Midwest
Illinois homeschool bill would create a 'pipeline to the criminal justice system for parents': Dem lawmaker
An Illinois bill that could drastically change homeschooling rules in the state would create “a pipeline to the criminal justice system for parents,” a state Democratic lawmaker warned Thursday.
Rep. La Shawn Ford, who represents a district that includes parts of Chicago, made the remark as parents, students and opponents of HB 2827, the Homeschool Act, rallied in the city’s downtown.
The bill, which is advancing through the Illinois state legislature, would charge parents with a misdemeanor if they fail to register their kids in a “homeschool declaration form” to the nearest public school they would otherwise be attending. It also requires documentation of immunizations and health examinations for children who wish to participate in public school activities.
“I support the representative that is sponsoring the bill, and I hope that we can work with her to have this bill become something that you can support. But right now, I don’t believe the bill is exactly what’s needed in Illinois,” Ford said. “I believe in restorative justice. I believe in making sure that people don’t have a pathway to the criminal justice system. And this bill is a pipeline to the criminal justice system for parents. And I can’t stand for that. How can we criminalize parents for wanting to love their children?”
ILLINOIS PARENTS, LAWMAKERS SOUND ALARM OVER PROPOSED HOMESCHOOLING BILL
Opponents of HB2827 rally in downtown Chicago on Thursday, April 3. (Fox News)
“And finally, we’ve seen, since the pandemic, the growth in home schooling. It has increased across all demographics, but specifically in the Black community, from 3.3% to almost 17% of Black people use homeschooling in this state,” he added.
Bobby Sylvester, the vice president of the Urban Center nonprofit, said Thursday that “This bill would require private schools to hand over the individual contact information, including names, phone numbers and addresses, to the state of Illinois.
“That is government overreach,” he said.
Democrats say the bill – which contains a portion that requires parents to hand over teaching materials if it’s suspected the child isn’t being educated properly – will strengthen oversight of homeschooling.
Democratic state Rep. Terra Costa Howard introduced the bill following an investigative story by ProPublica, which has a left-leaning bias, according to the nonpartisan news rating company AllSides, entitled, “How Illinois’ Hands-Off Approach to Homeschooling Leaves Children at Risk.” The report included cases of abuse that went unnoticed because children were not in school.
SCHOOL CHOICE ACTIVISTS WARN PARENTS ABOUT ILLINOIS’ HOMESCHOOL BILL WITH JAIL-TIME PROVISION
Rep. La Shawn Ford, an Illinois state Democrat, said “this bill is a pipeline to the criminal justice system for parents.” (Fox News)
However, opponents of the bill argue there’s no correlation between homeschooled students being more at risk of abuse than those in the public school system.
“Many families need to make sometimes untimely decisions to pull their children out of a public school setting for their own safety, and a more effective learning environment,” Chantal Moore, a homeschooling mother, said at the rally Thursday.
Moore said her son was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, but that he has thrived in a homeschooling environment.
“Keeping our children safe is not acquired by a form, but by standing as a community together,” she added.
A March 19 protest against House Bill 2827, known as the Homeschool Act, at the Illinois state capitol. (Fox News)
Aziza Butler, a self-described homeschooling mother of six and former Chicago Public Schools teacher, said, “Not only will this bill divert precious resources, time and energy away from the critical needs of public schools who are already in peril, but it threatens an education revolution that so many minorities are benefiting from.”
Fox News’ Jamie Joseph and Andrea Margolis contributed to this report.
Read the full article from Here
A better life is in sight for dozens of dogs.
PAWS Chicago welcomed 25 beagles from a massive rescue operation on Saturday.
Last week, more than a thousand dogs were rescued from Ridglan Farms in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin, after weeks of protests over their treatment of the dogs. Ridglan Farms agreed to sell 1,500 of the facility’s roughly 2,000 beagles, which were then transferred to rescue organizations across the country, including PAWS Chicago.
Celene Mielcarek, PAWS Chicago chief program officer, explained what’s next for the dogs as they begin their new lives.
“These beagles have lived their lives in isolation. They’ve lived their lives in cages inside. We’re going to make sure that they are healthy. They’re each going to get tucked in by a volunteer into warm bedding. They’re each going to get a yummy dinner tonight, and they’re going to start that new chapter of their life,” she said.
She says it will take some time for the beagles to get used to being dogs and understanding what it’s like to live in a home. To help with that, they will be sent to experienced foster homes that will help them understand human connection.
Once the beagles are ready, they’ll head to the PAWS Chicago Lincoln Park adoption center to meet their forever family.
Jaelen Reaves is well-prepared to study vocal music starting this fall at Oakland University.
And the reason why will be on display this week at Detroit’s Fox Theatre.
“An Evening of Fine Arts,” a free show taking place on Wednesday, May 6, is the Detroit Public Schools Community District’s 57th showcase of performing and visual arts. Some 760 students from 14 schools will take part in the presentation, which includes 27 stage performances and 26 works on display in the Fox’s Grand Lobby.
And for students such as Reaves, who attends the Detroit School of Arts, it’s a chance to take a step towards a career on a stage that’s hosted showbusiness legends they’ve looked up to.
“It’s like, wow, because I know people like Patti LaBelle and Chaka Khan and so many others have performed there,” says Reaves, 18, a vocal soprano who will perform with the DSA Lady Achievers and Concert Choir on Wednesday. “The fact that they sang on that stage and I’m about to sing on that stage is crazy. Just going to the Fox to see (a performance) is a privilege; for me to be performing on that stage is really an honor.
“The fact I have the opportunity to showcase my talent and what we represent here (at DSA). If I was in another school, I would never have had this opportunity. I definitely don’t take it for granted.”
Other performances during the night will come from the district’s harp and vocal ensemble, which recently celebrated its 100th anniversary and is the oldest such program in the country, and a selection of choirs, jazz bands, orchestras and theater programs.
“(The evening) spotlights the voices of our students in the highest visual and performing arts programs, district-wide,” says Andrew McGuire, deputy executive director of fine and performing arts for DPSCD. “When our students are stepping on the stage, they’re not only stepping into a legacy, they’re also stepping into the future as performers — as actors, as singers and all of that.”
The evening also demonstrates DCSPD’s continuing commitment to arts education at a time when many districts nationwide have severely limited or completely curtailed similar curriculum.
“We have a whole-child commitment,” McGuire explains, “which has meant the rebuilding and revitalization of fine and performing arts (education) district-wide. And DSA is not the only space where artists exist. All 106 schools have fine and performing arts, with most schools having two or more (programs) in them. It’s really exciting that in an age when there’s so much talk about pulling back, restricting and cutting, that’s not in our narrative at DPSCD. We’re proud of that.”
Reaves is certainly emblematic of the district’s effectiveness. Raised in an artistic family, as well as singing in church, she became interested in classical singing, but plans to study a broad array of styles at Oakland. “I just want to be a solo performer who has every single (style) under my belt,” she says. “I don’t want to just sing one type of genre. I would love to go around the world singing all types of things
“I know that singing, for me, is not a hobby. It’s something that’s in my blood. I can’t do anything but sing every day. So I want to make the best of it.”
The Detroit Public Schools Community District’s “An Evening of Fine Arts” takes place at 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 6, at the Fox Theatre, 2211 Woodward Ave., Detroit. Admission is free, but tickets are required. 313-471-7000 or 313Presents.com.
Policies strengthening housing code enforcement and integrating housing interventions into public health strategies are critical steps for improving the health outcomes of Milwaukee families.
Watch Milwaukee’s city attorney discuss lawsuits against landlord
Milwaukee City Attorney Evan Goyke discusses two lawsuits filed against Highgrove Holdings, LLC during a press conference.
The deterioration of housing quality in Milwaukee is not just a policy or economic issue; it’s a vivid illustration of the importance of public health initiatives.
As a medical student, I have seen how unstable housing complicates chronic conditions and contributes to repeated healthcare encounters. The articles “Milwaukee city attorney slaps out-of-state landlord with lawsuits” (March 26) and “Low-income Milwaukee families face systemic failures we must fix” (April 12) are prime examples of the ways Milwaukee landlords are contributing to health inequities. Residents reported experiencing leaky roofs, pest infestations, chipping paint, lack of running water and lack of heat.
These conditions disproportionately affect low-income renters, reflecting longstanding patterns of disinvestment and weak enforcement of housing standards. Leaking roofs promote mold growth in homes, which is associated with asthma exacerbation and other respiratory illnesses. Chipping paint increases risk of lead poisoning, which can cause irreversible neurological changes in children. Lack of heat can worsen chronic disease, including cardiovascular conditions, and lead to cold-related injuries, such as frostbite.
This blatant disregard of tenants is negligent.
Safe housing is foundational to health. Policies strengthening housing code enforcement and integrating housing interventions into public health strategies are critical steps for improving the health outcomes of Milwaukee families.
Olivia Avery, Madison
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