Written by Kirk Smith

As we have been predicting for several months, Representative Terra Costa Howard (D – Downers Grove) has introduced HB2827. This bill is an egregious action taken against homeschooling families, seeking to overturn 75 years of homeschooling freedoms. It not only affects homeschoolers but also non-public brick and mortar schools. However, the clear motivation is to drastically change the way homeschooling is governed in Illinois, and to remove the parents as the primary gatekeepers of their children’s education.

This is not a registration bill but a comprehensive set of rules, procedures, and qualifications for anyone considering homeschooling. It is written in such a way that it becomes a Pandora’s Box, opening the door for future legislative infringements on our freedoms beyond our present comprehension. For example:

• It puts a greater burden on homeschool parents, who are already working hard, and makes Illinois the only state to go backwards in homeschooling freedoms rather than forward.
• It mandates a “Homeschool Declaration Form” that demands certain private information and gives the Illinois State Board of Education authorization to add more data collection to the annual form without legislative approval.
• It empowers a public-school district to demand—without any reason given—a family produce an “educational portfolio” which would be approved by a local school official.
• If homeschool children participate in any public-school activities, they will have to comply with all medical and immunization requirements of the public school, unless you have a religious exemption. This is worded in such a way that it could be a segway to require all homeschooling children to comply as well.
• This will have a significant, negative impact on special needs children who have IEPs or other assistance programs

Action Points

1. Pray for God’s mercy and ask Him to give us favor in the eyes of the legislators.
2. Be gracious, kind, and professional in your communications (online, on the phone, and in person). Some legislators have used disrespectful interactions with homeschoolers to deepen their anti-homeschool bias.
3. Have every voting adult in your home call your state representative and state senator at the Capitol and/or district office. Respectfully, but firmly, ask them to oppose HB2827. Hopefully, the line will be busy, so keep on calling. (Your senator may not yet be aware of this bill as it was just filed, but you can inform him.) If possible, a face-to-face meeting is even more impactful.
4. Share this information with all your homeschooling friends, coop members, private school friends, etc., encouraging them to make phone calls. It does not matter if they are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, non-sectarian. The more diversity the better.
5. Bring your family to Cherry Pie Day in Springfield on March 6.

Suggested Script

Representative ____________, I respectfully urge you to strongly oppose HB2827, ironically called the Homeschool Act. Homeschooling works as is evidenced by our academic and social success. This proposed bill infringes on our rights and adds undue burdens on homeschool parents who are already working hard to see their children succeed in life. As the old adage says, “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.” Thank you for protecting our rights in the past and continue to do so into the future.

Remember, freedoms are not free. We must stand vanguard over them. This is our time.

Full text of HB2827