This post is all about my experience with HSLDA.
I have been a supporter of HSLDA since I began homeschooling. Stories of how they advocate and fight for homeschooling families are inspiring.
When you need a homeschool superhero who wears a tie instead of a cape, who’re you gonna call? H-S-L-D-A! Who doesn’t want a strong legal advocate on their side?
Unfortunately, like in so many other tales of superheroes, the reality doesn’t always meet the hype.
In my opinion. I am talking about lawyers, afterall. Go ahead and take a minute to think of your favorite lawyer joke, I’ll wait.
That reminds me!
Disclaimer: The following article reflects personal opinions that are based on true events. None of the names have been changed to protect the identities of the parties involved. Allegedly. In my opinion.
In this post you will get an honest review of HSLDA so you can decide about your own HSLDA membership.
Do you ever find yourself asking, What does HSLDA actually do for their members? Read my story to find out why I am asking that question.
This post is all about HSLDA.
Using My HSLDA Membership
The first time I had occasion to contact HSLDA for advice was due to participation in a publicly funded enrichment program. My state had recently changed a document that I was uncomfortable signing, due to some language in it that I consider compelled speech. Definitely not allowed in that pesky constitution of ours.
HSLDA and Homeschool Programs
Now, I am well aware that HSLDA is not a fan of publicly funded homeschool enrichment programs. We can agree to disagree on that.
But, I pay my member dues. They are the superheroes-in-ties, and we all want homeschoolers to succeed. So I proceed with asking for legal advice in dealing with this document.
Here’s the advice I received, not word for word, because it was like 9 years ago: There’s nothing we can do about it. You will just have to sign it in order to stay in the enrichment program.
I withdrew my son from the program, based on the super advice from the superhero-in-a-tie.
One week later HSLDA sent an email to Colorado homeschool families saying they would be fighting this change to the language of the document. Huh?
This was the same form they told me I would have to sign, just a week prior. They said they couldn’t do anything about it. Hmmmm…
HSLDA Complaints
As you can imagine, I was super okay finding out this information. I let it roll right off my back. No big deal. It’s just bad legal advice.
Okay, okay. Maybe I sent them a message letting them know of my displeasure. I mean, did they even do any due diligence before answering my question? I get that they are busy, but they are the superheroes-in-ties.
HSLDA Reviews Their Mistake
I did get an apology for their bad advice. In fact, Mike Donelly, who was the attorney for Colorado at the time, called me to smooth things over.
He said that they weren’t provided with the correct documentation from the state agency, so they didn’t review the correct document. So basically, the conclusion I came to is that they didn’t do their due diligence.
No due diligence was done before they responded to me. They could have simply asked me what specific language I was referring to in the document, but they didn’t. They gave an answer without truly looking into the issue.
It’s so great to have a superhero-in-a-tie helping you.
He offered to write a letter to the enrichment program, which had a waitlist by this time. I didn’t think it would be very super to get someone kicked out of their spot in the program, because I followed bad legal advice. So we moved on.
The bell had already been rung, and not even superheroes-in-ties can unring that.
My HSLDA Dilemma
This experience obviously raised some major concerns about the so-called homeschool help and advocacy provided by HSLDA. But they are superheros, right?
There are so many stories of how HSLDA fights brave battles for the sake of homeschoolers everywhere. The stories have to be true right? They told me so themselves, in their newsletter.
Stories like how they helped the Romeike family…oh wait…I guess that one isn’t going so well either. That’s awkward. Moving on.
Even though HSLDA gave me bad advice, surely they will come charging in to save the homeschool day for bigger issues, right? Isn’t that what they do?
I mean, we need to keep these superheroes-in-ties funded and supported for when we really need them…don’t we?
To Be Continued…
Don’t you hate it when people leave the story with a cliffhanger? Me too, but lucky for you, My Closer Look at HSLDA Part 2 is Here!
This post is all about my experience with HSLDA
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My Tale of Homeschool Styles: From Classical to Now – My Homeschool with a View
How to Become a Courageous Homeschooler – My Homeschool with a View
5 Practical Ideas to Thrive as a Homeschool Mom and Beyond – My Homeschool with a View