Latest news with #HB2827
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Homeschooling, transit reform hot button issues as Springfield faces May deadline
CHICAGO (WGN) — Lawmakers in Springfield continue to debate hot button measures before their session ends in May, including a proposal that would change homeschooling in Illinois and another to bail out Chicago-area transit agencies. Among the most controversial bills this session has been House Bill 2827, which would require home school parents to report information to regional offices about academic progress and, in some cases, health and vaccination records. Bill would create Illinois framework to regulate homeschooling Advocates in favor of regulation argue it could prevent abuse and educational neglect, but some home schooling parents for months have slammed the proposal. 'HB2827 criminalizes parents for doing the right thing on behalf of their children and their education,' said Juan Rangel, CEO of The Urban Center. The bill would require the State Board of Education create a home school 'declaration' form and set requirements for homeschool administrators. 'A person who is, for some tragic reason, hellbent on abusing a child would decide not to do that because they have to fill out a declaration form,' said Chris Butler. 'Nothing about what we know of the human experience suggests there's that kind of easy solution to these big problems.' Lawmakers are also considering a bailout of Chicago-area transit agencies. Set to run out of federal COVID relief money, the Regional Transportation Authority, Chicago Transit Authority, Metra and Pace need nearly one billion dollars combined, but lawmakers are demanding reforms. 'I agree, completely agree, money can't come unless you've got real reform, Gov. JB Pritzker said. 'I would add: Whatever we do with regard to transit, there has to be a component that focuses on downstate transit. This can't just be about Chicago and surrounding areas.' Proposal would merge Chicago's four transit agencies into one Chicagoland transit heads push back on proposal to combine agencies A plan to merge all four transit agencies has so far stalled at the statehouse. Instead, a coalition of labor groups and lawmakers are throwing support behind a separate bill that would put the RTA in charge of streamlining transit fares. There's also a push to create a transit police force. 'We come across individuals who are mentally unstable or who are under the influence of drugs or alcohol and simply struggling with every day life issues,' said CTA employee Cassie Collins. State Rep. Marcus Evans has said her mother would not ride the CTA's Red Line 'under any circumstances,' citing safety concerns. 'Ask yourself: Are you putting your daughter or sister on the Red Line south and riding it? You're not doing it. Correct?,' he said. Chicagoland transit agencies detail 'doomsday' scenarios without state help Transit riders decry potential cuts to CTA, Metra, Pace at RTA board meeting The RTA says 40 percent of local train and bus routes could be cut if Springfield doesn't act by the end of May, but state money is already tight. And ss lawmakers negotiate a final state budget behind closed doors, the governor says any additional spending will have to be matched with cuts. 'I'm happy to discuss how we might change the balanced budget that I introduced, but again you're got to just figure out how to make the numbers work,' Pritzker said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Illinois lawmaker says death threats tied to homeschool bill misinformation
The Brief Rep. Terra Costa Howard says her office received death threats over her homeschool bill, now under investigation by Lombard police. Critics say the bill criminalizes homeschool parents; Costa Howard says that's misinformation. Tensions continue between lawmakers over what the proposed law would actually do. CHICAGO - The debate over the future of homeschooling in Illinois is getting personal. What we know State Representative Terra Costa Howard (D-Lombard) says Lombard Police are investigating death threats her office has received. Costa Howard blames the threats on what she says is misinformation coming from opponents to her bill, HB 2827, known as the Illinois Homeschooling Act. "Unfortunately, what we have are people spinning falsehoods into the narrative," Costa Howard said. "So much so that we have death threats to my office and active investigations because people are spinning false narratives about this bill." Opponents to the bill claim it will put onerous new restrictions on homeschool parents, forcing them to register with the state or face criminal charges. Opponents also say the bill would put new limits on curriculum. Costa Howard says there's nothing in the bill that regulates curriculum beyond what is already enshrined in state law. The other side State Representative Travis Weaver (R-Pekin) is opposed and says the bill "demonizes" homeschoolers. "Apparently, Terra Costa Howard hasn't read her own bill," Weaver said. "Fact: this bill criminalizes parents that don't fill out the form. Fact, ninety-thousand Illinoisans have filed witness slips in opposition to this bill." Costa Howard shot back that Weaver wasn't listening and had never asked to talk to her about the legislation. "It will allow us to make sure we have a better handle on how many families are homeschooling their children and put an extra layer to make sure children are safe and receiving an education," Costa Howard said. The Source FOX 32's Paris Schutz reported on this story.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Illinois homeschool bill would create a 'pipeline to the criminal justice system for parents': Dem lawmaker
An Illinois bill that could drastically change homeschooling rules in the state would create "a pipeline to the criminal justice system for parents," a state Democratic lawmaker warned Thursday. Rep. La Shawn Ford, who represents a district that includes parts of Chicago, made the remark as parents, students and opponents of HB 2827, the Homeschool Act, rallied in the city's downtown. The bill, which is advancing through the Illinois state legislature, would charge parents with a misdemeanor if they fail to register their kids in a "homeschool declaration form" to the nearest public school they would otherwise be attending. It also requires documentation of immunizations and health examinations for children who wish to participate in public school activities. "I support the representative that is sponsoring the bill, and I hope that we can work with her to have this bill become something that you can support. But right now, I don't believe the bill is exactly what's needed in Illinois," Ford said. "I believe in restorative justice. I believe in making sure that people don't have a pathway to the criminal justice system. And this bill is a pipeline to the criminal justice system for parents. And I can't stand for that. How can we criminalize parents for wanting to love their children?" Illinois Parents, Lawmakers Sound Alarm Over Proposed Homeschooling Bill "And finally, we've seen, since the pandemic, the growth in home schooling. It has increased across all demographics, but specifically in the Black community, from 3.3% to almost 17% of Black people use homeschooling in this state," he added. Read On The Fox News App Bobby Sylvester, the vice president of the Urban Center nonprofit, said Thursday that "This bill would require private schools to hand over the individual contact information, including names, phone numbers and addresses, to the state of Illinois. "That is government overreach," he said. Democrats say the bill – which contains a portion that requires parents to hand over teaching materials if it's suspected the child isn't being educated properly – will strengthen oversight of homeschooling. Democratic state Rep. Terra Costa Howard introduced the bill following an investigative story by ProPublica, which has a left-leaning bias, according to the nonpartisan news rating company AllSides, entitled, "How Illinois' Hands-Off Approach to Homeschooling Leaves Children at Risk." The report included cases of abuse that went unnoticed because children were not in school. School Choice Activists Warn Parents About Illinois' Homeschool Bill With Jail-time Provision However, opponents of the bill argue there's no correlation between homeschooled students being more at risk of abuse than those in the public school system. "Many families need to make sometimes untimely decisions to pull their children out of a public school setting for their own safety, and a more effective learning environment," Chantal Moore, a homeschooling mother, said at the rally Thursday. Moore said her son was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, but that he has thrived in a homeschooling environment. "Keeping our children safe is not acquired by a form, but by standing as a community together," she added. Aziza Butler, a self-described homeschooling mother of six and former Chicago Public Schools teacher, said, "Not only will this bill divert precious resources, time and energy away from the critical needs of public schools who are already in peril, but it threatens an education revolution that so many minorities are benefiting from." Fox News' Jamie Joseph and Andrea Margolis contributed to this report. Original article source: Illinois homeschool bill would create a 'pipeline to the criminal justice system for parents': Dem lawmaker
Fox News
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Illinois homeschool bill would create a 'pipeline to the criminal justice system for parents': Dem lawmaker
An Illinois bill that could drastically change homeschooling rules in the state would create "a pipeline to the criminal justice system for parents," a state Democratic lawmaker warned Thursday. Rep. La Shawn Ford, who represents a district that includes parts of Chicago, made the remark as parents, students and opponents of HB 2827, the Homeschool Act, rallied in the city's downtown. The bill, which is advancing through the Illinois state legislature, would charge parents with a misdemeanor if they fail to register their kids in a "homeschool declaration form" to the nearest public school they would otherwise be attending. It also requires documentation of immunizations and health examinations for children who wish to participate in public school activities. "I support the representative that is sponsoring the bill, and I hope that we can work with her to have this bill become something that you can support. But right now, I don't believe the bill is exactly what's needed in Illinois," Ford said. "I believe in restorative justice. I believe in making sure that people don't have a pathway to the criminal justice system. And this bill is a pipeline to the criminal justice system for parents. And I can't stand for that. How can we criminalize parents for wanting to love their children?" "And finally, we've seen, since the pandemic, the growth in home schooling. It has increased across all demographics, but specifically in the Black community, from 3.3% to almost 17% of Black people use homeschooling in this state," he added. Bobby Sylvester, the vice president of the Urban Center nonprofit, said Thursday that "This bill would require private schools to hand over the individual contact information, including names, phone numbers and addresses, to the state of Illinois. "That is government overreach," he said. Democrats say the bill – which contains a portion that requires parents to hand over teaching materials if it's suspected the child isn't being educated properly – will strengthen oversight of homeschooling. Democratic state Rep. Terra Costa Howard introduced the bill following an investigative story by ProPublica, which has a left-leaning bias, according to the nonpartisan news rating company AllSides, entitled, "How Illinois' Hands-Off Approach to Homeschooling Leaves Children at Risk." The report included cases of abuse that went unnoticed because children were not in school. However, opponents of the bill argue there's no correlation between homeschooled students being more at risk of abuse than those in the public school system. "Many families need to make sometimes untimely decisions to pull their children out of a public school setting for their own safety, and a more effective learning environment," Chantal Moore, a homeschooling mother, said at the rally Thursday. Moore said her son was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, but that he has thrived in a homeschooling environment. "Keeping our children safe is not acquired by a form, but by standing as a community together," she added. Aziza Butler, a self-described homeschooling mother of six and former Chicago Public Schools teacher, said, "Not only will this bill divert precious resources, time and energy away from the critical needs of public schools who are already in peril, but it threatens an education revolution that so many minorities are benefiting from."
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
School choice activists warn parents about blue state's homeschool bill with jail-time provision
From one blue-state parent to another, activists in California are warning Illinois families about a bill advancing through their state legislature that would create more regulations, and penalties, for homeschooling parents. It's the latest high-profile battle dealing with school choice, a campaign issue President Donald Trump ran on. "Illinois, California, Colorado, they all compete with each other. They're coming after homeschooling, just like they've been coming after public schools," California parents rights activist Sonja Shaw said in a video posted to X on Wednesday. "They're attacking families, stripping parental rights, and pushing their radical agendas while our kids are failing at reading, writing and math." At issue is HB2827, the Homeschool Act, which would charge parents with a misdemeanor if they fail to register their kids in a "homeschool declaration form" to the nearest public school they would otherwise be attending. Failure to do so would be considered truancy, and parents could face up to 30 days in jail with fines. The bill passed a major hurdle passing out of the Democrat-dominated House education committee in a party-line vote on Wednesday, despite having upward of 50,000 witness slips in opposition and only 1,000 in support, including the Illinois State Board of Education. Illinois Parents, Lawmakers Sound Alarm Over Proposed Homeschooling Bill: 'Direct Assault On Families' California parents opposed a similar bill that failed to make it out of committee in the state legislature in 2018, Ab 2756, only after hearing three hours of testimony from parents and homeschoolers. Opponents say the Democrat-led bill would have mandated all homeschooling families in the state to adhere to involuntary home inspections, after the Turpin-family child abuse case. Read On The Fox News App "This is calculated. This is how they do it. They do it in increments, slowly taking control away while people sit back thinking that their kids are safe and it doesn't affect them," said Shaw, who is a school board member in Chino and running for state superintendent of public instruction. "Every parent needs to be in this fight. If we don't stand up now together, there will be nothing left to fight for our kids in their future. Please get involved. Please speak up. Please show up, because our children are worth this fight." Karoline Leavitt Vows Trump Will Keep Males Out Of Girls Locker Rooms Amid Illinois School Controversy Will Estrada, senior counsel for the Homeschool Legal Defense Association, told Fox News on Wednesday that the bill's language was left "open-ended for unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats to be able to write different sections of regulations." "If this bill is passed into law, it's going to be expanded in future years to put even more restrictions on homeschool and private school families," Estrada said after testifying at Wednesday's hearing. "The record of homeschoolers shows that we do well academically, socially, emotionally and so why are we messing with them? That's the question. This bill is a solution in search of a problem." Hhs' Civil Rights Office Finds Maine In Violation Of Title Ix For Allowing Biological Males In Women's Sports Democrats say the bill – which contains a portion that requires parents to hand over teaching materials if its suspected the child isn't being educated properly – will strengthen oversight of homeschooling. Democratic state Rep. Terra Costa Howard introduced the bill following an investigative story by Pro Publica, which has a left-leaning bias according to the nonpartisan news rating company AllSides, entitled, "How Illinois' Hands-Off Approach to Homeschooling Leaves Children at Risk." The report included cases of abuse that went unnoticed because children were not in school. But opponents of the bill pushed back, saying in the hearing that there's no correlation between homeschooled students being more at risk of abuse than those in the public school system. "I believe this bill will help protect abused and neglected children and leave in place the freedom of parents to decide how to best meet the educational needs of their children," Tanner Lovett, an opponent of the bill, said Wednesday. The Illinois homeschool bill will now head to the state House of Representatives for a floor vote. If passed by the House and Senate, it would land on the desk of Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat considered a potential 2028 presidential hopeful. The bill passed out of the committee as President Trump is expected to sign an executive order Thursday dismantling the federal Department of article source: School choice activists warn parents about blue state's homeschool bill with jail-time provision
