Home educators in Connecticut are officially in the government’s crosshairs. Under a new bill moving through the legislature, parents will need approval from child protection services to homeschool and must prove they are providing “equivalent instruction” to that offered by the government-school system.
Federal data show only about one-third of children in the state’s public schools are even “proficient” in reading or math. Suicide, mental health issues, and other problems have surged among government-educated children.
So it was not immediately clear why anyone would want homeschoolers subjected to “equivalent instruction.”
The bill purports to require that every parent send their child to a government school. The only exception is if the parent can “show that the child is elsewhere receiving equivalent instruction in the studies taught in the public schools,” according to the Connecticut legislation.
Lawmakers lambasted the provision. “What is equivalent instruction? Is it equivalent to Prospect’s education, Bridgeport, Waterbury, Greenwich, Darien, East Haddam? I don’t know,” argued Ranking Member Rep. Lezlye Zupkus, a Republican. Democrats on the committee dismissed the concerns.
To prove “equivalent instruction,” parents would be required under the statute to keep records for three years and provide demonstrations of their child’s work to government officials. The state Department of Education will provide “guidance” regarding what all this means.
Senator Heather Somers, a Republican, warned the bill was a scheme to force homeschool families into public school standards. “By evaluating homeschooling and pushing it to public school standards, this bill is pressuring families to mirror the public school system,” she explained.
The demands are especially ironic given how well homeschooled children often outperform their government-schooled peers. “Every single homeschooler I’ve met is smarter,” Sen. Somers said. “They’re graduating early from high school. Some are taking college courses or getting two years of college before they turn 18.”
The elephant in the room—the state’s catastrophic failure to educate its children—did not escape notice. “People are withdrawing their kids, quitting jobs because they don’t feel their kids are safe in public school,” observed Representative Tina Courpas, a Republican. “To me, that is so basic.”
Lawmakers should focus on fixing government schools. “If this committee did nothing else for the next two years other than make our public schools safe, that would be a big win,” the lawmaker added. “But this bill doesn’t address that problem. Instead, it cuts off people’s options to solve a problem this state has created.”
Under the new legislation, which has cleared several hurdles, homeschooling families in Connecticut would need Child Protective Services (CPS) approval to homeschool. The Home School Legal Defense Association says this is a major change.
“One of the most troubling aspects,” noted Ralph Rodriguez, associate attorney for HSLDA, “is the idea that parents could need permission from a child welfare agency before teaching their own children at home. That represents a significant shift in how homeschooling families are treated under the law.”
Lawmakers were also perplexed by involving CPS in approving homeschooling. “The child advocate stated publicly yesterday to me in a hearing that she agrees the real cause of these tragic events is a catastrophic failure of the Department of Children and Families,” said Education Committee Ranking Member Sen. Eric Berthel, referring to two deaths where children died despite welfare involvement.
“All this begs the question: Why would we want DCF involved at all in monitoring homeschoolers when the agency has demonstrated it cannot handle cases they are already monitoring?” added Sen. Berthel. Critics suggested the bill was an effort to blame innocent people for government failures.
The homeschool legislation, House Bill 5468, drew enormous opposition from families across Connecticut. Thousands of written testimonies were submitted against the bill, and hundreds attended Capitol hearings. All Republicans and some Democrats opposed the bill.
Blasting the “draconian measure” designed to bring all families under government control, attorney Deborah Stevenson with National Home Education Legal Defense said any legislators supporting it must be removed from office. “This is an unconstitutional power grab,” she said.
Forcing parents to get approval to educate their children violates fundamental rights: “It is obnoxious and obscene, and a violation of the parents’ fundamental right to the upbringing and education of their child,” Stevenson added. She also condemned the data collection without parental consent as wrong.
“It violates federal law in its data sharing provisions; it removes the presumption of innocence; it violates due process, equal protection, and search and seizure provisions of our federal and state Constitutions and places a child on a parent’s fundamental rights,” she continued.
“Astoundingly, this bill overturns 376 years of precedent and the fundamental right and duty of parents to instruct their own children,” Stevenson said. “This is a heinous display of cowardice, immorality, and utter disdain and shredding of our federal and State Constitutions. This bill is a disgusting power play by unscrupulous, control-hungry politicians.”
Even state agencies raised concerns. The Department of Children and Families, which would have to sign off before homeschooling families could get permission under the bill, said it would be “impossible” to process applications at “current staffing levels.”
Originally, the bill seemed doomed. But after a handful of lawmakers changed their votes despite overwhelming opposition—only 50 supporters spoke or submitted written testimony—the legislation passed through the Joint Education Committee.
The legislative attack on homeschooling was partly in response to a report last year from the state’s so-called “Office of the Child Advocate,” which called for regulation. The report recommended that “the parent and child appear annually to provide enrollment documentation.”
Responding to two deaths of children, the OCA also suggested every child outside government schools be “independently evaluated annually for academic progress” and have “initial and periodic assurances of good health.”
The attack on homeschooling freedom in Connecticut comes amid a broader assault in Democrat-led states and left-leaning media outlets. From Illinois and New Jersey to Minnesota, Democrat lawmakers, powerful special interests, United Nations agencies, and left-leaning news organizations have declared war on home education.
However, encouraging developments are emerging. In New Hampshire, lawmakers recently passed a bill removing virtually all administrative requirements for homeschooling families.
Storm clouds are gathering as forces hostile to Christianity, parental authority, and individual liberty coalesce in an effort to squash home education. With the exodus from government schools accelerating nationwide, totalitarians know time is short. Homeschoolers, private schools, and all who support liberty must be on guard.
