The Homeschool Family - Salt & Light to Your Community and Beyond!
Registration Fee Increase Delayed until 4/22!
This event is open to all friends of NY home education! You do not have to be a current homeschooler or Homeschool New York member to participate.
Pre-Legislative Day Rally with Will Estrada (Senior Counsel, HSLDA)
Wednesday, May 14, 2025 | 7-9pm
Location:
Shaker Ridge Country Club
What to Expect:
*Please plan to eat dinner before your arrival. Families and teens will be together from 7-9pm. After 9pm, we plan to organize a teen hangout session at the hotel (Tru by Hilton Albany Airport). See below for booking information, be mindful that our block of rooms at the hotel is only good until 4/14, first come, first serve.
Our Purpose:
This year, we plan to offer 2-3 training sessions via Zoom (for both adults and teens) leading up to Legislative Day. (Each family would only need to attend one of the Zoom trainings, but we'll offer several so you can pick the one that fits best with your schedule.) We hope you'll take advantage of this time to learn more about the legislative process here in New York, as well as the bills we're supporting (and opposing) and why. More importantly, we want to help you understand the history of our movement, where we stand today, and what the future may hold. And, foundationally, we want you to understand and embrace a Biblical model of engagement in our government and culture to both enhance homeschool freedom and advance the Gospel!
If you can come the night before Legislative Day, we'll have rooms reserved at a local hotel (details below). We will meet nearby at Shaker Ridge Country Club for an encouraging session with our keynote speaker, Will Estrada. Will currently serves at HSLDA as Senior Counsel, and has also served as HSLDA's Director of Federal Relations and as President of ParentalRights.org. His passion for defending our freedoms as parents and homeschoolers will encourage and motivate us all!
Homeschool New York Legislative Day
Thursday, May 15, 2025 | 8:30am-2pm
The Well, Legislative Office Building (LOB)
Enjoy our catered brunch at the Capitol in addition to the hotel breakfast on Thursday morning! This combination should hold you over until 1pm, when there will be time in the schedule for you to find lunch at the Capitol.
We'll meet together in the Well of the Legislative Office Building in the Capitol. After a time of worship and prayer, you'll spend the rest of the day attending meetings with your Senator and Assembly Representative, as well as additional meetings with key Committee members. These meetings will be facilitated by a Homeschool New York board member (so you won't be alone!) and will provide an opportunity for you to advocate for homeschooling in general, as well as for specific legislation. You'll also have the chance to hear from Will Estrada and several of our sponsors.
Your teens will also have the opportunity to pass out Homeschool New York opinion papers and ask representatives for their support.
*Come early on Wednesday or stay late on Thursday to check out the New York State Museum!
Our purpose is to have an impactful and winsome voice in the legislative and regulatory processes here in New York by sharing the goals, heart, and passion of home education with our elected and appointed officials. One of the ways we fulfill this purpose is through our Legislative Day, giving home educators from across the state an opportunity to share their own experiences and convictions with their elected officials in Albany.
This year, there are already two bills we are working hard to advance! One is the Sports Bill (A389 and S3436), which will allow homeschool students to participate on high school sports teams. The other is the Letter of Substantial Equivalence Bill (A2326 and S199), which will require District Superintendents to write the Letter when students have completed their home education in compliance with Section 100.10 of the Commissioner's Regulations. By May, there might be other bills we are supporting, and there may also be bills we are opposing, so your presence is needed both for offense and defense!
One of our main goals is to gain support for the Letter of Substantial Equivalence Bill – we’re hopeful to see it move this year! Several legislators have asked for specific examples of our students who have struggled to obtain the Letter. If that applies to you, would you please send your story to [email protected]? We are specifically looking for testimonies regarding the following:
Bring the Whole Family!
We are homeschoolers, so, of course, this is a family-friendly event! No childcare is available, as we encourage you to have your children present during the meetings. There will be a room set aside for nursing and a place for you to put coats. Every Individual Home Instruction Programs (IHIP) has a section for Citizenship; participating in this event together with your children is a great way to accomplish that!
Teens:
Each year at Legislative Day, our teens take up the challenge of visiting every Senator and Assembly Representative's office to introduce themselves as homeschool students, deliver our position papers, and review them with as many elected officials and staff members as possible!
Of course, before going out on this mission, there will be a time of training and preparation! This year, we plan to offer 2-3 meeting times over Zoom in the weeks leading up to the event. (No need to attend more than one – just pick a date that works best for you!) This is a fantastic opportunity for your teens to learn the importance of being a part of the legislative process. (Perhaps one of them will run for legislative office one day!)
With the guidance of Homeschool New York's own veteran young adults, your teens will review our position papers, practice speaking about them, and divide up into teams (we'll pair teens who are new to the program with teens who are more experienced). Later in the day, they will regroup to debrief, sharing what they have learned and discussing follow-up strategies.
Registration Deadline Without a Late Fee:
April 21, 2024
Why Register?
The sooner you register (for as little as $15/family before April 21st), the sooner our legislative team can
If you register after April 21th, we'd still love to have you join us! However, we can't guarantee we'll have enough time to set up meetings with your Senator and Assembly Representative. In addition, a late fee will go into effect on April 22. Please make plans to join us at the New York State Capitol to promote homeschooling, raise awareness, and gather support for homeschooling freedom!
Homeschool New York / NYS LEAH is a Christian organization. Our Christian faith directs our Legislative and Public Policy efforts to protect and expand the freedom of all parents to home educate their children, regardless of whether they are our members or not. We seek to stand together with all of New York's homeschoolers in the public square to advocate together for our rights. Are you ready?
Contact:
For more information, contact the Legislative Team at [email protected].
This is per family, to help cover a portion of the overall costs of the event. If you are interested in helping more, please use the donation section below.
If you would like to make an additional donation to support this year's Legislative Day, please do so below!
On Wednesday evening, we will be staying at Tru by Hilton Albany Airport!
Our group block is live and ready for guests to book their reservations; please see booking options below.
Simply copy and paste the reservation link URL below into your browser to access the exclusive rates available for our group:
Booking Link: https://group.trubyhilton.com/7865m3
Hotel: Tru by Hilton Albany Airport
Group Name: Home School New York Group Code 916
Arrival Date: 05/14/2025
Departure Date: 05/15/2025
Cut-off Date: 04/21/2025
Please note, the entire URL must be copied and pasted for it to work properly.
Another way you can book reservations is by calling the Hilton Reservations toll-free number at 1-800-HILTONS. Mention the Home School New York Group Block at Tru by Hilton Albany Airport or the unique code 916 to receive the group rate.
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In a previous Teen Legislative Day
Do you have a homeschool senior or recent graduate who might be willing to speak for a few minutes during one of the meetings with a legislator? This would be an opportunity for your child to share his or her accomplishments and future plans with the legislator.
Family Information
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In order to maximize your impact during this Legislative Day, we need to know who your Assembly and Senate representatives are. Please use these links if you need them, and enter the information below. Please don't enter all in caps!
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