By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Concealed RepublicanConcealed Republican
  • Home
  • Latest News
  • Guns
  • Politics
  • Videos
Reading: The FREE Act would put Tennessee parents in charge, expanding homeschooling freedom
Share
9
Notification Show More
Kamala Harris Butchers Definition of Humility, Gets Lost in Her Own Speech Again [WATCH]
Politics
Kamala Harris Butchers Definition of Humility, Gets Lost in Her Own Speech Again [WATCH]
11 minutes ago
Cultural Rejection, Part II: Trump Orders Newsom to End Male Intrusion in Female Sports
Politics
Cultural Rejection, Part II: Trump Orders Newsom to End Male Intrusion in Female Sports
12 minutes ago
‘Follow The Facts’: Activists Renew Calls For DOJ To Investigate Five Aborted Babies At DC Clinic
Politics
‘Follow The Facts’: Activists Renew Calls For DOJ To Investigate Five Aborted Babies At DC Clinic
13 minutes ago
Democrats to spend  million to study how young men talk
News
Democrats to spend $20 million to study how young men talk
15 minutes ago
Macron downplays viral moment with wife after initially blaming Russian accounts
News
Macron downplays viral moment with wife after initially blaming Russian accounts
17 minutes ago
Open Carrier Killed With His Own Gun At Autozone | Open Carry Gone Wrong
Videos
Open Carrier Killed With His Own Gun At Autozone | Open Carry Gone Wrong
23 minutes ago
Trump Moves to Cut All Remaining Harvard Contracts Over Antisemitism, Bias
Politics
Trump Moves to Cut All Remaining Harvard Contracts Over Antisemitism, Bias
1 hour ago
Harvard Proves Again: They Are Who We Thought They Were
Politics
Harvard Proves Again: They Are Who We Thought They Were
1 hour ago
‘Devastating Piece Of Legislation’: Wealthy Universities Fret Over ‘Big, Beautiful’ Bill’s Endowment Tax Proposal
Politics
‘Devastating Piece Of Legislation’: Wealthy Universities Fret Over ‘Big, Beautiful’ Bill’s Endowment Tax Proposal
1 hour ago
Font ResizerAa
Font ResizerAa
Concealed RepublicanConcealed Republican
  • News
  • Guns
  • Politics
  • Videos
  • Home
  • Latest News
  • Guns
  • Politics
  • Videos
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
  • Advertise
  • Advertise
© 2022 Foxiz News Network. Ruby Design Company. All Rights Reserved.
Concealed Republican > Blog > News > The FREE Act would put Tennessee parents in charge, expanding homeschooling freedom
News

The FREE Act would put Tennessee parents in charge, expanding homeschooling freedom

Jim Taft
Last updated: February 17, 2025 7:21 am
By Jim Taft 13 Min Read
Share
The FREE Act would put Tennessee parents in charge, expanding homeschooling freedom
SHARE

A new era of school choice is upon us, and it could mean greater freedom for homeschooling parents too.

“Parents want and deserve the best education for their children,” wrote President Trump in his January 29, 2025, executive order supporting school choice. “But too many children do not thrive in their assigned, government-run K-12 school. … It is the policy of my administration to support parents in choosing and directing the upbringing and education of their children.”

This new category of homeschool will be entirely parent-led, exempted from current regulations and protected from potential future government overreach.

The state of Tennessee wasted no time in responding. The very next day, the state legislature passed the “Education Freedom Act of 2025,” which Governor Bill Lee (R) readily signed into law.

Longtime champion

Lee is a longtime champion of school choice. A year ago, in his 2024 State of the State address, he proposed $141.5 million in Education Freedom Scholarships designed to give parents more control over their children’s educations.

At the time, Lee said, “The premise behind Education Freedom, and the one thing that most all of us agree upon, is that parents know what’s best for their child’s education. … It’s time that parents get to decide — and not the government — where their child goes to school and what they learn.”

Those Education Freedom Scholarships never got off the ground. Now they’re back in the form of the EFA.

Limited scope

However, the bill’s scope is sharply limited. The kernel of the EFA retains (and slightly increases, to $144.2 million) EFS’ allotment for 20,000 scholarships to be used by eligible students attending eligible private schools — roughly $7,210 per student.

Students enrolled in home school and “church-related school” programs are specifically excluded. Additionally, students ages 3-11 “must be annually administered a nationally standardized achievement test that is aligned to the respective private school’s instructional plan, as determined by rules promulgated by the state board of education.”

While it’s only fair for the government to demand results for the money it doles out, it means that these private schools now effectively answer to the state’s board of education — which isn’t always the most conservative body, even here in blood-red Tennessee.

True FREEdom

The fact that these curricula must adhere to the standards demanded by the tests functionally dictates what can and can’t be taught. The TCAP, Tennessee’s standardized testing program, doesn’t exactly have a section for Latin or classical composers. In fact, I don’t know of a single standardized test that does.

To solve this problem, state Sen. Janice Bowling (R) and state Rep. Todd Warner (R) have sponsored the Family Right to Educational Emancipation (or FREE) Act.

The FREE Act would complete President Trump’s and Governor Lee’s promise of school choice and ensure that parents are put squarely in the driver’s seat by creating a new, independent class of homeschooler.

The best part? It will cost the state absolutely nothing.

Under the current law in Tennessee, homeschooling families have three options for educating their children. They can register:

  • as an independent homeschool student with the local school district.
  • with on online accredited program.
  • through what is called an “umbrella school,” which under Tennessee law is technically a private school.

An umbrella school serves as a hub for collecting required data and submitting it to the state for students. Umbrella schools are the most common options chosen by families, because they provide the most flexibility.

The FREE Act would create an entirely new designation that acknowledges the authority of parents to guide their children’s education.

It “recognizes parents’ constitutional right to educate their children as they see fit,” says Tiffany Boyd of Free YOUR Children, a grassroots organization in Tennessee.

This new category of homeschool will be entirely parent-led, exempted from current regulations and protected from potential future government overreach. The FREE Act protects true parental autonomy.

Landmark legislation

The FREE Act has the support of some important organizations. The Homeschool Legal Defense Association, a national homeschooling organization, endorsed the bill in an email to its membership. “It’s hard to overstate how significant this proposed legislation is,” says HSLDA attorney for states Will Estrada.

The Tennessee Home Education Association has also endorsed this legislation, saying, “THEA enthusiastically supports this bill and encourages all homeschooling families to begin to learn to embrace true freedom in education.”

In its call to action for parents, THEA encouraged parents to call their representatives and ask them to support this legislation. “As a homeschooling parent, I ask that you support S.B. 494 and H.B. 552, the FREE Act. This common-sense bill will expand freedom in Tennessee, protect parental rights, and make Tennessee the 12th state in the nation that does not require parents to get a permission slip from the government before they homeschool their children.”

In this new golden age of freedom, fiscal responsibility, and reduced government overreach, the passage of the FREE Act in Tennessee would be a huge win for parental rights.

Universal school choice is bringing vouchers to Tennessee, and this legislation would take that quest for freedom from failing government institutions a step farther by protecting the right of the parents to determine educational methods for their children, free from government interference.



Read the full article here

You Might Also Like

NWSL: BOS Nation FC to change name after major branding controversy

Zion National Park hiker dies after suffering full on Canyon Overlook Trail

Democrats to spend $20 million to study how young men talk

Christianity needs a church with teeth

Masked leftist thug cuts off, harasses Tesla driver — a mother on her way to doctor — and tells her, ‘This is a Nazi car’

Share This Article
Facebook X Email Print
Previous Article Florida woman allegedly attacked man with gardening tool after he canceled plans Florida woman allegedly attacked man with gardening tool after he canceled plans
Next Article Over a Dozen Immigration Judges Get Canned as Trump Admin Overhaul Continues Over a Dozen Immigration Judges Get Canned as Trump Admin Overhaul Continues
Leave a Comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

- Advertisement -
Ad image

Latest News

Kamala Harris Butchers Definition of Humility, Gets Lost in Her Own Speech Again [WATCH]
Kamala Harris Butchers Definition of Humility, Gets Lost in Her Own Speech Again [WATCH]
Politics
Cultural Rejection, Part II: Trump Orders Newsom to End Male Intrusion in Female Sports
Cultural Rejection, Part II: Trump Orders Newsom to End Male Intrusion in Female Sports
Politics
‘Follow The Facts’: Activists Renew Calls For DOJ To Investigate Five Aborted Babies At DC Clinic
‘Follow The Facts’: Activists Renew Calls For DOJ To Investigate Five Aborted Babies At DC Clinic
Politics
Macron downplays viral moment with wife after initially blaming Russian accounts
Macron downplays viral moment with wife after initially blaming Russian accounts
News
Open Carrier Killed With His Own Gun At Autozone | Open Carry Gone Wrong
Open Carrier Killed With His Own Gun At Autozone | Open Carry Gone Wrong
Videos
Trump Moves to Cut All Remaining Harvard Contracts Over Antisemitism, Bias
Trump Moves to Cut All Remaining Harvard Contracts Over Antisemitism, Bias
Politics
© 2025 Concealed Republican. All Rights Reserved.
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Press Release
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?