Home School Non-Discrimination Act of 2003

Bill: 108-s-1562
Sponsor: Sen. Craig, Larry E. [R-ID]
Introduced: 2003-08-01 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Academic performance
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Directories
Disabled
Economics and Public Finance
Education savings accounts
Educational research
Elementary and secondary education
Elementary education
Families
Federal aid to education
Federal-state relations
Government Operations and Politics
Higher education
Home schooling
Hours of labor
Income tax
Labor and Employment
Parent and child
Right of privacy
Scholarships
School districts
Science, Technology, Communications
Secondary education
Special education
State laws
Student records
Students
Taxation
Youth employment

Summary:
action_date: 2003-08-01
text: 
Home School Non-Discrimination Act of 2003 - Expresses the sense of the Congress that parents who choose private home education should be encouraged within the framework provided by the Constitution.
 
Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) with respect to: (1) student aid eligibility of home-schooled students who have satisfied certain secondary education standards; and (2) institutional aid eligibility of the higher education institutions that such students attend.
 
Amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to provide, if a parent does not consent to an initial evaluation or special education or related services for a child with a disability, the local educational agency shall not be required to convene an individualized education program (IEP) meeting or develop an IEP for such child.
 
Amends the Internal Revenue Code with respect to qualified elementary and secondary education expenses (the Coverdell Education Savings Account) to include home schools if they are treated as a home school or private school under State law.
 
Amends the part of the General Education Provisions Act known as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 to prohibit release of certain information on and educational records of students in non-public education, including any student educated at home or in a private school in accordance with State law, without written parental consent.
 
Amends HEA to include students at home schools, whether treated as a home school or a private school under State law, among those prospective secondary school graduates eligible to apply for the Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship Program for higher education.
 
Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to direct the Secretary of Labor to extend the hours and periods of permissible employment of employees between the ages of 14 and 16 years who are privately educated at a home school, whether the home school is treated as a home school or a private school under State Law, beyond those hours and periods applicable to employees of such ages who are educated in traditional public schools. (Thus allows home-school students to be employed during the traditional school day.)


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2003-08-01
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text of measure as introduced: CR S10913-10914)
action_date: 2003-08-01
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S10912-10913)
action_date: 2003-08-01
text: Introduced in Senate