with Will Estrada (Senior Counsel, HSLDA)

Wednesday, May 14, 2025 | 7:00-9:00 pm
Shaker Ridge Country Club

WHAT TO EXPECT
7:00-7:30 pm Introduction / Orientation
7:30-8:30 pm Keynote: Will Estrada, HSLDA
8:30-9:00 pm Q&A
9:00 pm Teen Hangout Session at the Hotel*
*Click here for time-sensitive hotel information

Thursday, May 15, 2025 | 8:30 am-2:00 pm
The Well, Legislative Office Building (LOB)

8:30 am Worship, Prayer, Orientation, and Catered Brunch | The Well, LOB
9:00-11:00 am *Meetings with your local Assembly Representative and Senator | LOB
9:00-11:00 am Workshops | The Well, LOB
12:00 pm Will Estrada, keynote | The Well, LOB
1:00-2:00 pm  Additional meetings and tour of the Capitol

*All meetings will be facilitated by a Homeschool New York Board Member, and we will offer training sessions via Zoom leading up to the event so you feel confident and equipped! Your teens will also have the opportunity to pass out Homeschool New York opinion papers and ask representatives for their support (we’ll pair teens who are new to the program with teens who are more experienced).

Come early on Wednesday or stay late on Thursday to check out the New York State Museum!

OUR PURPOSE is to have a winsome voice in the legislative and regulatory processes here in New York by sharing the 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. We’re hoping 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 legislative@nysleah.org? We are specifically looking for testimonies regarding the following:

– The importance of the Letter for home educated students
– How difficult the Letter is to obtain
– Ramifications when superintendents refuse to write the Letter
– Stories of colleges refusing to accept home educated students

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! Further, 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, so please bring your extended family and friends along!

Please make plans to join us at the New York State Capitol to promote homeschooling, raise awareness, and gather support for homeschooling freedom! Are you ready?