From the HSLDA E-Lert service
May 21, 2003

Dear HSLDA Members and Friends,

We have another opportunity to help our homeschooling brothers and sisters in another country. The movement in Romania is beginning to grow, even though their law prohibits homeschooling.

HSLDA has helped the Romanian homeschoolers establish the Romanian Home School Association. The president, Gabriel Curcubet, has been working with Dr. Anton Ionescu, vice chairman of the Romanian Parliament Education Committee, to get a homeschool bill introduced in Parliament. However, the chairman of the Education Committee and various members are not convinced that the homeschool issue is of any importance.

Therefore, the Romanian homeschoolers have asked homeschool families from the United States for their assistance. We need your calls to the Romanian embassy and your email to the Romanian Parliament.

Without your help homeschooling may not become legal in Romania.

ACTION REQUESTED

1) Email the Romanian Parliament Committee on Education and give them the following message in your own words:

"One of the most important freedoms protected by any country is the right of parents to direct the education of their children. Please enact this month the legislation being introduced by Dr. Anton Ionescu to legalize homeschooling in Romania. Homeschooling is quickly growing worldwide and the children are being educated very successfully."

Please use this as an opportunity to additionally give them information as to the success of your homeschool program and homeschooling's benefits to your family.

Click on the link below to email the Education Committee members of the Romanian Parliament. You will be taken to the HSLDA website.

Simply follow the instructions in order to send your message.

http://www.hslda.org/hs/international/Romania/EmailParliament.asp

2) Call the Romanian Embassy in Washington, DC and give them this message in your own words:

"One of the most important freedoms protected by any country is the right of parents to direct the education of their children. Please encourage the Committee on Education to submit a bill to Parliament in the next two weeks."

Phone: 202-332-4846, ex. 117

You can also send a letter or email:

Embassy of Romania
ATTN: Ambassador
1607 23rd Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20008

Ambassador@roembus.org

BACKGROUND

In the past, U.S. homeschoolers have had similar opportunities to help struggling homeschool families of other countries and we have seen some dramatic results.

• Ukraine: recently we sent out an email requesting calls for Ukrainian homeschoolers who were being prosecuted. Your thousands of calls and emails convinced the government to not prosecute the homeschooling families. We will be sending an update on this situation soon.

• South Africa: two homeschool parents were freed from prison and eventually homeschooling was legalized through three separate phone call alerts.

• Germany: a case against a homeschool family was dropped within three weeks after thousands of calls were made to the German embassy.

• Ireland: draconian home visit legislation was defeated after two alerts to the Irish embassy and additional work with the Parliament.

• Czech Republic: over 170,000 email were delivered to the Czech Parliament by U.S. homeschoolers, shutting down the Parliament server for a day. The email campaign helped stop a bill which would have made it nearly impossible to homeschool in the Czech Republic.

Thank you for your willingness to sacrifice your time to write a letter, email, or make a call. We urge you to make this an opportunity to train your children in geography and history.

If you need any other information on homeschooling in Romania or other countries, please review the international section of our expanding webpage at:

http://www.hslda.org/hs/international

Thank you for your efforts in helping homeschoolers in Romania!

Sincerely,

Chris Klicka
HSLDA Senior Counsel