Old Stuff

My Testimony at the Illinois School Code Hearing

For background on the hearings, see my page on the Governor's Commission to Revise the Illinois School Code (which I hope to have updated during this long weekend). Here are my remarks at the third hearing, which was held in Decatur, Illinois, on Thursday August 29.

Good evening, and thank you for coming here tonight and for traveling all over the state to attend these hearings.

My name is Bill White. [personal family information deleted for the web]

Before I begin, I'll note that in Illinois a homeschool is a private school, according to the Illinois Supreme Court's decision in People v. Levisen in 1950.

My remarks concern the section of the school code that would require the parents of private school students to "submit proof of immunization and physical examination with their local public school district or Regional Office of Education." And a footnote to that text indicates that this concerns the "safety of all children."

Now it seems to me that there are at least two problems with this requirement.

First, the proposed regulation would, in effect, establish a system of registration of homeschooling families. Currently in Illinois we enjoy the freedom to educate our children when and how we see fit, within the broad guidelines of the school code, and without the interference of government authorities. Forcing us to turn over medical information to the local public school system would be the first step toward government regulation of our private education of our children.

Second, it seems odd that the public school system should require the private medical information of children whom the school administrators will never see. They don't know our kids and they don't have responsibility for them. It makes no sense to give them our private medical information.

Rather, I suggest changing the code so that proof of immunization and physical examination be submitted, not to the local public school district, but to the school that the student actually attends. Those are the people who know the student, who are familiar with his medical needs and who have responsibility for the student. In addition, such a change would protect the existing privacy rights and freedom of Illinois homeschoolers.

Thank you.

Posted by billw at August 31, 2002 10:35 AM | TrackBack