SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (TNND) — Conservative lawmakers in Illinois are sounding the alarm over House Bill 2827, or the Homeschool Act, which proposes new regulations potentially altering how homeschooling operates in the state. Many parents and conservative figures view the bill as a significant threat to parental rights and homeschooling autonomy.
The controversial legislation, introduced by State Reps. Terra Costa Howard, Michelle Mussman, and Kelly Cassidy, aims to enforce oversight of homeschooling practices by requiring homeschool administrators to submit a "Homeschool Declaration Form" to the relevant public school officials, marking a child's enrolment in home education. Failure to submit this form would classify homeschooled students as truant, which raises the specter of penalties for families.
On March 19, 2025, the Education Policy Committee voted 8-4 in favor of advancing the bill to the House floor, igniting protests from hundreds of homeschooling families who gathered at the Illinois Capitol. State Sen. Neil Anderson (R-District 47) expressed concerns about the implications of such government oversight on parental rights, stating, “Parents that homeschool their kids are not the issue here. We are about parental rights, and it is the right of every American family to be able to homeschool their kids as they see fit.”
State Rep. Chris Miller (R-District 101) echoed these sentiments during a passionate Facebook post on March 18, urging lawmakers to reconsider the state’s involvement in home education. Miller referred to the bill as a “direct assault on Illinois families,” criticizing the unnecessary bureaucracy it introduces into a system where parents currently enjoy considerable freedom in educating their children.
“I think about this bill being nothing but a pile of crap,” said Miller, expressing frustration over the perceived attacks on freedom. He lamented that it would undermine the joys and successes families experience through homeschooling.
In support of the need for some level of oversight, State Rep. Howard argued that the legislation was necessary to better track the wellbeing of homeschooled children, who may go unnoticed when withdrawn from public education. She pointed to an increase in cases from child welfare professionals who have reported that children were being pulled from schools without any records existing of their education.
The bill further complicates matters by establishing requirements for children involved in public school activities, as they would need to provide proof of immunizations and health examinations or a signed Certificate of Religious Exemption. Such stipulations have met with considerable disdain from many parents, who view these requirements as another layer of government intrusion.
Opposition to the bill has not been limited to conservative lawmakers and homeschooling families. Some centrist politicians have expressed apprehensions about the erosion of parental autonomy. State Representative La Shawn Ford (D) articulated that the provisions within the bill pose significant dangers to the freedoms that parents expect when they choose to homeschool, arguing, “From the constituents that I've gotten calls from, I’m understanding why they don't like it. The loss of their autonomy, that's a major concern that they lose the autonomy over their children.”
Will Estrada, senior counsel for the Homeschool Legal Defense Association, has also spoken out against the proposed legislation. During testimonies given at the Capitol, Estrada shared that the bill's vague language could lead to broader regulations that would escalate restrictions on homeschooling in forthcoming years. “This bill is a solution in search of a problem,” he argued, contending that homeschooled children already perform well academically without heavy-handed oversight.
During the recent protests at the Capitol, homeschooling parents voiced their frustrations. Michelle Langworthy, one such mother who has actively engaged in the protests, claimed that the bill includes measures allowing schools to control where children's records go, stripping parents of crucial rights.
“That is such a gross overreach of what the state should be allowed to do,” she said. “And they also say that the student should be educated to serve the state. That’s absurd.” Langworthy’s words resonate with many who feel that the state imposes values contradictory to their own family philosophies.
Another homeschooling father, Luke Schurter, warned that the bill represented a backtracking on the freedoms families have enjoyed and urged fellow parents to protect the autonomy they have worked diligently to establish over their children's education. “This would circumvent those efforts and bring them back under the authority and the watchful eye of the public school system,” he argued.
The debate surrounding House Bill 2827 reflects broader national conversations about educational freedoms and government oversight. Supporters of homeschooling often fear that introducing regulations diminishes the very essence of why they chose to withdraw their children from the traditional public education system. As more Illinois lawmakers take a strong stance against the bill, it remains to be seen how its progress will unfold in the coming weeks. This bill will ultimately head for a vote in the House and Senate before landing on the desk of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, who has not publicly stated his position on the legislation yet.
The implications of this bill could resonate deeply across the state, impacting thousands of homeschool families. The tensions between assuring educational accountability and preserving personal liberties continue to be a focal point of this ongoing debate.
