Latest news with #HouseBill2827
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.
Chicago Tribune
30-03-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Aziza Butler: More Black families are choosing to homeschool. A new bill undermines their choices.
As a former Chicago Public Schools teacher, a homeschooling mother and a community leader who engages daily with families from diverse educational backgrounds, I can confidently say that Illinois House Bill 2827, the Homeschool Act, is harmful — not just for homeschoolers but also for every student in Illinois. Proponents of the bill argue that additional oversight will protect vulnerable children. But from my firsthand experience as an educator and homeschooler, I know this bill would do the opposite — it would burden an already overwhelmed public system, potentially criminalize parents seeking educational freedom and ultimately make no meaningful impact on child safety. During my years teaching in CPS, I witnessed the daily struggles of a district stretched beyond its limits. Administrators, teachers and school personnel were consistently overwhelmed by staff shortages, behavioral concerns and funding that never seemed to reach the classroom. This bill would exacerbate these pressures by creating unnecessary paperwork, compliance monitoring and truancy enforcement demands at the local school level — without providing new resources. It diverts precious time, money and energy away from the critical needs of public schools that already fail far too many children. But perhaps even more troubling is the bill's potential impact on Black families. Homeschooling has become the fastest-growing educational choice among Black parents nationwide, driven by the courageous desire to give their children a safer, more nurturing and academically enriching environment than what they've experienced in traditional schools. Black homeschool students nationally score as much as 42 percentile points higher than their public school counterparts, clearly demonstrating homeschooling's effectiveness. Yet the bill places these successful families under suspicion, threatening legal action for missing a filing deadline or misunderstanding bureaucratic regulations. In a society already disproportionately surveilling and policing Black lives, this bill introduces another dangerous pathway to criminalize loving Black parents. Moreover, this legislation deeply undermines self-determination and family-oriented education — the very ideals that make homeschooling so empowering and which hold the key to success even for the public system. Families choose homeschooling because it allows them to tailor education to the unique needs, strengths and aspirations of their children. We are reclaiming a tradition of educational empowerment and community-based learning that has been an essential tool for Black success since newly emancipated people set up schoolhouses all over the post-slavery South. The bill purports to protect at-risk children, yet the facts simply do not align with this claim. National research indicates that homeschooling environments actually reduce the likelihood of child abuse due to increased parental engagement, stronger family bonds and more attentive adult supervision. Conversely, data from Psychology Today reveals that 10% of public school students experience educator sexual misconduct, highlighting that abuse risks are unfortunately present in traditional settings. Furthermore, why would ill-intentioned parents, already hiding abusive behaviors, willingly comply with newly imposed administrative burdens? Through my leadership of WeSchool Academy, a supportive learning community I founded to empower homeschooling families, I regularly witness transformations: academic challenges turning into strengths, behavior issues resolving and joy for learning blossoming. Families are finding community, confidence and reassurance. Legislation such as HB 2827 undermines these powerful success stories, injecting unnecessary fear and distrust into a thriving educational movement. Illinois lawmakers should reject HB 2827 and instead focus their efforts on supporting parents across all educational models. Invest in strengthening the family bond and parental capacity at struggling public schools. Trust parents, empower them and protect the precious self-determination that has always fueled educational and community progress. Every student deserves better than HB 2827. It's time to choose trust and support over suspicion and punishment. Aziza Butler is a homeschooling mother of six and founder of WeSchool. She's a former teacher with Chicago Public Schools and was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Illinois families protest homeschool bill 'overreach' at Capitol, but legislation advances
A state bill protested by hundreds of homeschooling families at the Illinois state Capitol advanced out of committee on Wednesday and will head to the state House floor for a vote, likely sometime next week, Fox News has learned. House Bill 2827, known as the Homeschool Act, passed out of the Education Policy Committee by a vote of 8-4. If it passes a House floor vote, the bill will then go to the full House for a vote, followed by the Senate and then onto the desk of Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker. Pritzker, a Democrat, has not publicly taken any position on the bill. Fox News reached out to his office multiple times asking if he supports the bill and if he plans to sign it if it reaches his desk but has not received a response so far. The bill would establish requirements for parents to meet to homeschool their children and if they do not comply, they could face up to a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by up to 30 days in jail. Hundreds of homeschooling families gathered inside the state Capitol building in Springfield, Illinois, earlier Wednesday, condemning the bill as an overreach by lawmakers. Will Estrada, senior counsel for the Homeschool Legal Defense Association, told Fox News 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." Read On The Fox News App Illinois Parents, Lawmakers Sound Alarm Over Proposed Homeschooling Bill: 'Direct Assault On Families' "We became homeschoolers in 2020 upon seeing all the government overreach, so the fact that they are now coming for us again with government overreach, I feel like it's an attack on parental rights," one homeschooling mother who showed up to the state Capitol protest, Michelle Langworthy, told Fox News. "There's a part of the bill that says the school will be the one that will get to determine where the child's records go that the parent no longer has that right." "That is a such a gross overreach of what the state should be allowed to do. And they also say that the student should be educated to serve the state. That's absurd," Langworthy said. "I don't align with the state. I don't want what the state prioritizes to be the priority of my family. We have a different value system. We are not ownership of the state." "We're fine. We're scoring high. We're doing great. We're involved in the community," she said, condemning sexual abuse and harassment allegations within the Chicago Public Schools system. "They have no right coming to our side of the lane." Another homeschooling parent, Luke Schurter, told Fox News at the state Capitol Wednesday that the bill is "taking a step back for homeschool freedom, not a step forward." Chicago Public Schools, Teachers Union Reaffirm Being A 'Sanctuary Space' Ahead Of Trump Administration "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,'" the father of three said. "This would circumvent those efforts and bring them back under the authority and the watchful eye of the public school system." The bill would require the State Board of Education to create a "Homeschool Declaration Form," which a homeschooling parent must submit to essentially register their child in the nearest public school. The children of parents who do not submit the form would be "considered truant, with penalties applying," according to a synopsis of the bill. A regional office of education or a school district could also request that homeschooling parents hand over an "education portfolio," or a set of their child's records, including writing samples, workbooks, worksheets or other logs of curricular materials. The portfolio would serve "as evidence that the homeschool administrator's homeschool program provides a course of instruction that is sufficient to satisfy the education requirements set forth in Sections 26-1 and Section 27-1 of the School Code that is at least commensurate with the standards prescribed for public schools," according to the bill text. Section 26-1 sets the compulsory school age at between 7 and 17 unless the child has already graduated from high school, while Section 27-1 is intended to ensure the areas of education taught in public schools do not discriminate on account of the sex of the student. Click To Get The Fox News App The bill would also require homeschooling parents of children who participate in public school activities on or off school grounds to "submit proof that the child has received all required immunizations and health examinations or a signed Certificate of Religious Exemption." Fox News' Patrick McGovern contributed to this article source: Illinois families protest homeschool bill 'overreach' at Capitol, but legislation advances
Fox News
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Illinois families protest homeschool bill 'overreach' at Capitol, but legislation advances
A state bill protested by hundreds of homeschooling families at the Illinois state Capitol advanced out of committee on Wednesday and will head to the state House floor for a vote, likely sometime next week, Fox News has learned. House Bill 2827, known as the Homeschool Act, passed out of the Education Policy Committee by a vote of 8-4. If it passes a House floor vote, the bill will then go to the full House for a vote, followed by the Senate and then onto the desk of Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker. Pritzker, a Democrat, has not publicly taken any position on the bill. Fox News reached out to his office multiple times asking if he supports the bill and if he plans to sign it if it reaches his desk but has not received a response so far. The bill would establish requirements for parents to meet to homeschool their children and if they do not comply, they could face up to a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by up to 30 days in jail. Hundreds of homeschooling families gathered inside the state Capitol building in Springfield, Illinois, earlier Wednesday, condemning the bill as an overreach by lawmakers. Will Estrada, senior counsel for the Homeschool Legal Defense Association, told Fox News 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." "We became homeschoolers in 2020 upon seeing all the government overreach, so the fact that they are now coming for us again with government overreach, I feel like it's an attack on parental rights," one homeschooling mother who showed up to the state Capitol protest, Michelle Langworthy, told Fox News. "There's a part of the bill that says the school will be the one that will get to determine where the child's records go that the parent no longer has that right." "That is a such a gross overreach of what the state should be allowed to do. And they also say that the student should be educated to serve the state. That's absurd," Langworthy said. "I don't align with the state. I don't want what the state prioritizes to be the priority of my family. We have a different value system. We are not ownership of the state." "We're fine. We're scoring high. We're doing great. We're involved in the community," she said, condemning sexual abuse and harassment allegations within the Chicago Public Schools system. "They have no right coming to our side of the lane." Another homeschooling parent, Luke Schurter, told Fox News at the state Capitol Wednesday that the bill is "taking a step back for homeschool freedom, not a step forward." "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,'" the father of three said. "This would circumvent those efforts and bring them back under the authority and the watchful eye of the public school system." The bill would require the State Board of Education to create a "Homeschool Declaration Form," which a homeschooling parent must submit to essentially register their child in the nearest public school. The children of parents who do not submit the form would be "considered truant, with penalties applying," according to a synopsis of the bill. A regional office of education or a school district could also request that homeschooling parents hand over an "education portfolio," or a set of their child's records, including writing samples, workbooks, worksheets or other logs of curricular materials. The portfolio would serve "as evidence that the homeschool administrator's homeschool program provides a course of instruction that is sufficient to satisfy the education requirements set forth in Sections 26-1 and Section 27-1 of the School Code that is at least commensurate with the standards prescribed for public schools," according to the bill text. Section 26-1 sets the compulsory school age at between 7 and 17 unless the child has already graduated from high school, while Section 27-1 is intended to ensure the areas of education taught in public schools do not discriminate on account of the sex of the student. The bill would also require homeschooling parents of children who participate in public school activities on or off school grounds to "submit proof that the child has received all required immunizations and health examinations or a signed Certificate of Religious Exemption."
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Editorial: Springfield bid to regulate homeschooling and private schools overreaches
A bill in Springfield could land parents in jail if they don't fill out paperwork properly. It sounds outlandish, but that's one of the components of House Bill 2827, referred to as the Homeschool Act. Proponents sell it as legislation to properly regulate homeschooling in Illinois. 'Homeschooling is currently the fastest growing form of education in the United States. The true number of homeschooled children is likely to remain unknown without adequate notification and oversight,' legislation authors wrote. Sponsored by Democratic Rep. Terra Costa Howard, D-Lombard, the bill is in response to an investigation by ProPublica and Capitol News Illinois that spotlighted Illinois' lack of homeschool oversight compared with most other states. Nearly 4,500 Illinois children were recorded as withdrawn from public school for homeschooling in 2022, according to that investigation. Aspects of this measure make sense to us. It would be helpful to see basic enrollment information in order to understand how many kids are in public vs. private school, as well as homeschools. This data would be instructive for education policymakers and families alike. If that were all the bill required, we don't think it would be controversial. But there's much more to the measure, provisions that make it unreasonable and overly intrusive. If parents failed to fill out homeschool paperwork properly or give local education authorities timely notice of their intent to homeschool, they could be charged with a Class C misdemeanor, an offense punishable by up to 30 days in jail. That paperwork would include a yet-to-be-created form including detailed personal information on homeschool students. The bill outlines a minimum set of information requirements — things like student date of birth, address and names of parents and guardians — but there are no restrictions on what additional data could be mandated, meaning its scope could easily expand. We dislike the open-ended nature of this information-collection regimen. State bureaucrats also could demand that parents provide information on what they're teaching, as well as detailed information on student progress, and there's little in the bill on what would prompt such a review. It's understandable to want to combat neglect, but it's unclear from the legislation what would prompt a curriculum and progress review, making this provision prone to misunderstandings and allowing bureaucrats to substitute their judgment for parents'. The cure in this case easily could be worse than the problem. Making matters worse, the Homeschool Act isn't just about homeschooling. It also creates new rules and information-sharing requirements for private schools. Why are private schools getting roped into the Homeschool Act? If passed, the act would give the state vastly more oversight not just for homeschooling families, but also private school families, mandating that private schools would be subject to these same information-sharing requirements, which 'violates a basic trust between the school and the family,' as the Catholic Conference of Illinois put it. It would be much more reasonable to simply ask private schools to give enrollment numbers and test scores. Most private schools across the state operate on tight budgets, with limited staffing to handle administrative tasks. New bureaucratic requirements are an unfunded state mandate that would strain these schools. Is that unintentional? Maybe, but this wouldn't be the first time state legislation has taken aim at non-public education. A 2021 bill sought to impose tougher standards and penalties on private schools during the COVID lockdown period when those schools opened back up well before their public counterparts, a point of contention with public-school teacher unions. Like now, parents revolted against this proposal, seeing it as an attempt to weaken private schools and impede their ability to operate. Why, we ask, are politicians focusing so much attention on homeschooling and private school accountability when, statewide, only 30% of fourth-graders in the public school system can read at grade level? What's the sales pitch? 'Come to public school, where there's a 30% chance you might learn to read'? We wish our lawmakers were spending more of their time pursuing ideas to improve our public schools instead of impeding private ones. One of the reasons more students are opting out of public school is that COVID and remote learning forced many parents to be more hands-on with their children's educational instruction — and they chose to stick with that arrangement because it worked for them. The bottom line is this: Instead of asking why so many people are leaving public schools and seeking to address those issues, some politicians instead want to make it more difficult to leave in the first place. No wonder the Homeschool Act has stiff opposition. Over 1,000 people joined a protest against the measure last week. More than 21,000 people filed witness slips in opposition to the bill, with fewer than 500 slipping in support as of writing. We're not surprised by this reaction. The Homeschool Act is scheduled for a committee hearing soon. We hope it does not advance. Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@
