[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 28 (Thursday, February 16, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E207]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  CELEBRATING MASON DIXON HOMESCHOOLERS ASSOCIATION'S 30TH ANNIVERSARY

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                           HON. BILL SHUSTER

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 16, 2017

  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the Mason Dixon 
Homeschoolers Association (MDHSA) on its 30th year of service to 
families in Pennsylvania and Maryland.
   The Mason Dixon Homeschoolers Association was founded in 1986 by two 
families in Franklin County, Pennsylvania who wanted to homeschool 
their children. Martin and Mary Hudzinski, along with Barbara and 
Michael Sniders, were surprised to find out that families all over 
Pennsylvania were being denied the right to home-educate their 
children. They began organizing with other families who wanted to see 
the law changed as opposed to leaving the state to educate their 
children elsewhere, as some families had done. Soon, the MDHSA had 
seven families, and its members along with other homeschoolers in 
Pennsylvania worked for the passage of Act 169, signed by the governor 
in 1988, which allowed parents and guardians the choice of 
homeschooling their children.
   Today, the MDHSA's membership has grown to support nearly 200 
families. In 1997 they were authorized by the PA Department of 
Education to issue high school diplomas, and their first graduate was 
in 1998. Today, the MDHSA issues around 200 diplomas each year. In 
addition to providing their member families learning materials, they 
also provide their students with monthly assemblies for guest speakers 
to attend, classes taught by other homeschooling parents or outside 
experts in a particular field, field trips for its members, and even a 
yearly high school prom. Their graduates have become physicians, public 
school teachers, human rights workers, welders, and much, much more.
   Mr. Speaker, I am privileged to congratulate the MDHSA on three 
decades of history and service to the Central Pennsylvania community, 
and to thank all who have helped this organization continue its 
success.

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