Every year, OCEANetwork monitors any bills, initiatives, or rules that may negatively impact homeschool freedoms in Oregon. The need for vigilance is even greater during long legislative sessions, which happen every other year.
OCEANetwork previously alerted Oregon homeschoolers about the bill creating an invasive statewide student records database. That bill is headed towards the full House for a vote. A twin bill in the Senate is also headed towards the full Senate for a vote. We expect one of those bills will be signed into law.
We have explained that the database will eventually include homeschoolers: ESDs currently have systems in place to hold homeschooled student records. That means ESDs will have two separate systems for student records when the new system is built — one for homeschooled student records and the new one for public schooled students. It makes economic sense, especially for staff time, to have one system rather than two. ESDs handle a lot of students moving from public schooled to homeschooled and then back again. One combined system would simplify that process.
OCEANetwork asked leadership in the Legislature to add a clause to the bills to exclude homeschoolers from the new database. But they believe there is no problem with the bills since they do not explicitly mention homeschooler data. So they chose to not add such a clause.
Friends in the Senate have advised OCEANetwork to wait until such time as homeschool data is included in the database, either when it comes back for legislative authorization for implementation or when homeschool data is included down the road. At that point the homeschool data fields can simply be turned off.
OCEANetwork’s efforts, and those of homeschool families that called or wrote committee members and legislators, caused legislative leaders to insist that homeschoolers would NOT be included in the database. This increases the likelihood of it actually working out that way, and makes it easier to resist if it doesn’t.
We will continue monitoring the situation, making sure that homeschool data will not make it into the new database, and will issue updates and alerts as needed to keep you informed.
Thank you for taking action on our alerts! Your calls and emails make a difference.
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Rodger Williams
OCEANetwork Freedom Watch Team
If you have questions about this alert, please contact OCEANetwork here so we can forward it on to our Freedom Watch Team.