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Contact:
Stephen Lunsford, NTHEN
214-495-9600 or administration@NTHEN.org

Kristine Tanzillo, Dux Public Relations
972-889-9577 or Kristine@DuxPR.com

Homeschooling Legal Expert and Pro-Family Leader Will Keynote Ninth Annual Education Event in Plano

ALLEN, Texas – July 12, 2004 – The activist founder of the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) and the leader of a national pro-family organization will give the keynote addresses at the ninth annual Summer Homeschool Conference and Bookfair in Plano, Texas, August 6 and 7.

Michael Farris, who started the HSLDA in 1983, is a constitutional lawyer and staunch defender of parents’ right to homeschool their children. He will join David Barton, founder and president of WallBuilders, an organization dedicated to helping citizens get involved in their communities, as lead speakers at the conference.

Sponsored by the North Texas Home Educators’ Network, the conference at the Plano Centre is expected to attract more than 3,000 homeschooling families from all over north Texas and surrounding States.

Farris has titled his presentation “Battle for your Right to Homeschool,” and will draw on his extensive courtroom experience on behalf of homeschooling families. In addition to his legal battles for parents, he is President and Professor of Government at Patrick Henry College in Virginia, an ordained minister, and the father of 10 children, all of them homeschooled.

Barton will use his keynote address to urge a grassroots movement to rebuild the constitutional, moral, and religious foundations of America’s strength. His organization, WallBuilders, takes its name from the Biblical tale of Nehemiah’s success in rallying the nation of Israel to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

In addition to the keynote speakers, the Homeschool Conference and Bookfair will feature a variety of speakers on home education topics, along with more than 125 exhibitors showcasing books, multimedia, and other educational tools. The conference runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, August 6 and 7. Onsite registration fees are $10 per adult and $5 per child. Additional conference information is available online at www.nthen.org or by calling 214-495-9600.

The North Texas Home Educators’ Network (NTHEN) sponsors the Homeschool Conference and Bookfair. NTHEN is a 15-year-old non-profit organization whose mission is to educate, inform, and mentor homeschool group leaders. NTHEN fosters cooperation among home education support groups, promotes special events such as high school graduations to the homeschool community, and educates the general public about homeschooling.

More About the North Texas Home Educators’ Network
NTHEN is the largest of several regional homeschool organizations in Texas, serving local support group leaders in more than 80 counties and from more than 160 support groups throughout north and northeast Texas. NTHEN conducts special meetings, leads regional activities, co-hosts leadership seminars and retreats, provides consultations, and offers helpful online information. More information about NTHEN is available online at www.nthen.org or by calling 214-495-9600.

More About Michael Farris
Michael Farris is chairman and general counsel of the Home School Legal Defense Association, which he founded in 1983. His cases include more than 40 reported decisions as lead counsel in courts across the nation, including the U.S. Supreme Court, five U.S. circuit courts of appeal, seven state supreme courts, and five state courts of appeal. He argued and won a landmark religious freedom case in the U.S. Supreme Court in 1986. Education Week named him one of the 100 most significant "Faces of the Century" in Education. He has written eight books, including two novels, a high school textbook on constitutional law, and two books on fathering. He was the Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia in 1993.

More About David Barton
David Barton’s WallBuilders organization helps citizens become active in their local schools and communities, to exert a direct and positive influence in government, education, and the family. He has served on committees in Texas and California to develop history and social studies standards for students, and has helped review history standards in several other states. He has written numerous books on historical, legal, and educational issues and is a frequent consultant to state and federal lawmakers.

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