Letter from Howard Richman to Diploma Program Evaluators
For a copy of PAFREE proposal visit Catholic Homeschoolers of Pennsylvannia website:
** PAFREE proposal



-----Original Message-----
From: howard@pahomeschoolers.com
howard@pahomeschoolers.com
Date: Monday, March 04, 2002 11:51 AM
Subject: PHAA Bill
Proposal

Dear Fellow Evaluators:

There are three legislators who are homeschool dads who are planning to soon introduce legislation designed to solve problems with the current homeschool law. They have been working hard to unite homeschoolers, including CHAP, PAFREE, and PHAA behind their proposal.

PAFREE has been insisting upon forcing their positions upon the homeschool community:

1. They don't like standards, so they are trying to use this proposal to undermine our diploma program.

2. They don't like the meaningful evaluation letters that some evaluators write, so they are using this proposal to force all evaluators to use the check-list evaluations that they recommend.

3. They don't like the meaningful portfolios and logs that some parents put together, so they are trying to restrict everyone to meaningless portfolios and logs like the ones they advocate.

4. They argue that evaluators should be rubber stamps, so they are trying to prevent all evaluators from interviewing the student or even seeing any actual student work.

They have managed to get all four of these provisions into the latest draft of the proposal that these legislators have put together (which can be read at the PHAA evaluators website). However, Rep. Sam Rohrer, has promised me that the next draft will not undermine our diploma program.

For several months PAFREE has been asking all of their members to e-mail these legislators. As a result, although tiny, they have left the impression that they are a large group. We have never asked our members to e-mail these legislators. As a result, the legislators may believe PAFREE's claim that we are a tiny group.

If you are opposed to any of these provisions, you can e-mail the legislators at the following e-mail addresses:

Rep. Sam Rohrer (Berks County) -- SRohrer@pahousegop.com

Rep. Tom Armstrong (Lancaster County) --

Rep. Joe Petrarca (Westmoreland County) --

You can also e-mail Rep. Sam Rohrer's assistant who is actually writing the proposal. He is:

Jim Cox -- Jcox@pahousegop.com

If you would like to read the latest draft of the bill proposal, just go to the PHAA evaluators website:

www.pahomeschoolers.com/evalsite

and click on "Bill Proposal" on the sidebar.

If you e-mail these legislators and/or Jim Cox, please e-mail a copy to me at howard@pahomeschoolers.com

Howard Richman

PHAA Executive Director

--Howard Richman