CACR24

I support this bill, as it's currently worded and prayerfully request you do the same. Thank you.

I support this bill, as it's currently worded and prayerfully request you do the same. Thank you.

I support this bill, as it's currently worded and prayerfully request you do the same. Thank you.

This bill safeguards parents' rights to direct the education of their children. It helps ensure that arbitrary regulations and restrictions cannot be easily imposed on home educating families.

I support this bill .

Dear members of the committee,  I am writing you in strong support of the Constitutional Amendment in CACR 24. This amendment affirms a foundational principle: parents are the primary educators of their children. The family precedes the State. Because of that, the authority to direct a child’s education does not originate in government. The authority to direct a child’s education originates from their family.  CACR 24 does not create a new right; It secures a natural one. The Ninth Amendment to the United States Constitution makes clear that rights not enumerated are still retained by the people. The right of parents to direct their children’s education is one of those rights—natural, pre-political, and deeply rooted in our constitutional order.  The Supreme Court has recognized this in Pierce v. Society of Sisters, affirming that “the child is not the mere creature of the State,” and in Meyer v. Nebraska, protecting parental authority over education and upbringing.  Throughout our history, when government has denied fundamental rights, we have not treated those rights as newly created when we corrected the injustice. We have recognized them as pre-existing—and secured them in the Constitution.  The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution did not create the natural right to liberty. It acknowledged that liberty already belonged to those who had been unjustly enslaved.  The Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution did not invent the right of Black Americans to vote. It secured a right that should never have been denied.  The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution did not grant women the right to participate in self-government as if it were a legislative favor. It recognized that this right existed before government acknowledged it.  In each case, the Constitution did not manufacture a right. It restrained government from violating one.  The same principle applies here. The right of parents to direct the education of their children does not begin with this amendment. It does not begin with statute. It does not begin with court precedent. It existed prior to government, because humanity exists prior to government structures.  Protection in our state constitution reveals an understanding of this inherent and fundamental right of the family.  School is no longer the default choice for many families. That shift is not accidental. Public education today is philosophically different than it was 50 years ago. Where schools once reinforced shared civic foundations alongside families, the mission in many places has shifted toward reshaping social norms.  Teachers’ unions are openly political actors. Nationally, about 70% of public-school teachers belong to a union, and the two largest (the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers) direct roughly 98–99% of their political contributions to one political party. That is not speculation. It is documented fact.  When institutions that influence curriculum and policy operate with that level of political alignment, and those policies violate the conscience of parents, it is prudent and reasonable for parents to insist that their innate authority be constitutionally protected.  This amendment does not eliminate the State’s legitimate role. It puts back into it's correct place. It does not excuse abuse or neglect. It simply draws a boundary: the right of parents to direct their children’s education shall not be violated.  If we believe rights are secured, not granted, by the State (this is the only correct interpretation of the role of government, as intended by the Founding Fathers of our nation) then this belongs in our Constitution.   Parents are not seeking control over other people’s children. They are seeking authority over their own.  CACR 24 strengthens families, clarifies the proper function and boundaries of the state, and protects liberty for the long term. As Pope John Paul II said, “As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live.”  I respectfully urge you to stand in support CACR 24 and add New Hampshire to the list of states with the strongest parental rights in the nation.  Shaylyn Maran Wolfeboro, NH

My name is Marybeth Wadlinger, a veteran homeschool parent from Wolfeboro. The passage of HB 1268 upholds parental freedom but does not fully block future intrusive requirements or controls. Only a Constitutional amendment will protect families from these harms. At the framing of the Constitution of the United States, many feared that the new federal government could trample fundamental rights without clear guarantees. To that end, James Madison delineated the Bill of Rights - the first ten amendments to the Constitution. We are familiar with these - freedom of speech, religion, assembly, etc. But the 9th amendment is germane to this current debate. Framers were concerned that listing these rights might be construed as exhaustive and would allow the trampling over all the others that were not enumerated. The 9th Amendment affirms that people possess rights beyond those expressly written in the Constitution. The right and responsibility of parents to direct the moral and intellectual upbringing of their children is inalienable. It is a 9th amendment right.

As a veteran home educator I feel this Bill is very important to families in NH . I am in support of parents educating their children without Government interference.

I fully support adding this language to the NH Constitution. Parents are the primary educators of their children, and they absolutely have a natural right to direct the education, health, and wellbeing of those children.

Please move this CACR forward to the ballot, so that all registered voters in NH have opportunity to review and vote on the proposal to add text to our State Constitution. This addition strengthens the position of parents as the authority in their children's education.

I fully support solidifying parental rights into the New Hampshire Constitution, and fully support this bill to get it in on the ballot. I'm not sure why anyone would oppose this bill.

I support parents rights to educate their children.