Dear Representative (name) ,

Good Morning. As representative to my area I would like to ask you to comment on HB333, the proposed student identification bill. My questions/concerns are

1. What is the reason this bill has been proposed?
2. Why are the schools not already using other methods/resources to keep track of students?
3. Considering the existing situation with social security numbers and identity theft, among other things, I have great concern in having my child identified yet with another number. Please comment on this potential threat to my childs identity.
4. When SB55 was proposed to increase the compulsary attendance age of school children from 16 to 18, I spoke out against it, citing the fact that the schools already had the means to deal with truant students between the ages of 16 and 18. I communicated with Senator Belows my viewpoint. He stood in the senate chamber and challenged the lack of real understanding of the situation SB55 was designed to fix. It was agreed that this in fact was true and the senate voted to study the matter further. I would implore you to consider this as the case with HB333 as well. The results of the study realated to SB55 were astounding. I find it amazing that this is the problem that our lawmakers have chosen to address when there were so many more important issues cited in that study. Had I been aware of this bill sooner than yesterday, I would have contacted my senator before the senate vote. I now seek you and my other representatives to really look at this bill and consider it's potential. It seems that each day it gets harder and harder to maintain our freedoms and privacy. Please do not add to the "constant drip" which is wearing away the "stone" which is our freedom.

I thank you for your time in listening to my concerns. I am adding a post script for your consideration as well.

Sincerely,
Diane Lachance
(my address)

PS One explanation I have heard for this bill being proposed is stated as such:

A statewide identifying system of students, using a unique identifier, will greatly help in making the dropout reports verifiable. Such a system solves the problem of dropout reporting through one single mechanism. This committee strongly urges the creation and implementation for an identifying system.

My response to that bit of information was that I don't see why they need to put an id number on every single student in order to accuratley account for who drops out. Why don't they just asssign a number to the ones who drop out, and then count? Seriously.