OPPOSE House Bill 224, Increase of Compulsory School Age.

Increase Compulsory School Attendance Age House Bill 224 This bill will increase the compulsory attendance age, currently age 16, to age 18 by 2018. We deal with this every year and you pretty much know why this is not a good thing, but here are a few bullet items to consider: * Will increase education costs at a time when Kentucky is dead broke * Takes more decisions out of the hands of parents, where those decisions actually belong * Often keeps disruptive students in a classroom, thereby creating an unfavorable learning environment for willing students * The very notion of "compulsion" is against the free philosophy of American values. Bill Summary: HB 224 AN ACT relating to compulsory school age. Amend KRS 159.010 to provide that, effective July 1, 2017, school attendance shall be compulsory for students between the ages of six and seventeen; provide that, effective July 1, 2018, school attendance shall be compulsory for students between the ages of six and eighteen; provide that only prior to July 1, 2018, parents are permitted to withdraw from school a child under the age of eighteen, under certain conditions; permit, beginning with the 2014-2015 school year, each local board of education on the recommendation of the superintendent and approval of the Kentucky Department of Education to require children residing in the school district's attendance area to attend school until the age of eighteen, except as provided in KRS 159.030; if funds are available, consider an increase in funding for dropout prevention programs; express intent to provide funds necessary to implement programs to comply with increased compulsory attendance age; amend KRS 159.020 to conform. Call the Legislative Message Line in Frankfort: 1-800-372-7181 TTY Message Line: 1-800-896-0305 Tell the operator you would like to leave a message: (They will take your name and address and ask for your message) Message: "Please support freedom of parents to make decisions for their children. Please OPPOSE House Bill 224, Increase of Compulsory School Age." Directed to: 1. ALL House Leadership (Republican and Democrat) 2. YOUR Representative