04/20/2001 02:05 PM Senate HES

                  SB  11-COMPULSORY SCHOOL AGE                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR THERRIAULT, sponsor of SB  11, provided the committee with                                                              
a list of the 12 exemptions from  the public education requirement                                                              
provided in statute.   He pointed out that he tried  to figure out                                                              
whether there  is a  different way  to get  at the problem,  which                                                              
occurs when parents  enroll their children in  public education at                                                              
the age of 5 or 6, but send their  children to school sporadically                                                              
Until  the child  is  of mandatory  school  age at  age  7.   Both                                                              
teachers  and students  are  challenged  in such  situations,  and                                                              
often school becomes  a negative experience at an  early stage for                                                              
those students.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR THERRIAULT  pointed out the  list of 12 exemptions  is not                                                              
impacted by  SB 11.  The exemptions  allow a child to  be withheld                                                              
from public school  if the child is being educated  by a parent or                                                              
legal guardian.   Therefore, any parent  who wants to keep  his or                                                              
her child out of  the public school system can legally  do so, but                                                              
once a child is enrolled, SB 11 will  require that child to attend                                                              
on a regular basis.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
VICE-CHAIR LEMAN announced that he  would hold SB 11 until Monday,                                                              
when Chairwoman Green is in attendance.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  THERRIAULT  said  he  is willing  to  discuss  any  ideas                                                              
committee members  may have  as to how  to approach this  problem.                                                              
He stated this problem pertains to 1 percent of students.