Why Do We Need to Oppose the Homeschool Act?

Last week, on February 6, 2025, Representative Terra Costa Howard introduced a bill, “The Homeschool Act” (HB2827), to the Illinois General Assembly. In order to clarify in bullet points what this bill would encode in law, I have read it and compiled 5 chiefly problematic stipulations therein.

1. HB2827 requires homeschooling administrators (parents) to register annually with their public school or district (more below on what registration requires). If you fail to do this your child will be considered truant, and you will be penalized.

Up until now Illinois has neither placed the burden of registration on homeschooling parents nor required details about how they choose to administer their curriculum.

2. This registration will have you agree to comply with federal and State laws (presumably those that currently apply to public schools) regarding “health examination and immunization, attendance, length of term, and nondiscrimination, including assurances that the school will not prohibit hairstyles historically associated with race, ethnicity, or hair texture…” (HB2827 Sec. 2-3.25o, emphasis added)

None of these have been required before now. Homeschoolers have a long and successful history of providing quality education without government-regulated term lengths or attendance documents, and with our personal healthcare freedoms intact. In addition, since the school authority is usually you as the parent, it seems that the stipulation regarding hairstyles means the state would be able to control how you allow your own children to wear their hair.

3. To enroll or participate in any public school event on or off school property, your children will have to have their immunization and health exams up to date. The only exception is a signed religious exemption.

4. Parents will be required to have a high school diploma, and present proof of this upon request.

5. In the process, you will be asked your child’s "gender identity," which will go into the annual report to the State Superintendent of Education.

HB2827 states that its purpose is to prevent or remedy neglect and abuse in homeschool households. Though an admirable goal, this bill will not accomplish it. Simply registering your homeschool does nothing to protect children from undereducation, unless the state also has the right to investigate families’ curricula and enforce prescribed regulations (which, based on the average public school graduate's academic level, would hardly ensure proper education either). Either HB2827 will be ineffective at reaching its proclaimed goal or honest families’ home and education rights will be at risk of further invasion.

Another reason behind the bill is to attain an accurate statistic regarding how many homeschoolers are in the state. Registration is not worth a more "accurate” headcount. There is enough government overreach in our country as is; opening the Pandora's Box of mandatory registration leaves us vulnerable to more future abuse, and shows no promise of any significant benefit.

We as Illinoisans and Americans must stand firm in our defense of families who choose to educate their children at home. Our numbers are rapidly growing, and this proposed overreach of authority by the government into our lives and education systems is not acceptable by the people.

WE RESPOND

After the introduction of the bill, the Illinois Homeschool Association promptly delivered helpful instructions on how to best counter HB2827. You should read (and perform!) their quick, concise steps to take (there are a few possibly counterintuitive details as to how to do this properly so our purpose is achieved...for instance, they discourage leaving more than one message or mentioning that you are a homeschooler).

Call your representative, collaborate with your supporting friends (whether or not they homeschool), and defend our rights! Our children and grandchildren depend on what happens now.