STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3206

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.C.R. No. 139

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 139 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO CHANGE THE HAWAII ADMINISTRATIVE RULES TO ALLOW CHILDREN WHO ARE HOME SCHOOLED TO PARTICIPATE IN PUBLIC SCHOOL CO-CURRICULAR OR EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to request the Department of Education to change the Hawaii Administrative Rules to allow home schooled students to participate in public school co-curricular or extracurricular activities.

     Testimony in opposition of the measure was submitted by the Department of Education.

     Your Committee finds that home schooling is a popular and viable option for many parents.  Accordingly, home schooled students require a well-balanced education, similar to public schools students.  However, home schooled students lack the same academic and recreational enrichment provided by extracurricular activities available to public school students.  Your Committee further finds that extracurricular activities, including athletics, play an important role in the holistic development of a child.  Although the public school system, as well as the Department of Human Services, affords public school students the opportunity to participate in numerous before- and after-school activities that enhance their development as contributing members of our communities, home school students are not provided with the same access to such activities.  This measure seeks to remedy that inequity by requesting the Department of Education to amend its rules to provide home schooled students access to extracurricular activities of the public school at which they would otherwise attend.

     However, testimony provided indicated that the Department of Education is not the appropriate entity to fulfill such request.  Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by requesting the Board of Education, rather than the Department of Education, to change the Hawaii Administrative Rules to provide home schooled students access to co-curricular and extracurricular activities, and also amends the title to reflect such change.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 139, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 139, S.D. 1.

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

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair