PETERSBURG – The Herald recently reported that a bill co-sponsored by Sen. Jeff Van Drew (D-1st) has received 5-0 approval from the State Senate Education Committee that allows students to be marked as “excused” from school when supporting veterans on Veterans’ Day.
This bill identified as S2731 was inspired through the circumstances of Upper Township student, Lily Fisher. She was marked as an “unexcused absence” when she helped her grandfather, Daniel Batchelor, with Veterans’ Day lunch at the Belleplain VFW in 2014.
According to school officials, they had no choice but not mark Fisher’s absence as “unexcused” given state law. The Herald took the lead on making the public aware of what happened and Fisher’s case received wide regional coverage which resulted in Van Drew taking up the cause by sponsoring the bill.
As reported here July 12, Batchelor, 66, of Belleplain was killed in a motorcycle accident at the intersection of Route 50 and Hope Corson Road in Upper Township and his wife, Fisher’s grandmother, was severely injured.
“We think dad would be proud of this bill which allows schoolchildren to help our veterans with no repercussions,” said Erica Fisher, Lily’s mother and Batchelor’s daughter.
“We took a year off this year because of my father’s death and helping my mother recuperate. This year has been very hard but we plan to start up again next year in honor of my father. I know he would want us to do that and we, Lily, her younger sister and I very much want to continue this tradition,” concluded Fisher.
After approval by committee the bill heads to the Senate for a full vote.
To contact Camille Sailer, email csailer@cmcherald.com.
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