CHEWV

Category: News

  • It’s Time to Get Involved: HSDC 2016!

    Registration now open!

    2016 is the year for hundreds of homeschool families across the Mountain State to attend Home School Day at the Capitol!  In the upcoming legislative session we expect the introduction of a bill to modernize the homeschool law.  HSDC has been scheduled early enough (January 25) to make a legislative difference.

    There are several options for your family to choose from on this important day:

    • Create a display featuring a homeschool project or your group,
    • Schedule an educational tour of the Capitol and/or Governor’s Mansion,
    • If your student has a talent to showcase, register for performance consideration at the main event of the day – the rally at 12:30, and/or
    • Contact your Delegate and/or Senator to schedule a time to introduce yourself and possibly leave them with a little something to remember your visit.

    Keep in mind that some of the Senators and Delegates have never met a family that home schools and probably know very little about it.  Any impressions they have likely come from sources such as sensationalized news stories, the Department of Education, or teachers’ unions – which means they may not be favorable impressions.  Your presence can change all that!

    For full details about the day’s schedule, registration, display guidelines, and what to expect, start here.

    But one final thought – while we are visiting our great state’s capitol, let’s take the time to pray for our state and governing authorities.  I Timothy 2:1-4 states, “I exhort therefore that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.  For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

    “All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing.”
    -Edmund Burke

    Hope to see you on January 25th!

  • Lab Opportunity

    FREE High School Science Labs in a College Setting

    High school math and science courses can seem daunting despite the plethora of curriculum choices available, yet lab sciences are pre-requisite for college admissions. So it’s easy to see why CHEWV is excited to partner with a local college to provide FREE lab classes on Friday, November 13. This is a perfect opportunity for your student to use college lab equipment and to beef up his or her transcript and course descriptions. Exposure to a few college majors is icing on the cake since the labs can be part of any biology, chemistry or computer class, no matter your student’s future plans.

    Free for the first 30 students who sign up, the labs are available to any high school student who is willing to follow instructions carefully. Students will be doing the following labs:

    1. Taking blood pressures and performing patient transfers.
    2. Compounding in the pharmacy lab classroom. This will include working with IV bags and two aspects of compounding: sterile and non-sterile.
    3. Dental lab: making an impression. The student will be supplied a vinyl polysiloxane impression material to mix and apply to a dental typodont “patient” to make a dental impression.
    4. IT labs: the first group will be creating CAT6 Ethernet patch cables. Each participant will be provided a stripped Ethernet cable and will have to properly straighten each wire in the correct order to be crimped into RJ-45 jacks. The second group will be placed in front an open PC that has had all of the data cables removed. After a short explanation, each participant will have to properly replace all the data cables and verify by powering on the PC.

    The morning labs will commence promptly at 9:30. A free lunch will be served at the end of the program. All high school students are invited but advance sign-up is required.

    Where: West Virginia Junior College, 176 Thompson Drive, Bridgeport, WV

    When: Friday, November 13, 2015, 9:30 a.m.

    Registrations are limited to the first 30 students, first come, first served.  Register here.

    If the slots are full, email us to get on the waiting list. Questions?  Email update@chewv.org.

  • Are You Ready For the Freedom Thieves?

    Are You Ready For the Freedom Thieves?

    Under a government “by the people,” we as U.S. citizens are permitted to help shape public policy. Further, as Christians, God calls us to be salt and light wherever we are. “What should our top policy priorities be?” is the critical question, given that we still enjoy the freedom to participate in the governing process.

    The Two Pillars

    CHEWV has carefully maintained a focus for 25 years on legislation that affects home schooling. Currently, two key legislative initiatives are being considered in states across the nation that go far beyond our home educator community, but seek to guard the fundamental liberties exercised by Christian home schooling families. These initiatives are aimed at clearly reasserting parental rights and religious liberty, long assumed to be “self-evident” under the U.S. Constitution but now under assault. You need to know that this assault not only threatens families but organizations like CHEWV in the free exercise of speech and advocacy from a Biblical perspective and could, for example, deny the right to require that Board member families affirm their Christian faith.

    The late Chris Klicka, as Senior Counsel at the Home School Legal Defense Association wrote,

    The two constitutional pillars that support homeschooling are the parents’ fundamental right to direct the education and upbringing of their children as secured by the 14th Amendment and the parents’ right to freely exercise their religious convictions as guaranteed by the First Amendment.

    Because most homeschoolers teach their children at home in order to train them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, our right to freely exercise our religious beliefs is paramount.

    Sadly, in recent years, the Obama administration has demonstrated support for limits on religious liberty when that works to their advantage. Christian families, whether home schooling or not, need to care about these attacks and be ready to defend our “first freedom”: Religious Liberty.

    Why the Religious Freedom Restoration Act?

    In a significant 1990 case, the US Supreme Court ruled that if a law is generally applicable to everyone, and does not target people of faith, then it must be obeyed if it is a “reasonable” regulation. The Court later said in 1997 that if individual states want to protect religious practice, or the living out of one’s faith in daily public life, then they could pass a Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Although over 30 states have already secured these protections, the West Virginia State Legislature, specifically the State Senate, has blocked the passage of the RFRA. Through God’s grace and the efforts of HSLDA, CHEWV, and the Catholic Diocese, RFRA passed the House in 2012….and died in the Senate.

    You should be aware that powerful forces – the gay (LGBT) lobby, pro-abortion lobby, and the current administration – are actively working to restrict freedom of religion to “freedom of worship.” Their goal is to turn the U.S. into a secular society like Europe, where church buildings are museums and the State determines how kids are raised and what they are taught. Fortunately, because America is made up of states, we have a precious opportunity to preserve the freedoms Europe has so tragically lost. It is time we value religious liberty, not simply as a philosophy but in more concrete terms, as an indispensable shelter to protect us from the elements and allow followers of Jesus Christ to flourish in a culture that is increasingly secular.

    Let’s not be those who merely stare in astonishment out of our window as the freedom thieves do their work! Instead, let us be those who labor together with God to guard our homes, protect our children, and advance our freedoms.

    To Catch a Thief

    Picture religious liberty as a house and your family as the residents. Attacks like those from the President and, most recently, from the US Supreme Court, have the same impact on our liberties as if someone decided to begin pulling the wood siding off one end of your house. While this won’t bring your house down overnight, it clearly does weaken the structure and eventually will be very costly to repair if left unaddressed. If you and the kids decide to just peek out the window and watch, it will become clear to the siding stealer that it’s probably okay for him to start working on another side. Being shocked or dismayed yet refusing to take action only guarantees further theft and damage. The sure way to change the situation is to actively trust God as you step outside your home and, probably with help from your friends, confront the criminal in order to restore your stolen property.

    Doing nothing with regard to the current attacks on our religious liberty encourages those who want to steal our freedoms to continue. Secondly, we may not feel the loss of freedom right away; but eventually we will. Finally, it always helps to have a little help from your friends.

    Friends in High Places

    Speaking of friends, while we have many at the Capitol in Charleston, they need to hear from us! Legislators are busy – and understand that we are, too – which means that any respectful input you provide holds more value than you realize. Whether you express yourself in detail or politely deliver your position’s bottom line, it will be noted and appreciated.

    It may come as a surprise, but a mere 10 calls or emails to a Delegate will get their attention and is likely to cause them to vote for or against a certain bill.  For a Senator, just 25 contacts can make the difference and cause them to stand apart from legislation that otherwise would have reduced our freedoms. The key is that those calls need to come from the folks back home in their district.

    To Sum Up

    So what does the RFRA do? It says to the government in no uncertain terms that religious liberty is a fundamental right worthy of protection. It places on the civil government, not citizens, the burden of demonstrating why a regulation is critically important. Further, the RFRA requires the government to limit its regulations so that our freedoms are protected. Headquartered in Oklahoma City, for instance, the folks at Hobby Lobby were protected from being forced to support abortion because the Oklahoma Legislature had signed its own RFRA. And when you say, “I home school in order to raise my children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord,” those in power have to respect your religious preference because the law requires it. You cannot be set aside, silenced, and ignored; instead, they must listen because the RFRA asserts that because of religious liberty, you have a fundamental right to be heard.

    Remember, it is families working together whose Salt can effectively preserve our liberties and whose Light establishes truth and justice in public policy. Nothing scares a freedom thief more than a well-informed legislator and citizenry who stand boldly on the side of what is right. Let’s not be those who merely stare in astonishment out of our window as the freedom thieves do their work. Instead, let’s be those who labor together with God to protect our homes and advance our freedoms.

     

  • Retired Marine Greeted with Demands, Disdain

    When Les Payton returned home to West Virginia after retiring from the Marine Corps earlier this year, he wasn’t expecting a red-tape parade—but that is what he got. When the 27-year veteran helicopter pilot trooped into the Raleigh County School District office to turn in his legally required notice of intent to homeschool, his entire family was shocked by the disdain and unlawful demands they encountered.

    Lt. Col. Payton grew up in West Virginia and graduated from Ripley High School before attending the U.S. Naval Academy, where he met his wife Gina. The two were married following graduation from the Academy but were separated for the first two years of their marriage while Mrs. Payton deployed as a logistics officer to Okinawa and Mr. Payton went to flight school in Pensacola, Florida.

    After six years, Mrs. Payton ended her service to focus on homeschooling her children and supporting her husband. During his service in the Marine Corps, Lt. Col. Payton deployed numerous times to Afghanistan and Iraq.

    It Should be Simple …

    Following their move back to West Virginia, Lt. Col. Payton wanted to hand in their paperwork early in order to obtain a learner’s permit eligibility certificate for their 15-year-old son. The Paytons had been told by other homeschooling families in the district that they should be able to get a certificate—a precursor to obtaining a driver’s license—that same day.

    The Paytons prepared a letter containing all the necessary information, including Lt. Col. Payton’s transcript from the Naval Academy’s postgraduate school. But instead of a simple exchange of documentation as expected, the Paytons were greeted with hostility and unlawful demands for information from the school’s personnel.

    “We handed our notice of intent to the county’s homeschool coordinator,” recounted Lt. Col. Payton. “She immediately handed us the county’s homeschool notice form and told us to fill it out. When we questioned the use of their form, she instantly became adversarial. She told us the form was legal, and we were required to fill it out. She also said how she hated homeschoolers because we always questioned her regarding the forms. She demanded that we fill out the county form if we wanted her to process our request to homeschool.”

    In Front of the Kids

    The treatment the Paytons were subjected to made an impression on their children as well.

    “Our 9-year-old even commented that she had ‘never seen anyone treat her mother like that.’ ” Payton added. “Our oldest son said, ‘I would never go to school there,’ after the meeting. We would not have gone there with all our kids if we knew that home education was under such attack.”

    As of October 2, the Paytons have still not received the needed documentation for their son’s learner’s permit. They also have been threatened with a truancy investigation unless they hand in an annual assessment, something that HSLDA says is not required by law.

    HSLDA’s attorney for West Virginia, Michael Donnelly, said that the local district and the state board of education—which informs county officials—are inventing unlawful requirements.

    “I explained to the district that the assessment requirement is prospective—so that superintendents can determine if a child has made acceptable progress,” said Donnelly. “The assistant superintendent seemed to understand that, but when he checked with the state board of education they told him that the school district should require an assessment to establish a ‘baseline.’ It should be obvious that the homeschooling law only applies when you live in the state, not before you live in the state. Lt. Col. and Mrs. Payton homeschooled in the District of Columbia last year, and West Virginia law makes no allowance for collecting information to create a baseline. They are just making it up.”

    Poor Treatment

    But even worse than the red tape, said Donnelly, was the fact that the Paytons encountered such hostility.

    “The treatment of these returning veterans is disgraceful,” he said. “We have called on the school to cease from harassing this family and to publicly apologize. One of the staffers at the school district even questioned Lt. Col. Payton’s integrity by writing on a form that the Paytons ‘came from out of state—supposedly.’ ”

    Payton explained that the transition to homeschooling in West Virginia was more than he expected.

    “I’ve done a lot with the Marines, but I have to say that this entire event has been pretty stressful,” he said. “And it would have been more so without HSLDA’s support. There were moments that [my wife and I] both restrained ourselves as we felt discriminated against, a little harassed by the letters, and quite shocked that our children would be witness to the confrontation.”

    Payton encouraged others to join HSLDA.

    “We have been so grateful that we have invested in HSLDA over the last decade. Being a Marine family and home educating in at least four different states and D.C., we have never been treated like this or felt a need to even contact HSLDA in the past—other than as a wonderful reference source. We are thankful for their skillful recommendations, legal advice and timely injections. We look forward to a positive conclusion to this saga, and know with HSLDA on board, our and other home educating families’ interests are best represented. We will always encourage other families to invest in the ministry of HSLDA.”

    Calling for Reform

    Donnelly pointed to this situation as one more example for the need to re-introduce and pass legislation vetoed by the governor last year.

    “The legislature passed commonsense reforms to the homeschool law that would have prevented this situation from happening,” he said. “Although the legislature unanimously passed this law, the governor vetoed it. I hope that the Paytons’ experience will demonstrate to the governor and others why the homeschooling community in West Virginia is looking for modernization of the law. We look forward to working with the legislature and the governor’s office to insure that the legislation is moved forward, so that situations like this can never happen again in the Mountain State.”

    Last year this homeschool legislation was sponsored by Brian Kurcaba, a homeschooling father and delegate from the Morgantown area. He vowed to fight for the changes again this year.

    “This incident strengthens my resolve to reintroduce our legislation to modernize our homeschooling law,” Kurcaba said. “Homeschooling parents should not have to put up with this kind of treatment. It is clear that the school staff and the West Virginia State Board of Education either made a mistake or have reached beyond what was within their authority under the law. I do hope that the superintendent’s office in Raleigh County does the right thing and apologizes for their error.”

    Note:  This article was published by Home School Legal Defense Association.  Your membership helps HSLDA defend the homeschooling movement and individual families from unwarranted government intrusion. Do you know someone who isn’t a member of HSLDA? Join today or donate to the Homeschool Freedom Fund.  Not a CHEWV member?  Join CHEWV and get a $15.00 discount on your HSLDA membership!

  • A Brief Look at Legislation

    A Brief Look at Legislation

    by John and Edie Carey
    The Careys served on the CHEWV board for several years.

    When John began working for CHEWV at the State Capitol in 1999, advancing homeschool freedoms meant gaining the freedom to homeschool a child past the eighth grade even if the parents did not have formal education past high school graduation.  It took three bills, four sessions and the involvement of hundreds of homeschool families to gain this right.

    Previous to 1999, homeschool families were fighting to prevent moms and dads from going to jail for simply choosing to educate their children at home.  Dr. Phil Suiter played a big part in that effort.  As a former assistant state superintendent, he brought credibility to our movement and helped to shape the first homeschool law, which granted an exemption from the compulsory attendance law and made homeschooling legal for the first time in West Virginia.

    Today advancing homeschool freedoms is more about the removal of burdensome regulations, because since those early years, homeschooling has been proven to work.  Cases in point, Ivy League Universities and the United States military changed their policies as home education was validated. Although the Charleston battles are still not always easy, homeschooling is on much better legislative footing now. We applaud the West Virginia Senate and House leadership for passing all three of our homeschool bills last session. Unfortunately, the Governor chose to stand in the way of progress and vetoed two of these bills.

    Now with gay marriage declared a basic civil right by the US Supreme Court, future battles are expected to be about who is ultimately in control of educational content.  For example, Canada’s Human Rights Commission attempted to prevent homeschool parents from teaching that traditional marriage is the only valid form of marriage.  While this law was eventually defeated, it demonstrates the natural outcome of governments that decide to legalize and protect ideas and definitions that many of their citizens cannot accept with a clear conscience.

    Please pray for the 2016 regular session. It is because of the prayers and sacrifice of many that our freedom has advanced over the years as our merciful, kind, and gracious God works on behalf of His people.  Thanks be to God who is worthy to be praised!

  • “Tim Tebow” Bill in WV

    “Tim Tebow” Bill:  That’s the label popularly given to a variety of efforts to allow private, parochial and homeschooled students to participate in public school sports.  Extracurricular activities in West Virginia public schools are largely controlled by the Secondary School Activities Commission (SSAC) as described in WV Code §18-2-25.  That section of the law allows county boards of education to delegate their authority to regulate athletic and other extracurricular activities of their schools to the SSAC, thereby authorizing that body to regulate participation and competition among schools.

    Legislation was introduced in the WV House of Delegates every year since at least 2012 that would have added language to the SSAC law cited above to allow homeschooled students to be eligible for participation in interscholastic athletic events and extracurricular activities of secondary schools, subject to some restrictions.  Those bills received no consideration and died in the House Education Committee to which they were referred.

    Students in private and parochial schools are already included under current law if they delegate to the SSAC, “control, supervision and regulation, upon the same terms and conditions, subject to the same regulations and requirements and upon the payment of the same fees and charges as those provided for public secondary schools.”

    CHEWV has and continues to focus its energy and resources in taking a leading role only on public policies and regulations which facilitate families’ choice to educate their children at home with a minimum of government interference.  Nonetheless, CHEWV agrees that parents who desire to have their children participate in public school sports should have that right.  Many of our subscribers and members are greatly interested in this issue.  Recently another entity began a petition effort at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/wv-tim-tebow-bill .  Their stated purpose is to use the petition to encourage lawmakers to address a “Tim Tebow” bill in the coming session.  In just a few days they have almost reached their goal of 1,000 signatures.  This is and will continue to be a hot topic of discussion in WV as proponents and opponents share their viewpoints.

  • One Generation Away

    One Generation Away

    by John Carey

    “Cities like Charleston, Morgantown, Huntington, and others are passing legislation that will lead to the same kind of restrictions on religious liberty as Christian photographers, wedding cake crafters and others are experiencing around the country.”  

    A meeting was held recently in Beckley to explain the need for Christian leaders to take a stand in defense of religious liberty.  Pastors, legislators, and homeschool parents had an opportunity to watch the film, One Generation Away.  Following the movie, Delegate John O’Neal moderated an informative panel discussion with Speaker of the House Tim Armstead; Ken Carpenter, the director of the film; and Allen Whitt, President of the West Virginia Family Policy Council.  Much was learned in the few hours we met.

    This captivating film underscored the many threats to religious liberty around the country and the need to take a stand. We were able to hear first-hand the struggles that Christians are enduring across America and the price being paid by caring individuals who simply want to practice their faith in their businesses, chosen vocations, and in the public sphere.

    Dangerous momentum is building to redefine the concept of “freedom of worship,” aimed specifically at restricting that freedom to what Christians do in the four walls of a church on Sunday. Once in the realm of business ventures or career pursuits, Christians are encountering more and more laws which remove legal protections for the freedom to practice their faith in the public arena.  Such laws are being created right here, right now, in West Virginia.

    Cities like Charleston, Morgantown, Huntington, and others are passing legislation that will lead to the same kind of restrictions on religious liberty that Christian photographers, wedding cake crafters and others are experiencing around the country. Through homosexual special rights legislation, religious liberty protections are being devalued by City Council members who dismiss or disregard the concerns of Christian business owners and others who cherish the freedom to practice their religion.  The city of Martinsburg will be considering such legislation soon.

    Christian leaders were reminded that no significant legal protections such as the Religious Freedom Restoration Act have been put into place at the state level.  In order to confront the opposition that is expected from out-of-state organizations, strong and immediate support for this legislation is vitally needed.

    While Ken Carpenter anticipated opposition for creating One Generation Away, what he did not expect was how much of that opposition would come from pastors.  He reported that many are afraid of being controversial.

    Truth – God’s Truth – is controversial, for when it is embraced, it sets people free! Religious liberty is precious, and many have sacrificed much to maintain it.  We need only look across the pond to Europe to see where America is headed if we do nothing. Fortunately, here in West Virginia we have a sympathetic legislature and others on the local level that care and are willing to act on behalf of freedom.

    Past experience teaches that to remain silent means further loss of liberty. Only by speaking up for what is right in the Lord’s sight can we work together for positive change. Please pray and consider what part God might have your family play in protecting your freedoms right where you live.

    “The ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world that it leaves to its children.” 
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer

    Editor’s comment: While CHEWV is not leading on this issue, we know that many of our member families are deeply concerned that the secularization of our society has grave implications for the continuing freedom of parents to direct the education and training of their children. We are therefore glad to add our voice in support of that freedom.

  • Fall Into Our September Prize Drawings

    Fall Into Our September Prize Drawings

    CHEWV is sponsoring weekly prize drawings
    for those who join, renew, or donate online
    during September!  

     

    Since your name stays in the hat as soon as you enter, enter early for a chance to win in all four drawings!

     

    For ONE entry: join, renew, or donate at $20.00.
    For TWO entries: join, renew, or donate at $25.00 or more!

     


    There’s never been a better time to join CHEWV!  

     

    Drawings will be completed weekly and winners given their choice of a

     

    • Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims, hardcover book ($19.99 value), just in time to read about Plymouth over Thanksgiving, OR
    • Full-color 12.75 x 23 inch print of Norman Rockwell’s “The Land of Enchantment,” (see header) custom-printed on heavy art stock with an extra-wide border.  Depicts the places children go when they read classic literature. ($59.00 value)
    Drawings are scheduled on September 5, September 12, September 19, and September 30.
    Winners will be announced on our Facebook page.

  • Have a 4th Grader in the US? Here’s How to Get Free Admission to National Parks!

    BEGINNING IN THE 2015-16 school year, fourth graders in the US and their families will be entitled to free admission to America’s national parks, federal lands and waters.

    Part of the White House’s “Every Kid in the Park” initiative, this program is made possible by the National Park Service and National Park Foundation.

    The objective is to introduce kids to outdoor recreation. Students just need to sign up online and they will then get a voucher that grants entrance to the student and a carload of passengers to federal recreation areas for one year.

    “There’s a difference between seeing a grizzly bear and two cubs on TV and on a screen and seeing them there [in the park],” said Dan Wenk, the interim president of the National Park Foundation.

    So let’s spread the word on this opportunity and get more US kids and their families seeing firsthand that nature can be one of the best educational experiences out there.

    *Note from CHEWV:  The Every Kid in a Park pass will be available starting September 1st, 2015 and will be good for the 2015-2016 school year until August 31, 2016. More information will be available beginning in September.

     

  • Academy Day 2015

    Academy Day 2015 will be held for any and all students, parents and school officials interested in learning more about U.S. service academies (Air Force, Coast Guard, Merchant Marines, Military/West Point, Naval). We will also have representatives from local ROTC programs on hand to discuss ROTC scholarship opportunities.

    Join us at Senator Capito’s Academy Day to learn more about service academies (Air Force, Coast Guard, Merchant Marine, Military (W. Point) and Naval) and ROTC scholarships! No Registration Required.

    CHARLESTON AREA

    Date: Saturday, September 19, 2015 *Please note that this event will be held on a Saturday.

    Time: 2-4 PM

    Area: South Charleston High School, 1 Eagle Way, South Charleston, WV 25309

    EASTERN PANHANDLE AREA
    Date:     Sunday, September 27, 2015

    Time: 2-4 PM

    Area: Washington High School, 300 Washington Patriot Drive, Charles Town, WV  25414

    SOUTHERN WV AREA

    Date: Sunday, October 4, 2015

    Time: 2-4 PM

    Area: Woodrow Wilson High School, 400 Stanaford Rd, Beckley, WV 25801

    Representatives will be ready to answer questions regarding the educational, physical and recreational requirements to attend these prestigious institutions or obtain an ROTC scholarship. 

    For More Information Contact:

    Office of US Senator Shelley Moore Capito

    405 Capitol Street, Suite 508

    Charleston, WV  25301

    (304) 347-5372

    www.capito.senate.gov