The returning and newly-appointed members of HEAC gathered on December 16, 2021 for an organizational/introductory meeting. The council is nearly at full-appointment and has a more diverse representation of organizations than in many years. The list and contact information for all members is available here. The council decided to postpone a vote on officers until the next meeting.
At this meeting, Jennifer Pereira (Catholics United for Home Education NH) explained that HEAC’s function is to foster communication among and between homeschoolers and representing organizations of the public and private education systems, as well as advise the Department of Education Commissioner. The role of HEAC is found in RSA 193-A:10 and Ed 315.09.
She also said that there are significant concerns that the Education Freedom Account (EFA) program is confused with home education as defined in NH statute, RSA 193-A and how that may impact the homeschool community. The EFA governance is found in RSA 194-F and Ed rules 324. Prenda’s community pods also have distinct differences from home education, yet fall under home ed for enrollment purposes. There is also continued confusion regarding full-time enrollment in VLACS, NH’s online chartered public school.
A few days after this meeting, we learned that Representative Barbara Shaw passed away. She was a long-time state representative who served on HEAC. We wish to convey our deepest condolences to her family, friends, and colleagues. She will be greatly missed.
Next Meeting
The council will meet on Thursday, February 17th starting at 3:30pm. They will be in-person, and the public is welcome to attend, or participate via Zoom.
Due to construction at the DOE main office in Londergan Hall, the council will meet at the department’s Walker Building office at 21 South Fruit Street, room 100, in Concord for the next few months. HEAC’s meetings are from 3:30pm to 5:00pm as scheduled below. The general public is welcome to attend; the NH DOE’s HEAC webpage includes the link, meeting ID, and passcode information.
UPDATE as of February 4, 2022: The Department of Education is relocated to Granite State College at 25 Hall Street in Concord. The specific room assignment is not available yet, but will be updated soon.
January 20, 2022 postponed
February 17, 2022 (placeholder)
March 17, 2022
April 21, 2022 (placeholder)
May 19, 2022
June 16, 2022 (placeholder)
Links to meeting minutes and members’ contact information are available on the NH DOE’s HEAC page.
Read More About HEAC
HEAC Considers Recovering Bright Futures Program
HEAC Concludes the 2020-21 Year
HEAC Addresses Equal Access Problems
HEAC Concludes Ed 315 Revision
HEAC Continues After the Holidays
HEAC Advances Ed 315 and Reviews NHSBA Policy
HEAC Works with NH DOE re Participating Agencies and Home Ed Credits
By Michelle Levell
