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An Illinois lawmaker heading a child welfare committee said the state must strengthen its laws and policies to protect homeschooled children facing inadequate education, abuse and neglect.

Rep. Terra Costa Howard, the chair of the Adoption and Child Welfare Committee in the Illinois House, called for action following a Capitol News Illinois and ProPublica investigation, which revealed little accountability for parents who pull their kids from school and then fail to ensure they receive an education. In the worst cases, the investigation found, parents isolated and mistreated their children. […]

While regulations on homeschooling are minimal across the nation, Illinois is among a small number of states with virtually no rules about homeschooling: state authorities can’t compel proof of teaching methods, attendance, curriculum or testing outcomes; homeschool teachers don’t need a high school diploma or GED; and parents aren’t required to notify anyone if they remove their kids from school.

The Democrat from suburban Glen Ellyn said that “at a bare minimum” the state should mandate that parents must notify a school district or other governmental entity when they choose to homeschool. This is a requirement in 39 states and Washington, D.C., but is entirely optional for parents in Illinois. “We need to know these kids exist,” Costa Howard said.

Past efforts in Illinois to implement regulations on homeschools have faced strong resistance, including against a bill in 2011 to require registration and another in 2019 to enact inspections and curriculum reviews of homeschools. In both instances, the outcry was so intense that Illinois lawmakers swiftly withdrew the bills from consideration.

Last Week Tonight host John Oliver did a segment on homeschooling and why legislation gets so much pushback. You can view it by clicking here.

* Meanwhile, in Michigan, a legislator is trying to implement similar homeschooling reform. Chalkbeat Detroit’s report from April…

As a House Education Committee meeting ended last month, a group of home-schooling parents and community members began shouting at the lawmakers who wouldn’t allow them to speak.

“Coward,” they yelled out repeatedly at members of the committee.

They weren’t there to talk about shortages of mental health staff in schools, the topic of the meeting. Instead, they wanted to speak out against the possibility that Michigan might one day require home-school parents to register with the state.

Rep. Matt Koleszar, a Democrat from Plymouth and chairman of the House committee, has rankled home-schooling advocates by saying Michigan should require a registry. State Superintendent Michael Rice, who oversees the Michigan Department of Education and is the state’s lead educator, has said the same and is urging lawmakers to act.

Their comments have inflamed fears among home-schooling parents that their freedom to educate their kids at home might be taken away, and that a registry might be just the first step to do that. That’s despite Koleszar saying he has no plans to introduce legislation, and so far no other lawmakers have done so. Parents have vowed to resist calls for reforms and are showing up at meetings like the hearing this month and during the public comment period of State Board of Education meetings.

Rep. Kolezsar’s legislation is in response to the abuse of nearly 30 children in foster care by two families. Attorney General Dana Nessel believes the abuse was undetected for so long because the children were homeschooled. (Warning: language)

* In West Virginia, where assessments are required, a third of families remain non-compliant. West Virginia Watch…

Only about a third of families homeschooling their children in West Virginia turned in the required assessments to show student progress, according to data from the state department of education. […]

The issue of missing homeschool assessments has become a focal point this summer for the governor and top lawmakers following the death of 14-year-old Kyneddi Miller.

The girl, who lived in Boone County, was homeschooled prior to her death. Her mother, who is facing child neglect charges related to Kyneddi’s death, hadn’t turned in the required assessments to her local school district.

Under state law, school districts aren’t required to follow up on students who have not turned in the assessments, prompting some lawmakers to examine if it should now be a mandate in an effort to protect children.

* Earlier this year, Louisiana legislators defeated a proposal that would roll back oversight to homeschooling programs…

Louisiana lawmakers narrowly rejected a proposal Wednesday to remove the state’s authority to approve homeschool programs after critics said the measure would have left students who are educated at home with little state oversight.

Under current law, homeschool families must apply for state approval for their children to qualify for state scholarships and earn diplomas recognized by state universities. But House Bill 550 by Rep. Beryl Amedée, R-Houma, would require families simply to notify the state if they plan to homeschool.

On Wednesday, the Louisiana House voted 51-43 against the measure.

Some lawmakers questioned why homeschool students should receive a state-recognized diploma like their public and private school counterparts if there were no checks on what they learn.

posted by Isabel Miller
Tuesday, Jul 23, 24 @ 11:45 am

Comments

They won’t stop coming after our children.

Comment by Penny Tuesday, Jul 23, 24 @ 12:00 pm
In college, I had friends who had been homeschooled on religious grounds. They were some of the most intelligent, thoughtful, and kindhearted people I’ve ever met.
As a teacher, I see parents pull their kids from school usually when their kid is chronically truant. They physically cannot get their kid to leave the house.
I have (very) distant relatives who never reported their kids’ names on anything (birth certificate, school records, etc.) They’re conspiracy theorists who want no trace of their children’s existence.
So while it can be a positive experience, I lean toward some oversight.

Comment by Proud Papa Bear Tuesday, Jul 23, 24 @ 12:02 pm
The requirement to notify the district is useful to both sides. The district can know about the kids and therefore send info about extra-curriculars the family may be interested in. Also this would help to determine how big the problem is. Right now I think the problem is quite small (onesy-twosy bad parents and a lot of parents doing their best). But obviously in the absence of data it is hard to tell for sure.

Comment by cermak_rd Tuesday, Jul 23, 24 @ 12:18 pm
This is going to get the home school crowd in a twist.

My only question is how will it be enforced?

Comment by Huh? Tuesday, Jul 23, 24 @ 12:26 pm
Eastern Bloc hair on fire. 🔥🔥

Comment by NotRich Tuesday, Jul 23, 24 @ 12:49 pm
===The requirement to notify the district is useful to both sides. The district can know about the kids and therefore send info about extra-curriculars the family may be interested in ===

That assumes that the school district allows home schoolers to participate in those activities. My understanding is that many do not.

People homeschool for many reasons. Not everyone is an abusive a-hole or nut job. And when you look at the issue of using SROs to issue tickets for disciplinary issues in many schools, you can see why some would not want their children exposed to that. And there are kids that really excel in that environment that do not in the educational setting of a school system.

My opinion is that: if parents are being abusive, then bring up on those charges. But lets not change a system that seems to have worked for the majority of people for quite a while now just because ProPublica found some problems with a statistical handful.

Comment by Name Withheld Tuesday, Jul 23, 24 @ 12:55 pm
The ROE’s do not have the resources for this. Period. Truancy is a paper tiger. When Kim Lightford was able to pass legislation increasing the age of compulsory education a few years back, she did nothing to support enforcement. When you can get a truancy case to court, judges have an abysmal track record on following the statutes and generally let parents off with an admonishment (when a case makes its way to court the student has likely missed hundreds of days of school over a period of years, that is how bad it has to get even out in “law and order” country).

I agree that something needs to happen, this issue is far more widespread than people realize.

Comment by JS Mill Tuesday, Jul 23, 24 @ 12:56 pm
As AI becomes more prevalent in teaching, will homeschooling increase?

Comment by Lurker Tuesday, Jul 23, 24 @ 12:57 pm
@ Penny

=== They won’t stop coming after our children. ===

They, and our are plural nouns. If you believe “our” children refers to a collective of children, then “they” are “our” children too. And “we” believe children should be protected from abuse. At least, “I” believe this. Do “you?”

The state has always had an obligation protect the community’s citizens and children. The state has always had an obligation to provide for the community’s citizens and children. If “you” oppose the role of the state in providing for its citizens, I suppose an intentional commune might be your next step. But “we” believe the state has an obligation to protect children from abusive relationships, including abusive social relationships.

Comment by H-W Tuesday, Jul 23, 24 @ 1:04 pm
Children are not property.

The State of Oklahoma has a more responsible policy towards home schooling than we do.

Y’all feel comfortable with the idea that Oklahoma is enacting better education policy than we are?

Comment by Candy Dogood Tuesday, Jul 23, 24 @ 1:06 pm
I’m all for the right of homeschooling, but I’m not going to lie my (admittedly small and anecdotal) experience has been that homeschooled kids tend to be more socially awkward and close-minded than their public schooled peers, and while more than a few were quite bright they tended to really only be knowledgeable in areas that their parents deemed important.

So yeah, homeschool if you want, but society has a functional and practical expectation that said kids will grow up into becoming functional members of society, and as such basic standards of homeschooling with levers to control to actually scrutinize shortcomings and reign in abusive situations are necessary.

Comment by TJ Tuesday, Jul 23, 24 @ 1:34 pm
Are there qualifications to be able to home school your children? How many parents would actually have the requisite knowledge to teach the required materials? I don’t personally know anyone that was home schooled. I have so many questions that I would want to ask.

Comment by Hannibal Lecter Tuesday, Jul 23, 24 @ 2:04 pm
== Are there qualifications to be able to home school your children? ==

In Illinois, no.

== How many parents would actually have the requisite knowledge to teach the required materials? ==

Most the home schoolers I am familiar with use one of two or three standard programs / curricula. Said programs can be flexible and tailored,but they do seem to covers the basics pretty well. Often you will find the coursework only takes a few hours a day, and a lot of the parents do a lot of related field trips also. Depending on your location in Illinois, there is quite a bit of networking and coordination between homeschoolers.

Comment by RNUG Tuesday, Jul 23, 24 @ 2:13 pm
== Are there qualifications to be able to home school your children? ==

=== In Illinois, no. ===

I find that a bit troubling. I don’t think the majority of parents are qualified to teach children.

Comment by Hannibal Lecter Tuesday, Jul 23, 24 @ 2:36 pm
Before drafting legislation we need clear goals. Is Howard proposing legislation to ensure a quality education for homeschooled kids or a scaled back but more objective program to prevent parents from using homeschooling to hide abuse?

Comment by Twitter cat lady Tuesday, Jul 23, 24 @ 3:01 pm
It’s nice the state legislature is concerned with homeschoolers. But, there’s little evidence that homeschoolers are receiving a worse education than CPS students. Actually it appears homeschoolers are more prepared for college than most. Lastly, sadly, the only violence that students will ever experience in their lives is in a government school(something to think about).

Comment by Steve Tuesday, Jul 23, 24 @ 5:38 pm
== I find that a bit troubling. I don’t think the majority of parents are qualified to teach children. ==

The guide books are pretty good. And it seems to be working for the most part. A lot of the kids often transition to high school at some point without any significant problems.

Comment by RNUG Tuesday, Jul 23, 24 @ 6:33 pm
“Lastly, sadly, the only violence that students will ever experience in their lives is in a government school”

Thanks to the right’s insistence that guns are more important than children.

Comment by Proud Papa Bear Tuesday, Jul 23, 24 @ 9:17 pm