**Important: Nebraska Family Forum members, please read***

NFF Members:  We are very actively working to repeal the “excessive absenteeism” law.  We have senators who have stated that this law needs to be repealed and are considering writing the legislation to do so.  Melanie and I have been busy answering their questions and providing them with the information they are requesting in order to move forward.

Lawmakers on both ends of the political spectrum have realized the harm being done to our families and children in the name of education.  Therefore, the push to repeal will be a bi-partisan effort, and this is the reason for my post.

Dozens of families have courageously come forward and written their stories.  Some have done so anonymously out of an understandable fear of retribution from their schools, county attorneys, and DHHS.  The majority of our families have put their name on their stories.  These stories have been posted on our blog for 2 ½ years now and have been read hundreds of times.  The Ward family story has had 1,105 hits, the Hansen story has had 625 hits, and the Maynard story went national and has reached a whopping 2,399 hits!

It’s the stories of families under attack and frightened children that have finally gotten the attention of our lawmakers in Lincoln, and it’s why we stand poised to repeal this outrageous, harmful law once and for all.

In the coming months, there will be senators who distribute these stories, share them with the media, and talk about them in committee and floor debate.  Your name may be in the press and in the legislative record.  The senator who is telling your story may be a person who is not politically aligned with you, may perhaps be someone you would never vote for, but is an ally in overturning this law that has harmed so many families and children.  That same senator might even call you on the phone one day or ask to meet you in person.  We are hopeful that, regardless of differences in opinions on other issues, everyone will be willing to work together on this particular issue.

Since every family who is already mentioned on the blog has given permission for their story to be told and their name to be used, and there are no limits on who is reading the blog, we are making the assumption that these families will have no problem with their story being retold in Lincoln during the efforts to repeal this law.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO REQUEST THAT YOUR STORY NOT BE USED IN THE REPEAL EFFORT, PLEASE CONTACT BRENDA VOSIK OR MELANIE WILLIAMS-SMOTHERMAN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

Thank you.

Brenda Vosik, Director

Nebraska Family Forum