‘Homeschool Act’ is about limiting school choice

Teachers unions have given millions to the state lawmakers targeting homeschoolers in their most recent effort to stifle educational freedom in Illinois.

When lawmakers refused to extend the Invest in Kids tax credit scholarship program in 2023, it left few educational alternatives for low-income parents wanting to escape failing public schools.

One option is homeschooling, the fastest-growing form of education in the United States.

Now lawmakers and teachers unions are seeking to regulate homeschooling through House Bill 2827, dubbed the “Homeschool Act.” But HB 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.

While the national trend is for states to enhance educational freedom and empower parents, Illinois has a track record of going the opposite direction. HB 2827 is the latest example.

It isn’t hard to track the root cause: teachers unions hate educational choice and have poured $3.5 million into the lawmakers’ political committees who make these decisions.

Trending: Educational choice is increasing across the nation

The national trend is to expand educational options for families – not to decrease them.

A record number of states expanded school choice programs in 2023, which was dubbed “the year of universal school choice.” Seven states enacted new private-school choice programs and 11 states expanded existing programs. This resulted in access to private-school choice programs for around 20 million students nationwide.

That trend continued in 2024, with an additional 15 states enacting or expanding programs.

But progress isn’t centered solely on private-school choice. Homeschooling has become the fastest-growing form of education in the U.S., and states are making it easier for parents to choose this option.

For example, Wyoming removed obstacles to homeschooling by enacting House Bill 46 earlier this year. The bill eliminates a requirement that parents submit proof that their curriculum complies with state requirements. The law no longer requires parents to file a form with the local school district. Similarly, Ohio amended its law in 2023 to provide more homeschool freedom for families. The state previously had required families to submit multiple forms and a textbook list. It also forced them to utilize standardized tests and report scores to the district. The new law requires a simple letter indicating the intent to homeschool and nothing more.

Bucking the trend: Illinois stifles parents’ options in educating their children

While the national trend is to expand educational freedom, Illinois is going the opposite direction.

As 18 other states provided more educational options to families in 2023, Illinois was the outlier, eliminating its tax credit scholarship program for low-income students at the end of the year. Despite voter support for the program, Illinois lawmakers listened to teachers unions and refused to extend the Invest in Kids tax-credit scholarship program, taking away scholarships from more than 15,000 low-income students benefiting from the program.

Now some Illinois lawmakers are trying to restrict homeschooling through HB 2827. The current version of the bill requires onerous paperwork, including the reporting of personal information of children and lists of curriculums. It would also allow truancy officers to separate children from their families for interviews without “cause” and allows families to be investigated based on anonymous reports.

In other words, while other states are ensuring parents have the freedom to make the educational choices that best suit the needs of their children, Illinois would be placing homeschooling families in the crosshairs of intrusive government investigations without cause.

Following the money: Teachers unions have given $3.5 million to lawmakers pushing HB 2827

If the national trend is to support educational freedom, why is Illinois going in the other direction? The answer is simple: teachers unions in Illinois hate school choice and are funding the lawmakers making these decisions.

In just the five months leading up to lawmakers’ decision to cut the Invest in Kids program, teachers unions funneled nearly $1.5 million into the coffers of sitting lawmakers. Most of that came from the National Education Association, the national affiliate of the Illinois Education Association, which had previously celebrated the seeming demise of the program in an earlier legislative session. The Chicago Teachers Union, which posted it wanted the program ended “for good,” donated at least $40,500. Its state affiliate, the Illinois Federation of Teachers, had called on its followers to “keep the pressure on lawmakers to sunset” the program.

Similarly, teachers unions have funneled at least $3.5 million to lawmakers pushing HB 2827. That includes state Rep. Terra Costa Howard, D-Lombard, along with the co-sponsors and the lawmakers who voted to pass the bill out of the committee.

Money speaks louder than words. Teachers unions don’t have the best interest of students at heart, and they are pouring money into political campaigns to ensure parents don’t have the best educational options for their children.