It just has to make it past the Mayor's desk for the final hurtle.
There was some opposition from the Department of Cultural Affairs and the Biopark itself but I believe they were a result of the misconception of homeschooling families and hopefully by approaching these people individually we can open a dialogue, not to change their minds about homeschooling per se but to just be available when they have questions about homeschooling.
In the end the Council passed with no opposition and you can thank your councilor here is who was in attendance tonight:
Craig Loy
Ken Sanchez
Sally Mayer
Martin Heinrich
Isaac Benton
Michael J. Cadigan
Brad Winter
And you can find out who is your councilor from this website http://www.cabq.gov/council/
I will have a clip of the interview on TV and the link to the meeting from tonight available (hopefully) tomorrow!
Thanks to everyone in attendance!! This is what makes this whole New Mexico Home School Community network worthwhile to get things like this passed through for the benefit of all homeschoolers!
I will let you know what I hear on further details!
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4 comments:
Just read about this today in the Alibi newspaper. I have to say I'm not sure what we *won*
I read mention of one difficulty being that there's no *list of approved homeschoolers for the state* -- does that mean such a list is forthcoming? The very idea of a list of approved homeschoolers kept on file ANYWHERE concerns me.
Our family won't be taking advantage of this new status -- besides, we already belong to the zoo/aquarium and local museums-- as I have no intention of carrying my *proof of registration* with me to justify myself to anyone.
Sylvia this does not apply to families who have memberships.
Mrs. Martorelli did not understand why there was no list of approved homeschools similar to public/private schools lists. This is because of her unfamiliarity with homeschooling processes in the State of New Mexico and the State of New Mexico does not provide such a list for anyone.
No facility in Albuquerque requires such proof of homeschoolers before entering their facilities. It is not the City of Albuquerque's issue to be in the business of making sure homeschoolers are 'valid'.
If you feel so strongly to not have your name or any other's homeschooler's name on file anywhere then you need to call and make sure this bill is enforced by the City and the Biopark. The City /Biopark WANTS to keep a file of every homeschooler in the state who wants to visit the Biopark, they keep them in a file folder (I saw it), they could not tell me what they do with them at the end of the year, how do they dispose of them or do they?
This is what is so wrong with any homeschooler having to provide proof to the city that they are a 'vaild' homeschool.
I strongly recommend that you watch the Council video and email me or check this blog for the facts...do not go by a couple of paragraphs in the Alibi to judge what went on...
personally, we prefer to stay below the radar. I'd just as soon no gov't entity even know we exist.
As it happens we are members of the biopark, so for us this is a non-issue. I do wonder, tho, while we're asking for equal access, how long it will be before some city/state official decides a list is needed.
Syliva, You and I may be members, you might want to stay 'under the radar' but if you wanted to go to a field trip or attend a class with a group of homeschoolers and you schedule the trip you would still have to all show proof of homeschooling to enter the Biopark as a part of this field trip...you would just not have to pay the reduced fee because you are members.
All gov't entities agree that a list of homeschoolers is just too fluid to even come up with and we are protected by privacy laws from the State sharing that information.
These forms that were being turned in were being stored indefinitely in a file folder. So how is that not already a violation of privacy and in essence a list of homeschoolers? Just because you want to stay under the radar how is that fair that others have their information stored somewhere besides the state? This is what I asked the City to stop doing. They do not compile or store this information for each student from a preschool, daycare, public or private school equal access means they do not do this for homeschools as well.
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