Godfrey report

Godfrey Hearing Dominated by Home School Parents 

Friday, August 16, 2002 

By The Leader-Metro East Bureau 

Dr. Hazel Loucks is the Deputy Governor for Education and the 
Workforce, appointed by Governor George Ryan in 1999. 
GODFREY -- Home schoolers dominated the first of five hearings held 
by the Governor's Commission on Revising the School Code in Godfrey 
this week. Mark Kukielski, home schooling father of seven in Troy, 
believes that the home schooling movement should be united in their 
message and their determination to express dissatisfaction with the 
proposed changes that effect home schooling families. 


Governor George Ryan signed an Executive Order in April, 2001, to set 
up a commission to study revising the Illinois School Code. The 
commission has been working on the massive undertaking for almost a 
year, and over 700 pages of recommendations are now being discussed 
at law-required public hearings throughout Illinois. After the 
hearings, the Commission will make a recommendation to the Governor 
for proposed changes to Illinois law. 


"The auditorium at the Lewis and Clark College seats around 200 
people," Kukielski said. "Only 15 or so people attended. Most of them 
were home schoolers who had just found out about the hearings through 
an alert from Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) in 
Paeonian Springs, Virginia and a story written last week by the 
Illinois Leader." 


"I told Ms. Louckes that Governor Ryan has always been supportive of 
home schooling, and that I was surprised that he would be okay with 
changes that would make us give private records to the public school 
system," Kukielski said. He and his wife, Victoria, have home 
schooled their children for over twelve years. 


"After about six people got up and said that they were unhappy with 
lowering the compulsory attendance age from seven to six, and that 
they did not believe that private schoolers should send personal 
medical information into the regional superintendents in their local 
areas, the panel chairman said, 'Okay, tell us what you want?'" 
Kukielski said. 


Chairman of the hearing, Deputy Governor on Education and the 
Workforce Hazel Loucks asked the gathered home schoolers how they 
would suggest the situation be handled. She stated that there needed 
to be a way to make sure that children were healthy, and the school 
record system was a good way to make sure that children were fully 
immunized, Kukielski reported. 


Brenda Reed of the Belleville area also testified at the hearing. 
Reed said, "Their concern about immunizations is the health of other 
children. Dr. Loucks asked if everyone there would be satisfied if 
proof of immunization was only required of kids who were wanting to 
participate in public school classes and activities. I think the five 
who were participating in the conversation at that time agreed." 


Reed and Kukielski agree that more citizens should be involved in 
expressing their opinions on these changes at this level in the 
government process. They encourage citizens to inform themselves on 
the proposed changes, and to say something now, before the proposed 
changes turn into proposed legislation, the next step in the process. 


HSLDA's attorney for Illinois, Christopher Klicka told Illinois 
Leader, "We're going to send out an alert about the upcoming 
hearings, and encourage home schooling families to get involved in 
these hearings." Home schoolers in Illinois received notice of the 
hearings on Tuesday, and the first hearing was held on Thursday. 
There will be subsequent hearings every Thursday for the next four 
weeks held in various parts of the state. 


"When the committee told us that they were concerned about parents 
already in trouble trying to hide from the DCFS by home schooling, 
that concerned me," Kukielski said. 


"For home schooling families to participate in these minimumly-
publicized public hearings with such a quick response shows the 
sophistication and networking abilities of home schooling families in 
Illinois," said Fran Eaton, State President of Eagle Forum and a home 
schooling columnist for the Illinois Leader. 

"When I called Chris Klicka to tell him about the proposed changes, 
he responded with an alert to the HSLDA members in Illinois, and they 
began action. Now is the time for the home schoolers in Illinois to 
present a unified message to these policy-makers, at this level," 
Eaton said. 


"I was very disappointed that the Governor's Commission did not have 
one person that we recognized as a home school spokesman involved in 
the proposal process. The home schoolers of this state need to insist 
that their voices are heard at all levels -- they are a factor in 
decision-making in education now," Eaton said. "I just don't know if 
they realize how strong their voice is." 



The next public hearing will be held August 22 in Carterville.