NAVY BACKS OFF HOMESCHOOLING SNUB!

After easily passing the military aptitude test (ASVAB) to get into the United States Navy, a homeschooler from South Dakota was denied acceptance by an Armed Forces recruitment officer, who told him that his score was not high enough because homeschoolers have to score higher than students who have been traditionally educated. Confused as to why homeschooled students were punished by having to score a 50 to get into the military – public schoolers only need a 35 to pass – the parents of Jared Wright* contacted the Home School Legal Defense Association to see whether the Navy's admission policy was legal and accurate. Not so fast ... Not long after being contacted by the Wrights and discussing their situation, HSLDA senior counsel Scott Woodruff sent an email to the Navy recruiter inquiring into his discriminatory treatment of the homeschooler. "I understand that you recently told [Jared Wright], who desires to enlist in the Navy, that he could not be accepted because he was homeschooled and his ASVAB score was below 50," Woodruff wrote. "If this in fact happened, your notes may reflect superseded policies and need to be updated." Woodruff, Scott (HSLDA)Woodruff went on to present the facts and lay out the proper protocol for admission into the Navy. "Pursuant to the National Defense Reauthorization Act of 2014, homeschooled applicants shall not be required to score at a higher level on the ASVAB than public school students," Woodruff asserted. "This legislation has been implemented into policy form at the Pentagon level." The Christian attorney – who has helped thousands of homeschool families challenged by social workers, police officers, truant officers, principals, superintendents and prosecuting attorneys – proceeded to instruct the recruiter to contact specific personnel at the Pentagon for confirmation of this information. Accordingly, Woodruff contended that Jared's acceptance into the Navy should be a no-brainer. "I understand that [Jared]'s score was well within the level that is acceptable for a public school student," Woodruff pointed out. "There should therefore be no impediment to him moving forward with entrance into the U.S. Navy." Just hours after the recruiter received Woodruff's email, he did an about-face and notified Jared that his score was indeed sufficient to enlist in the Navy. More than just 'sufficient' Woodruff wanted to make sure that the Navy-aspiring teen from Sioux Falls was assured that his commendable score earned him a ticket to the job of his choice – not a disqualification. "Based on his scores, he qualified for the job he wanted in the Navy and many other Navy jobs," Woodruff told OneNewsNow in an exclusive interview. The attorney, who is licensed to practice in Virginia and Missouri and serves as a member of the bar of the U.S. Supreme Court, is quick to point out that Jared's high performance is no fluke, as homeschoolers consistently outperform students enrolled in traditional education. "According to Dr. Lawrence Rudner, the average homeschooled 8th-grader scores at the level of a 12th-grader on standardized tests," Woodruff reports. "There is simply no empirical reason to discriminate against homeschool graduates." In fact, across the curricula – regardless of age or subject – homeschoolers average 30 percentage points higher than conventionally educated youth; while doctoral dissertations consistently show that – contrary to the popular belief promoted by public school officials – homeschoolers are better socialized and typically exude superior leadership skills than their counterparts in the public classroom. This is consistent with Woodruff's analysis of homeschoolers. "When there is a level playing field, homeschool graduates will always shine," Woodruff concludes. Perfect timing In the not-so-distant past, homeschoolers had their work cut out for them when it came to applying for the military, and HSLDA attorneys plunged onto the battlefield to fight for their equal right to serve. Standing in their way was the discriminatory language in the National Defense Authorization Act, or H.R. 3304, which made it more difficult for homeschoolers to gain admittance into the military. Estrada "In August of 2012, a bipartisan group of U.S. representatives sent a letter to the Pentagon demanding that officials eliminate this discriminatory policy, but the Pentagon ignored the letter," reported director of HSLDA federal relations and staff attorney William Estrada. "At this point, HSLDA determined that the only solution would be another amendment to the NDAA. Homeschoolers were able to enlist, but it was unacceptable that they needed to score higher than public and private school graduates on the military's initial enlistment test." And at the end of last year, HSLDA's hard work on homeschoolers behalf paid off. "And thanks to Representatives [John] Kline (R-Minnesota) and [Duncan] Hunter (R-California) and their tireless work on behalf of homeschoolers, the House included our language in a modified NDAA bill which was then sent to the Senate," Estrada continued. "On the Senate side, Senators [Orrin] Hatch (R-Utah) and [Lindsey] Graham (R-South Carolina) and their staff worked incredibly hard behind the scenes to ensure that our language was not stripped out. Upon final passage, President Obama quickly signed the bill into law." Estrada was ecstatic to see that both parties recognized the importance of making sure homeschoolers could serve their country without any undue hardship in the process. "HSLDA is grateful to see that homeschool freedom and equality is a bipartisan issue," Estrada declared. "Republicans and Democrats – culminating with President Obama's signature on the bill – came together to ensure that homeschool graduates will be treated in the same way as graduates of public or private schools when they enlist in the U.S. Armed Forces." - See more at: http://onenewsnow.com/education/2014/08/27/victory-navy-levels-the-field-for-homeschoolers#.VAdq4ewg_3g