OCEANetwork needs you to ask the Oregon House Committee on Education by NOON this Monday, February 10, to amend HB 4132 to prevent state student health surveys from being sent to homeschoolers.

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HB 4132, as written, would send health surveys to every student 10 and older in the state. The bill is ostensibly designed to stably fund an existing health survey program for public school students.

The surveys will “assess physical, mental, emotional and social factors, including school climate, that impact adolescents’ health, well-being and educational achievement.”

There will be “processes for an adolescent or, if applicable, the adolescent’s parent or guardian, to opt out of participating in the survey.” See How do parents find out about OHT?

The bill was requested by the Healthy Kids Learn Better Coalition (the Coalition).

OCEANetwork asked the legislative sponsors of the bill to exclude homeschoolers. The primary Representative sponsoring the bill wrote an amendment addressing our concerns, but the Coalition vetoed it.

I called the Chair of the Coalition today and asked why they oppose excluding homeschoolers. She said the existing Oregon Administrative Rules limit the surveys to public schools.

I pointed out that OARs can be unilaterally changed by the supervising state agency, in this case the Oregon Health Authority. Statute changes require the Legislature’s approval. So we want the homeschool exclusion in the statute.

She said the Coalition does not want to be limited by the statute, because they want to maintain their future flexibility. So the current wording and impact of the bill is not an unintended consequence. It is calculated and deliberate.

They want statutory authority to contact your homeschooled adolescents in the future to ask yet-to-be-determined personal questions relating to “health.”

Call To Action

Please ask the House Committee on Education and your own State Representative to ensure that homeschool families are protected by statute from the invasive student health surveys described in HB 4132. Monday at 1:00 pm the Committee on Education will vote on various amendments and then move the bill to the full House for a vote.

We suggest a short email or phone call giving them your concerns about HB 4132. Use your own words. If emailing, the subject line should be your own, too, to avoid office staff thinking your message is just like others with the same title and filing it without reading.

Be polite.

Pray that God will protect Oregon homeschooling families from state intrusion and interference.

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Contact Information for the 2020 Oregon House Committee on Education

• Representative Margaret Doherty (D, Chair) 503-986-1435  Rep.MargaretDoherty@oregonlegislature.gov
• Representative Teresa Alonso León (D) 503-986-1422 Rep.TeresaAlonsoLeon@oregonlegislature.gov
• Representative Cheri Helt (R) 503-986-1454 Rep.CheriHelt@oregonlegislature.gov
• Representative Daniel Bonham (R) 503-986-1459 Rep.DanielBonham@oregonlegislature.gov
• Representative Diego Hernandez (D) 503-986-1447 Rep.DiegoHernandez@oregonlegislature.gov
• Representative Courtney Neron (D) 503-986-1426 Rep.CourtneyNeron@oregonlegislature.gov
• Representative Jeff Reardon (D) 503-986-1448 Rep.JeffReardon@oregonlegislature.gov​
• Representative Janeen A. Sollman (D) 503-986-1430 Rep.JaneenSollman@oregonlegislature.gov
• Representative Kim Wallan (R) 503-986-1406 Rep.KimWallan@oregonlegislature.gov

The Find Your District and Legislators box at https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/ will give your Representative’s contact information under the House tab.

Thank you for supporting OCEANetwork as we seek to protect Oregon homeschooling families from state intrusion and interference.

Rodger Williams
OCEANetwork Freedom Watch Team

You can help OCEANetwork protect the rights of Oregon families to do what is best for their children by becoming an OCEANetwork Supporting Family.