Latest news with #HomeschoolDeclarationForm
Axios
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Axios
New Illinois bill would require homeschool families to notify state or face truancy
Illinois lawmakers are considering a new bill that would require parents to tell the state when they choose to home school their children. Why it matters: Illinois does not require parents and guardians to notify schools when they pull kids from the district, leaving no mechanism to monitor if students are meeting necessary benchmarks. Supporters of the bill say it will prevent kids from slipping through the cracks. State of play: Current required subjects for home school students, according to the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), are: Language arts, math, biological and physical science, social studies, fine arts and physical development and health. There are no specific classes or duration of study required in those subjects. There is no requirement to administer tests, projects or grades or mandate to report any student assessment to the state. Parents or guardians do not need a high school diploma or GED to homeschool. Zoom in: The bill would require the ISBE to create a Homeschool Declaration Form that homeschool families submit to the school district where the child would otherwise attend. If the form's not submitted, the student would be considered truant. If a child wants to enroll in a public school or school activities, they will need to have required immunizations or a signed Certificate of Religious Exemption. Context: Rep. Terra Costa Howard (D-Lombard), the bill's sponsor, told WGN she introduced the legislation in February after a ProPublica investigation last year reported on a homeschooled boy in central Illinois who told welfare officials he was beaten, denied food and had no school lessons. Howard, who is also chair of the Adoption and Child Welfare Committee and an attorney involved in child welfare, said the concern in cases like that is the lack of adults who could spot and report signs of abuse at home. "For the vast majority of homeschooling families, these changes will have minimal impact," Howard told Axios in a statement. "The intent of this bill is to help in cases of child abuse, in which adults are claiming to 'homeschool' in an attempt to isolate children, or when families are flagrantly neglecting their legal responsibility to educate their children, in violation of the principles of homeschooling." The other side: The Illinois Home School Association in a statement calls the bill "a very expensive unfunded mandate," and that many parents have chosen this route because "the public school system is clearly failing many of our students." "This bill will not save lives. In every single case they have brought to us of an abused child not in school it has become clear that Child Protection Services already knew of the family and was stretched too thin to help," the association added. Reality check: The bill would ask that parents maintain a simple portfolio providing evidence of education in required subjects, in the case that a truancy investigation is launched. "Nothing in the bill provides for random investigations or 'checks' by a local school district or Regional Office of Education," Howard said. Yes, but: ISBE does recommend that home schoolers check what colleges require if students plan on applying. Zoom out: Homeschooling became more popular during the pandemic and stuck through the 2022-23 school year, a Washington Post analysis found. The Post estimated there were between 1.9 million and 2.7 million home-schooled children in the United States that year. Yes, but: Illinois is not included in the analysis since families are not required to notify the state when they decide to homeschool.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Illinois parents protest proposed homeschooling regulation bill
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WTVO) — Thousands of Illinois residents rallied in Springfield on Wednesday to protest a bill that would regulate how homeschooling is conducted in Illinois. Garden Prairie resident Jamie Clausing was one of thousands of homeschooling parents who traveled to the capitol to protest a proposed bill they believe represents governmental overreach into parenting decisions. 'Parents are no longer given the freedom to teach what we want, we have to go according to what the public school deems is okay or not okay,' she said. , was created after an investigation by found that the state places few rules on parents who homeschool their children. In Illinois, parents do not have to register with a state agency, track attendance, demonstrate their teaching methods, or show student progress. According to the report, nearly 4,500 children were withdrawn from public schools in 2022, although there is no way for the state to determine how many of them are home schooled since it doesn't require them to register. The investigation documented the case of a 9-year-old homeschooled boy who was taken into the custody of the Department of Family and Human Services in 2022 after he received almost no education and was beaten and denied food while his parents said they were homeschooling him. If passed, the bill would create the Homeschool Act, requiring parents to report a Homeschool Declaration Form to their school district, and would require any homeschool instructors to possess a high school diploma or equivalent. The bill would require curricular materials used, writing samples, worksheets, or other materials to be logged with the state. Failure to comply could result in misdemeanor charges for truancy. Children who wish to participate in public school activities would be required to 'submit proof that the child has received all required immunizations and health examinations or a signed Certificate of Religious Exemption.' Rep. Dave Vella (D-68th) said the bill is necessary to promote child safety. 'The purpose of this bill is to protect kids. That's the main purpose of the bill. How we how we get there still needs be worked on,' he said. 'The main purpose of the bill, these are good people trying to do good things. They're not trying to go after home-schoolers. But the mechanism of the bill inside the bill. There are some issues and we're still working through them. And I think I think we can get there.' Clausing and other parents believe what could start as a registration order could eventually mutate into something more. 'Eventually, they're going to want to add more and more things. And if we are okay now and are like, 'oh, whatever,' it's not much. It's not nothing. But no matter what we all know, things can just progress from there,' said parent Erica Pieper. 'We want to choose what we teach our kids, how we raise our kids, how we instruct them, so we're concerned that this is cracking that door open and then the next thing is going to be more requirements on 'hey, we need to look and see, we need to dictate what the subjects you are teaching are, we need to dictate how much time you're spending,'' parent Luke Schurter told . 'This would circumvent those efforts and bring them back under the authority and the watchful eye of the public school system.' 'Nothing in HB 2827 is about what's best for kids or somehow improves education for those students who are struggling. Instead, it's about tracking and regulating every single family and school that is not a government public school,' Mailee Smith, staff attorney and senior director of labor policy at Illinois Policy, stated in written testimony. 'There is no provision allowing parents to opt out of having their children, and their religious affiliations, tracked by state and local authorities. Notably, it's that type of government tracking that influences parents to choose private school or homeschool in the first place.' The bill passed the House Education Committee on Wednesday, but Clausing and other advocates say they will continue to fight it. 'It went along party lines. So we weren't super surprised. But we will keep following it and showing our opposition to it,' she said. Illinois has tried to pass homeschool regulations before, in 2011 and 2019. The would have required curriculum reviews and inspections by DCFS. HB2827 next heads to the House floor for a vote. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Yahoo
Illinois bill would require parents notify school districts of homeschooling
ILLINOIS — A new Illinois bill would require parents to notify their child's assigned school district if they choose to instead homeschool their student. According to House Bill 2827, the Homeschool Act would require the State Board of Education to create a 'Homeschool Declaration Form' to be used by a homeschooling program to submit information about a student. If a homeschool administrator or parent does not notify their school district about their homeschool child, they are considered truant with penalities applying, according to the bill. Florissant woman killed, baby in critical condition in 3 vehicle crash on North Broadway Illinois and Missouri are among 12 other states that currently do not require a notice to school districts or the state regarding the homeschooling of students. The House Bill also states if a child seeks to attend their public school part-time, a parent must use the declaration form to submit required immunizations and health examinations or a signed Certificate of Religious Exemption. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
