Harvey Peeler

“No man stands so tall as when he stoops to help a child.”

Like this quote, State Sen. Majority Leader Harvey Peeler said he has always held fast in his political life to keeping his focus on helping children, elderly and the downtrodden in society who cannot help themselves.

Peeler received the Legislator of the Year award Tuesday in the Cherokee County Public Library from the South Carolina Association of Children’s Homes and Family Services. He is being honored for sponsoring an education bill of rights for foster children. It was signed into law by Gov. Mark Sanford on June 7.

Surrounded by his family and local lawmakers, Peeler said he was humbled and deeply appreciative to be honored with the award. “This is the easiest legislation I have ever been able to pass. The support was universal,” Peeler said. “When Judy Nix (from the Cherokee Children’s Home) called to ask if I would sponsor this bill, the answer was yes. On behalf of those who give love to children and those who receive it, I accept this award.”

South Carolina averages more than 5,000 children in foster care each month. Seventy percent are school-age children.
The South Carolina Association of Children’s Homes is a nonprofit organization which serves as an advocate in providing family services for abused and neglected children.

Peeler’s education bill of rights law requires school districts to assist with enrollment, school records and credit transfers for children in foster care who are starting a new school. The new law requires school districts excuse student absences for court-ordered appearances and treatment services for foster children.

A representative from the state Department of Social Services can now access school records of a child in foster care to monitor his or her education progress and help place a child in a new school.

South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Karen Floyd wrote a letter to commend Peeler for his work in sponsoring the bill. Floyd and her husband, Gordan, are the parents of adopted teenage boys.

“We’ve seen what kids go through as they transition from foster care to adoption. It’s one of the toughest situations a child can go through and the last thing these kids need is government getting in the way or making a tough situation even tougher,” Floyd wrote in her letter. “This bill shows exactly what compassionate conservatism means. We can help so many kids by removing restrictions and hard rules that punish them for situations way beyond their control.”

By Scott Powell, “The Gaffney Ledger”