From Illinois Policy:
Tens of thousands of homeschool and private school families and other Illinoisans have filed opposition to House Bill 2827 – dubbed the ‘Homeschool Act.’ The bill is stalled on the House floor and poised for defeat.
The “Homeschool Act” made history this legislative session, garnering more opposition than any other bill in recent Illinois legislative history.
The fierce opposition is warranted. House Bill 2827 isn’t just an attack on homeschoolers – it’s another effort to limit families’ educational options to only the public school mediocrity teachers unions produce.
The original version of HB 2827 drew opposition from 42,393 people, followed by 51,328 opponents on the bill’s first amendment and 43,179 opponents to the last amendment to the bill – all higher than any other bill since the legislature implemented the witness system.
Now, the bill appears stalled on the House floor and poised for defeat. While the bill has yet to miss any deadlines, it was removed from the House education committee and re-referred to the rules committee, where bills typically go to die. If it is neither re-assigned to an education committee nor given a hearing for passage, it will be dead.
This is a win for educational freedom in Illinois. If enacted, the “Homeschool Act” would have changed the way homeschooling is governed in Illinois and restricted parents’ freedoms.
The bill is riddled with concerning provisions, but these are among the most concerning:
- Homeschooling parents would be required to submit a “homeschool notification form” which not only includes personal information, but “may” also mandate a list of “any curriculum purchased or used for the homeschool.”
- There is an element of criminality in the bill as it provides multiple scenarios in which a truancy officer could refer a family to the local state’s attorney.
- Anonymous reports could start the investigation of homeschooling families.
- Truancy officers can demand to meet with children, without their parents, just to establish whether there is “cause” for an investigation.
- By requiring a log of homeschool families’ curricula in the homeschool notification form and the educational portfolio, the state would be gathering a list of families that use specific religious curricula, ultimately creating lists of families’ religious affiliations.
- The bill adds regulations to private schools and invades families’ privacy.
- The bill could impose unknown costs on local schools, school districts and regional offices of education, according to a fiscal note added to the bill.
The legislative session is scheduled to conclude May 31. Without further action, HB 2827 will die on that date.
