New Hampshire - CHENH

by Keith Plourd
(Sanbornville, NH)

Christian Home Educators of New Hampshire

CHENH is a Christian organization formed for the purpose of serving and supporting Christian home educators in their obedience to the call of God to educate their children.

Its purposes are:

1. To provide leadership and support to Christian homeschooling families, churches, and associations.

2. To coordinate a state-wide network of homeschooling information and resources.

3. To represent its membership to the State education authorities as provided by New Hampshire law.

4. To keep members informed of state and national legislation that effects homeschooling.

5. To provide representation to regional and national Christian home education organizations

Christian Home Educators of NH began as a local homeschool support group in Hillsborough in 1988 before there was a home school law. In those days parents had to ask permission and show evidence of some hardship (religious, etc) and then submit to the whims of local officials. This was changed in 1990 with the passage of RSA193-A and associated rules Ed315. CHENH became a statewide organization intent on lobbying the legislature during a contentious process that pitted state bureaucrats, wanting complete control over home education, against parents who wanted complete autonomy. The result was something in the middle and CHENH has remained active trying to keep State regulation to a minimum ever since. Scott Somerville was the first President of CHENH and later moved on to work as an attorney for Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA). Mike Donnelly, HSLDA attorney who currently represents homeschoolers in NH, was also a former CHENH Governor.

The current Board of Governors is a group of seven Christian men who continue to watch pending legislation, advise new homeschool parents, track local events, sponsor an annual state convention and lobby both the legislature and our grassroots when important issues arise. CheNH is a non-profit, all-volunteer organization.