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 SCAIHS
- Why We Recommend
Membership inHome School Legal Defense
Association (HSLDA)
Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) was
founded in 1983 to bring together a large number of home schooling
families so that each could have a low-cost method
of obtaining quality legal defense. HSLDA gives families
freedom to home school without the fear of facing legal
challenges alone. SCAIHS members can join HSLDA at the
group membership rate of just $95 a year! (One can easily
pay more than that for less than one hour of legal consultation.)
That $95 ensures that all legal questions regarding
home schooling will be answered by a qualified staff of
attorneys and legal assistants, and that any negative legal
encounters families may face regarding their home school
will be handled in full by HSLDA, at no additional cost—
whether the resolution of the situation requires a phone call
or a court appearance. The biggest benefit of membership in HSLDA is the
peace of
mind and heart it affords to home-schooling parents. Those
who belong to HSLDA know, that no matter what happens,
they are legally protected. They can home school in peace
without worrying about “what ifs.” “What if a truant officer
knocks on my door? What if a nosy neighbor or upset
relative calls the Department of Social Services (DSS) to
anonymously report that the kids must be truant because they
are outside playing during a school day? What if an assistant
solicitor decides to cause me problems, even though I’m
complying with the law?”
SCAIHS has been given the authority by the South
Carolina
General Assembly to approve and supervise home-schooling
programs. Why would anyone need legal protection under that scenario?
Membership in HSLDA is a safety measure—like putting on
a seat belt and shoulder harness in an automobile. It may
protect a person when he is least expecting an accident.
Statistically, most people will never be involved in a wreck;
but for those who are, the expense and inconvenience of
safety belts, airbags, and anti-lock brakes become inconsequential
compared to the avoidance or minimalization of
injury or the saving of a life. Most home-schooling parents
will never have to face a truant officer or a DSS worker.
However, percentages are not comforting when you become
the one that encounters difficulties. Unfortunately, in our
litigations-happy society, families do not have to be guilty of
anything to be taken to court or investigated by DSS. Be
legally prepared. Join HSLDA now. When you see the
wreck coming, it’s too late to buckle a safety belt.
The struggle for parental freedom in education has been a
hard-fought battle for South Carolina’s home-schooling
families. The attorneys and staff of HSLDA have been
major players in this fight for freedom. HSLDA has been
active in home schooling in South Carolina since 1986. In
December of 1991 HSLDA won a major victory at the South
Carolina State Supreme Court, invalidating the requirement
in the home-schooling law that home-schooling parents
without college degrees make a passing score on the
Education Entrance Exam (EEE). (The EEE is an examination
designed for college students, usually sophomores or
juniors, pursuing a career in education.) This was a major
victory for home-schooling parents, with ramifications
nationwide. This decision has had the effect of discouraging
other testing requirements that the educational establishment
has wanted to impose on home-schooling parents, as part of
a credentialing procedure. SCAIHS was conceived amidst legislative
and litigative controversy. As a fledgling organization three months
old,
twelve member families were charged with truancy. These
truancy charges formed the basis of one of two lawsuits
HSLDA litigated on behalf of SCAIHS in lower court. The
Supreme Court victory of 1991, coupled with the ability to
fund a prolonged legal battle (through HSLDA), opened the
door for the SCAIHS legislation enjoyed today.
In 1990, HSLDA established the National Center for Home
Education. The National Center is a wealth of information
for home-schooling leaders nationwide. Through briefings,
extensive mailing, and legislative alerts, they keep homeschool
leaders aware of what is happening across the nation
on a wide array of educational and legislative issues.
No one home schools in a vacuum. What happens in other
states can effect South Carolina—educational and legal
trends often do not respect state boundaries. By joining
HSLDA, families not only secure their own protection but
contribute to the larger cause of home-schooling defense and
freedom across the nation. Through their legal defense and counsel,
HSLDA has played a critical role in the development and continued
success of
SCAIHS. The SCAIHS Board of Directors and staff are
greatly appreciative of their assistance, counsel, and
friendship. While SCAIHS members are not required to join
HSLDA, the SCAIHS Board strongly recommends membership
in HSLDA for all home-schooling families.
An HSLDA application may be downloaded from
www.HSLDA.org
or you may call HSLDA at (540) 338-5600.
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