeschooling and its concepts, often with negative or uninformed portrayals, in order to create the illusion that cyber - schooling is homeschooling. " Both suggested t hat homeschoolers were somehow in need of the equipment and school - based services they provide despite a long record of successful homeschooling without state support. " Neither discussed its proposal in any systematic ... more. less.

or measurable way with homeschoolers a round Ohio prior to presenting their proposal for sponsorship.<br><br> " Left to continue their marketing strategies, these community schools endanger the homeschooling regulations and the freedoms embraced by homeschoolers. This fact sheet will discuss those danger s and make suggestions that homeschoolers can take to continue to protect our freedoms and the good name of home education in Ohio. Background Briefly, there are seven classifications of elementary or secondary educational options in Ohio.<br><br> 1 A community s chool, often called a ccharter school d in other parts of the country, is one of those classifications. For purposes of this fact sheet, we will use the term community school. 1 Chartered public school (traditional, neighborhood public school, funded by state taxes.<br><br> Chartered nonpublic school (private and most religious schools under standards described in OAC 3301 - 35 - 12 and receiving some state tax funding in ORC 3317); Nonchartered, nontax - supported schools : As described in OAC 3301 - 35 - 08 or c08 schools, d organized based on "truly held reli gious beliefs;" not state - funded and have minimal requirements); Voucher schools (a pilot program, created originally in 1995 in Ohio in ORC 3313.97); Community schools (public schools as defined in Chapter 3314 of ORC; often referred to as "charter school s. d These schools receive public funds and have requirements of other publicly funded schools, including testing, special education law, audits, recording keeping, immunizations, etc.); Post - secondary option : (provides for a high school student to have dua l enrollment in college courses and is described in ORC 3365.02); Home education (education "primarily directed and provided by the parent or guardian of a child." The rules are covered under OAC 3301.34.) In 1997, ORC 3314 created community schools and 15 such schools opened during th e 1998 - 1999 school year. Each community school signs a contract with a state - allowed sponsor. 2 Community schools receive the same type of state and federal funds which traditional school districts receive, as well as state and federal start - up funding.<br><br> In the 2000 - 2001 school year, at least 70 schools were open, an increase of 367% over the first year of implementation. In the same period, student enrollment increased by 535% to 14,798 recorded students in October 2000. 3 2 Legislative Office of Education Oversight (LOEO) , Community Schools in Ohio: Second Year Implementation Report, Volume II, Policy Issues, April 2001, page 1.<br><br> 3 LOEO, Second Year, Policy Issues, page 5. Revised April, 2002 2 Although community schools claim t o have fewer governmental restrictions, one may find several requirements to be equal to the restrictions imposed on other public schools. In fact, ALL community schools are legally bound to meet the requirements defined in at least 13 entire chapters and 33 separate sections of Ohio Re vised Code.<br><br> 4 Several conditions which homeschoolers may find to be troublesome include: " Ohio requirements related to special education [Chapter 3323] " All federal requirements for special education " Statewide proficiency testi ng [Sections 3301.0710 and 3301.0711] 5 " Education Management Information System or EMIS which is the state student data collection system [Section 3301.0714] " Various requirements regarding immunizations, health screenings, vision and hearing testing, denta l screenings, tuberculin testing, and other health related laws [Sections 3313.50, 3313.67, 3313.673, 3313.69, 3313.71, 3313.716] " Health and safety standards established by law for school buildings. 6 On - line community schools, or cyber - schools, are now de veloping. Any future developments which are required of community schools will be required of OHDELA, eCOT, and other cyber - schools which might evolve.<br><br> Although citizens may be told that the community school is free to set its own curriculum and that it w ill not adopt burdensome standards, all community school students will be measured by the same tests as those 4 LOEO Community Schools in Ohio: First Year Implementation Report, april 2000, page C - 14 to 16. 5 Th e governor recently signed expansive legislation, SB1, which will revamp the entire proficiency testing requirements, develop two layers of state testing in achievement and diagnostic tests, develop state standards, align curriculum to those standards, and expand the grade levels where testing is required, including kindergarten. Proficiency testing will be changed to be called achievement testing and will begin in 3rd grade of the 2003 - 2004 school year.<br><br> By 2009 - 2010, achievement tests will be administered in 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, and 8th. Newly - created Ohio Graduation Tests will be administered in 10th, 11th, and 12th grades See Provisions of Senate Bill 1, Ohio Department of Education, available online at: http://www.ode.state.oh.us/legislative/ 6 LOEO, Fir st Year, page C - 16. enrolled in more traditional public schools.<br><br> Therefore, it seems that most community schools must guide their curriculum toward csuccess d on these many tests to maintain their cgood standing. d Such practices have never been required of homeschooling families in Ohio. Homeschooling will never be enrollment Ohio Administrative Code 3301 - 34 which, since 1989, has defined home education and the requir ements of both parents and the local superintendent, will not apply to anyone who enrolls in OHDELA, eCOT or any other community cyber - school. Unlike the many laws described above, this code has just six sections and has the stated purpose c...to safeguard the primary right of parents to provide the education for their child(ren). d Policy makers define community/charter schools quite clearly: cSince charter schools are public schools, the public funding that supports them remains in the public schools syst em. d 7 There is no doubt that charter school enrollees are public school students.<br><br> Homeschooling is not determined by a building. It never has been. But, that may not be so clear, especially with savvy marketing and corporate - styled PR campaigns which purp osely muddle the distinct difference between a cyber - school performed at a place of residence and a homeschool .<br><br> There is and must remain a clear distinction between homeschooling and public school - enrolled students (and the taxpayer dollars which support them accompanied by the required accountability to citizens). This will be the only way for homeschooling freedoms to be protected, maintained and improved . 7 LOEO, Second Year, Policy Issues, page 1.<br><br> 3 Revised April, 2002 eCOT sets the standard? In September, 2000 , eCOT opened. 8 In their proposal to thei r sponsor, eCOT stated that their ctargeted student populations d were c...home schooled and those not currently attending school ... d 9 The media reported eCOT, managed by Altair, as homeschooling as well: c...More important, however, is the start - up of char ter schools for home - schooled children.<br><br> White Hat Management and Columbus - based Altair Learning.com are both attempting to start up charter schools that would link thousands of home - schooled children to Internet computer education programs. d 10 c[eCOT] is e xpected to appeal to the growing ranks of home - schooling families across Ohio... 8Many of these parents feel alienated from Ohio's educational systems, 9 the school's application said. 8A feeling of being completely without support is common among these par ent/student segments. 9 d 11 Despite no measurable or systematic contact with Ohio homeschoolers, eCOT targeted homeschoolers, not only in their proposal but in direct mailings to homeschoolers and in public presentations.<br><br> The media reported an assumed connec tion to homeschooling. Effectively, without much effort, the illusion is created that cyber - schooling is homeschooling. The problem becomes...<br><br> If the public equates cyber - schooling with homeschooling, what happens to homeschooling when cyber - schooling prac tices come under fire? In November, 2000, the Auditor of the State 9s Special Audit Committee voted to initiate a Special Audit of eCOT. This was due to concerns by the state, reported various times in the media, regarding the enrollment practices of eCOT a nd potential misuse of tax dollars.<br><br> The Auditor 9s Special Audit was completed in November, 2001. 12 Citing from that report: 8 An OHEC fact sheet on eCOT published in May, 2000, and revised in April, 2002, can be found on - line at http://grafixbynix.com/ohec/charter.shtml 9 eCOT, Lucas County Community Schools Appli cation, January 19, 2000, page 5. 10 Akron Beacon Journal, Charter schools may cash in , May 30, 2000.<br><br> 11 Toledo Blade, 1st online charter school in Ohio OK 9d, March 30, 2000 . 12 Auditor of the State of Ohio, Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow, Special Audit, No vember 13, 2001, available on line at " c In November of 2000, the Executive Director of ODE 9s Office of School Finance, contacted the Auditor of State 9s Office regarding the significant student enrollment reported by ECOT on its September 2000 and October 2000 Average Daily Membership (ADM) reports and possible irregularities in how those enrollment amounts were generated. Also in November 2000, representatives of the Auditor of State 9s Office met with then ECOT Superintendent, Dr.<br><br> Coletta Musick, who expressed concerns that numerous students included within ECOT 9s enrollment numbers for September and October 2000 did not actually receive services from ECOT during those months . d (Page 10) " cODE paid ECOT based on an estimated enrollment and expected attendance rather than actual recorded hours of computer - based instruction. For September, ODE paid $932,030 in Basic Formula funding for 2,270 students although only 7 students logg ed - in to one of the available computer - based instruction systems. For October, ODE paid $983,750 in Basic Formula funding for 2,346 students although only 506 students logged - in to one of the available computer - based instruction systems.<br><br> Using actual hours of recorded computer - based instruction as the basis for funding, ODE paid ECOT $1,897,192 for which there is no documentation to support actual hours of computer - based instruction. d (Emphasis added) (Page 4) If the legal and philosophical distinctions bet ween homeschooling and cyber - schooling are ambiguous and inaccurately clouded by cyber - schooling marketers and the media, when cyber - school practices come under fire, homeschooling will too. The public, as well as legislators who are accountable for the ta xpayers funds, will make no distinction between cyber - schooling and homeschooling, and home education will inevitably become swept up into greater regulatory control. http://www.auditor.state.oh.us/ or from State of Ohio, Office of the Auditor, 88 E.<br><br> Broad Street, P.O. Box 1140, Columbus, OH 43216 - 1440. Revised April, 2002 4 Homeschoolers did not create this problem It was never the choice of the homes chooling community to refer to enrollment in any public school as chome education. d It was clearly the choice and desire of the marketers of cyber - schools to co - opt the concepts and terms of homeschooling, To the authors 9 knowledge, neither eCOT nor OHD ELA (see below) provided any measurable or systematic means for homeschoolers to participate in the discussion of any developing cyber - school prior to a contract being signed with a sponsor, prior to mass marketing campaigns.<br><br> There is no evidence of publi c meetings being held and reports from homeschooling support groups state that they were never contacted . If homeschoolers would have been contacted, the marketers for these cyber - schools would have discovered that the very concepts which make homeschool ing successful are contrary to those proposed by cyber - schools. Above all else, homeschoolers value the freedom each family has in establishing its own educational philosophy.<br><br> They value the freedom to choose the resources and learning opportunities which best promote their philosophy and serves their child. The model for public schools, including cyber - schools, denies these freedoms. By enrolling in any public school, the family is bound by the dictates of the local and state requirements for public sch ools and is no longer homeschooling.<br><br> The authors hope that one day, there is true educational freedom for all. Major, well - funded trends and turf - battles do not foretell this phenomenon in the near future. In fact, quite the contrary.<br><br> Parents can choose cyber - school. They can also choose homeschooling. But, it is a distinct choice, not a hybrid.<br><br> Enter OHDELA White Hat Management, a for - profit charter school management company from Akron, recently received sponsorship from the University of Toledo Chart er Schools Council (UTCSC) for the Ohio Distance & Electronic Learning Academy. OHDELA made at least three presentations to the UTCSC in order to obtain contract approval. These presentations were made in April, October and November, 2001.<br><br> 13 (Unless otherwi se footnoted, the points below can be found on Pages 67 or 68 of the OHDELA Contract.) OHDELA 9s own descriptions and requirements for their program aptly demonstrate the many differences between homeschooling and community schools, including cyber - school s, and the laws required of them cited above in Background. " Parents are assumed to be incapable : " "To ensure that the parents are able to instruct their children capably, The Academy will hold a mandatory training program. The Academy's Principal and Maste r Teachers will conduct this training program." " cInstructional Management Teacher (IMT) will monitor parents and students on an on - going basis to ensure that the curriculum is followed, and [OH]DELA provided learning materials are properly used. d 14 " Parents and students are required to undertake institutional school work loads, rigid time frames, and intrusive technology, rather than enjoy educational freedom: " c Parents will become familiar with the electronic curriculum, the various delivery systems availabl e, instructional kits and supplements, textbooks, workbooks, computer software, Internet resources, and periodicals.<br><br> Parents will be trained how to use these resources, develop instructional planning, and design related educational activities. All approved materials needed for instruction will be available through the Academy. d 15 " " The parents agree that 920 hours of educational opportunities will be offered to each student over the course of the academic year, five hours each of the 184 days of the academic year." Comment: Cyber - schooling is the chief method utilized for each child . 13 There are various documents relevant to OHDELA which are available from the University of Toledo Charter School Council, (UTCSC) P.O.<br><br> Box 141025, Toledo, OH 43614. These include: = DELA Executive Summary and Program Narrative dated April 19, 2001; = Initial Marketing Plan and Assessment and Testing Plan (both undated); = Power - poi nt presentation for OHDELA to the UTCSC dated April 27, 2001, with accompanying financial documents; = Charter Approval Presentation, a power - point presentation to the UTCSC dated October 19, 2001; = Final OHDELA Contract with accompanying documents dated November 16, 2001. 14 Power - point presentation, April 27, 2001.<br><br> 15 Executive Summary, Page 1. 5 Revised April, 2002 Additionally, with one computer for up to three children (see The money trail below), and the computer being the chief focus of the curriculum, the computer could be utilized up to 15 hours each day in each home. " "The parent will maintain a timelog, based on forms provided by the academy, using sophomore administration tracking dta [sic - possibly "data"] and/or an e - mail system which will monitor and ensure that the student is prov ided with the requested hours of learning opportunities." " cParents must agree to...work with the IMT (Instructional Management Teacher) on a weekly basis to create lesson plans and logs....to proctor weekly tests for their child(ren) provided by the IMT an d submit for grading....to certify that all work submitted has been completed by their child(ren)...to assign grades based upon the direction and guidance of the [OH]DELA staff and grading policies and procedures...to bring their child(ren) to a location s pecified by [OH]DELA on a periodic basis for testing purposes. d 16 " Educational philosophy and resources no longer self - determined by a family : " "The parents will agree that during the 920 hours of learning opportunities presented to the student that no reli gious instruction of any kind will take place." " " The graded course of study allows the parent or teacher to become more aware of the anticipated student performance at their respective levels and skills needed for subsequent learning.<br><br> In providing a pedag ogic framework that brings cohesiveness to the entire program, it will help the individual parent or teacher to integrate the Academy curriculum and teaching methods using sources that maintain the philosophy of the Academy." Comment : Ignore the "education - speak" enough to realize the goal here. Despite what one may be told by OHDELA marketers about "home schooling," "family - based education" or other euphemistic references that 16 Power - point presentation, April 27, 2001. Suggest home education, the PHILOSOPHY OF THE ACADEMY is the required philosophy .<br><br> There is a distinct difference in determination of that philosophy being a family - centered and family - decided vs. a philosophy by a publicly - funded, state accountable cyber - school . " "The materials and services purchased by the parent and student with fun ds from the stipend [issued by OHDELA] may only be such services and materials that have been approved by the Academy and which the Academy has set forth on a resource and resource provider list supplied to the parent by the Academy or the management compa ny." " "Upon admission of any handicapped student, the School shall comply with federal and state laws regarding the education of handicapped children." 17 " State standards and accountability processes and continuous monitoring procedures determine csuccess d rather than the inherent love of learning being the motivation for a family : " c Electronic Curriculum Highlights: Aligns learning activities with state standards...Individualized assessment...Maintains student data and tracks mastery. d 18 " "On - going formativ e and summative testing will indicate the success or failure of the academic student." " "Parents will ensure that their children take part in the Ohio Proficiency Test which will be administered at centralized locations to ensure the security, standardiza tion, and validity of the tests. d 19 17 Contract, page 6 and page 8 of Attachment 1, Code of Regulations.<br><br> 18 Power - point presentation, October 19, 2001. 19 Powe r - point presentation, April 27, 2001. Revised April, 2002 6 Paper trails and privacy issues : " c[Contract Teachers] will provide instruction in students 9 home -- either in person or via web - based conferencing -- or the parent, teacher and student may hold instruction at some o ther agreed location. d 20 " Regarding intervention: "The intervention will be continually documented in the student's cumulative record creating a paper trail denoting intervention as an on - going process." 21 " "The Academy will verify eligibility according to r esidency and will report names and addresses to the local school district of those students who are enrolled in the Center." 22 " "The school will report student demographic information, including racial ethnic data as required by the EMIS reporting system." 23 " State and federal tax monies not quite enough 3 candy sales door - to - door?<br><br> " "Nothing in this section shall prevent the School from charging reasonable class, book or similar fees which shall not exceed $50.00 annually per student or the School's engaging in voluntary fund - raising activities." 24 " Homeschooling as a market " From page 1 of the Initial Marketing Plan, contacts will be made: cThrough established contacts, home school parents will be provided with the opportunity to learn more about OHDELA. H ome school parents will be encouraged to provide information to peer home school parents. Informational packets will be sent to all known home school parents who are 20 Executive Summary, page 1.<br><br> 21 Contract, page 70 of Attachment 3 22 Contract, Governance and Administration Plan, Attachment 3A, page 9 23 Contract, Governance and Administration Plan, Attachment 3A, page 9 24 Contract, p age 6. registered through the County Boards of Education. d Comment : Nothing was specified in this marketing plan about targeting students in conventional public schools, private schools, or other community schools, only homeschoolers. The money trail Charter cyber - school corporations want homeschoolers because they will receive a combined state an d federal allotment of at least $5,000 for each child.<br><br> OHDELA anticipates revenues of $5,041 this fiscal year and $5,516 by fiscal year 2006 for each child they sign on. They will incur none of the many expenses associated with school lands and buildings, transportation, desks, heat and electricity, janitors, gym class or the football team. (Currently, a nonprofit status is required by state law for community schools.<br><br> A growing number of the community schools are managed by for - profit corporations. Many community schools have only received state nonprofit status, rather than fulfill the more rigorous requirements of federal nonprofit status. Effectively, these community schools, and their management companies in turn, receive Ohio taxpayer monies and use them to pay the federal income taxes of for - profit management corporations.) By contract, does taxpayer - provided funding go to the nonprofit corporation known as OHDELA?<br><br> No, it goes to White Hat Distance Learning (WHDL), the for - profit management corpo ration. cThe School shall pay a monthly continuing fee to the Company [White Hat] of Ninety - Seven Percent (97%) of the School 9s Qualified Gross Revenues less any fees that the School is obligated to pay to UTCSC... d 25 ( UTCSC gets a pro - rated payment up to 3 %.) They anticipate enrolling 1000 students by the end of their first full school year, 2002 - 2003. With 1000 students, OHDELA would receive $5,079,000 from the state.<br><br> Specified expenses such as directors and officers insurance, legal, accounting and "misc ellaneous" from their contract account for $152,370 or 3% of their expenses. The remaining 97% goes to White Hat. 26 In turn, OHDELA, a community cyber - school, will give an enrollee a computer, peripheral equipment, an internet connection, and pre - packaged curriculum.<br><br> One of their required curriculum choices called PLATO contains an entire year of packaged high school curriculum in core 25 Contract,Management Agreement,page 6. 26 Contract, Budget for Fiscal Years, Attachment 10. 7 Revised April, 2002 subject areas.<br><br> This same curriculum can be purchased for as little as $209 per family if 10 families wished to make a join t purchase. 27 When eCOT provided their numbers to the sponsoring agency, they estimated that the computer and peripheral equipment would cost about $600. OHDELA did not specify their expenses for similar equipment in their contract.<br><br> Many of these expenses to OHDELA would be non - recurring. One doubts that they intend to replace equipment each and every year. In addition, depending on your time of enrollment (by September) OHDELA will provide one computer for each two children or (by January) one computer fo r each three children.<br><br> 28 The funding allotment for each of these children would still come to White Hat, despite no investment in computer equipment for every child. OHDELA will also assign Master Teachers. Per their contract, the ratio will be one Master T eacher for every 150 students.<br><br> 29 Again , they did not break down their expenses for teachers salaries. However, since OHDELA is owned by White Hat and White Hat currently operates 15 community schools around the state, one could assume that teachers' salari es from those other schools would provide some insight into what the salary numbers might be for OHDELA. According to the LOEO, when the first 15 community schools in the state were compared in April, 2000, of the five bottom schools on the pay - scale, White Hat - owned schools were paying the lowest average annual teacher salaries in four schools.<br><br> These were the only White Hat schools operating that year. White Hat's teacher salary averages at these schools ranged from $18,050 to $19,000 per year. 30 (Whit e Hat Schools around Ohio are usually named Hope Academies or Life Skills Centers.<br><br> They also own Riverside Academy in Cincinnati.) 27 Plato Learning, www.plato.com 28 OHDELA, www.ohdela.com/ohdela - faq.htm 29 Contract, Attachment 3, page 72. 30 LOEO, First Year, page F - 4 . With a student - teacher ratio of 150:1, and 1,000 students enrollment projections, by next school year, seven Master Teachers would be hired.<br><br> Using White Hat's documented pay scales noted - above, they might expend about $140,000 to hire these seven Master Teachers. The services of this Master Teacher will, therefore, equate to about $140 per child. It would seem that the expe nses in equipment, curriculum, and Master Teacher's would cost OHDELA less than $1,000 per year for the first child, much less for subsequent children and in subsequent years.<br><br> Yet, $5,000+ per year will come their way for each child they sign. We un derstand that the services and curriculum offered by an cyber - school may be desirable for some parents, in whichever school option they currently participate. Existing law allows those families to enroll.<br><br> Some of the schooling will take place in their res idence. But, it is not homeschooling. Dangers to the good name of homeschooling In their contract and other presentation materials, OHDELA makes many references to homeschooling and the concepts of home education just as eCOT had .<br><br> If you visit OHDELA's website, you will find the marketing plan which makes many and varied references to "home schooling," "family - based education," "home - based learning environment," and "home education." The media in their reports concerning OHDELA have made multiple refere nces to home schoolers as the target enrollees, just as they had with eCOT, including reports in the Akron Beacon Journal, Toledo Blade, Columbus Dispatch and Cleveland Plain Dealer . OHDELA has created TV and radio commercials wherein they imply cfamily - ba sed education, d but say nothing of testing, public funding, taxpayer accountability, or any of the many community school laws. They have scheduled multiple seminars around the state, and direct - mailed announcements to homeschoolers, claiming a ccommon inte rest d in cparental guided education d and implying, again, that they are cfamily - based education in Ohio. d Revised April, 2002 8 Left to exploit those words and concepts of home education, OHDELA, eCOT and other cyber - schools will dramatically change the perception and/or ac tual definition of home education in Ohio.<br><br> By misleading the public with creative marketing campaigns, targeting existing homeschooling support groups, and mass - produced advertising, the clear distinction between genuine home education and enrollment in a community school will become muddled. Effectively, this creates two separate classes of "homeschooler," that is, those taking taxpayer funding and those who are not. When accountability to the taxpayer becomes the issue, who will take the time or have the interest in understanding the difference?<br><br> What we can do: It is very important at this time to separate the good name of home education, homeschooling, and the various concepts which describe home education from publicly - fund, community cyber schools . Letters to the editor of media throughout the state would quickly and affordably counter the media reports and OHDELA advertising campaigns, which others who follow will duplicate. We can give serious consideration to what homeschooling has meant to our families and to our community as it has been practiced before we were a target market for developers of community cyber schools .<br><br> We can understand and explain to others that for most homeschoolers, homeschooling has as much to do with freedom as education . We can discuss our concerns with our families, with other homeschoolers, at support group meetings, at conferences, on websites, etc., so that many people become aware of the specific proposals made by OHDELA and other marketers of programs for homesc hoolers. Among other things, we could discuss the practical definition of an Ohio homeschooler vs.<br><br> an enrolled student; targeted marketing of homeschoolers; the total lack of homeschooling understanding on the part of OHDELA and other marketers; the losses to strong family - decided opportunities and experiences that far exceed a cyber - school. We can write positive letters of introduction to our state representatives and senators describing educational freedom in homeschooling and use some of the points made in this fact sheet to draw clear distinctions from community cyber - schools. Additionally, as of this writing, the Ohio Senate is considering sweeping reforms to community school law in Ohio in HB 364.<br><br> We can write letters and make phone calls to the membe rs of the Senate Education Committee. Encourage them, as they consider HB 364, to include: an amendment for a moratorium on more cyber schools, and a thorough examination of the existing cyber schools and their effects on public school funding. Find thos e members and their addresses and phone number by calling 800 - 282 - 0253 or at the Ohio Senate web site at http://www.senate.state.oh.us/ We can work to educate other community members on what homeschooling has to offer 3 the benefits of educational freedom.<br><br> If asked, we can be ready to help others explore these freedoms for their families. We could obtain and study a copy of the OHDELA contract or any other community school application, especially ones which target homeschoolers . This information was prepared by Ohio Home Education Coalition an open and inclusive coalition of interested homeschoolers who come together to raise awareness of issues facing homeschoolers in Ohio.<br><br> This and other fact sheets may b e found at the OHEC website: http://grafixbynix.com/ohec/ If your support group has a newsletter, the authors give permission for this fact sheet to be duplicated in its entirety and distributed to your support group members. Also, the authors give permis sion to individually make photocopies of this fact sheet, duplicated in its entirety , to be shared with other individual homeschoolers. <br><br>

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