- Republican State Representative Jamie Green of Richmond says the intent of this bill is to protect children from child abuse...which she doesn’t buy.
- The proposed author of the bill, Democratic State Representative Kimberley Edwards, takes issue with Green’s view of the bill.
- Watch video above to learn about the bill
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
There is a proposed bill that has been drafted by State Democratic Representatives which will require home-school students to register with their local districts and it’s getting plenty of pushback.
“Essentially it’s changing the narrative that the government can take care of kids better than own parents,”Reupublican State Representative Jamie Greene said.
She says the intent of this bill is to protect children from child abuse...which she doesn’t buy.
"Why do they think putting them on a list is actually going to save them from abuse? Because if you just put them on a list...what’s the follow up? Are they going to come investigate my house? Are they going to check on my kids? Are they gonna send a cop to my door?”
Green has personal experience on this subject, having homeschooled both her children. She also believes there is a financial component behind this bill.
"For some reason the public schools think they are missing out on money because kids are going to school of choice, they're going private, they're homeschooling. They see that every child missing from their district is money they would have in their district that they don’t have, and they believe they deserve to have.”
The proposed author of the bill, Kimberley Edwards, State Democratic Representative of Eastpointe, takes issue with Green’s take on the bill,
"It's not saying it’s going to track it. It’s not going to alert CPS to come to your home, it’s not going to do any of that. Actually, it's only going to check a box saying I have decided I’m going to home-school my child, and these are the number of kids I have and that’s all that this particular bill does. This legislation's only to require individuals who are home-schooling or sending their kids to private school to register in their school district, letting individuals know their child exists and are being homeschooled or in a private school."
Israel Wayne, Vice President of the Michigan Homeschools Network agrees with Representative Green, believing this bill would single out home-school students and their parents,
"They're using their own time and their own dollars to do so, and we feel like they should not be viewed in a negative light, because they are being exceptionally responsible parents."
Representative Edwards says that these arguments are meant only to muddy the waters of public opinion.
"This legislation only requires them to check a box and say, hey my child is being home-schooled, that's all it does. When people go far and beyond and add on other things, it causes more confusion than what it really is."
The House is expected to take up the bill later this session.
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