STAND. COM. REP. NO. 302

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 871

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2011

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 871 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to allow home schooled students to participate on an equal basis in extracurricular activities offered at the public school they would otherwise be required to attend.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from The Libertarian Party of Hawaii, North Shore Christian Homeschoolers, a member of the Board of Education, and four individuals.  Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Hawaii Student Activities Association and a number of individuals, including public school teachers, principals, and students.

 

     Your Committee finds that home schooled students should have the opportunity to participate on an equal basis in extracurricular activities offered by public schools.  Your Committee further finds that this is a policy issue that may be better developed at the Board of Education and Department of Education levels.

 

     Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by deleting its contents and replacing the contents with provisions that require the Department of Education and Board of Education to:

 

     (1)  Develop policies and procedures to allow homeschooled students to participate on an equal basis in extracurricular activities offered at the public school they would otherwise be required to attend;

 

     (2)  Examine certain specific issues while developing the policies and procedures; and

 

     (3)  Report its findings to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2012.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 871, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 871, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Education,

 

 

 

____________________________

JILL TOKUDA, Chair