Dem lawmaker: Illinois homeschool bill would create ‘pipeline to criminal justice system’

An Illinois bill that could drastically change homeschooling rules in the state would create “a pipeline to the criminal justice system for parents,” a state Democratic lawmaker warned Thursday. 

Rep. La Shawn Ford, who represents a district that includes parts of Chicago, made the remark as parents, students and opponents of HB 2827, the Homeschool Act, rallied in the city’s downtown.  

The bill, which is advancing through the Illinois state legislature, would charge parents with a misdemeanor if they fail to register their kids in a “homeschool declaration form” to the nearest public school they would otherwise be attending. It also requires documentation of immunizations and health examinations for children who wish to participate in public school activities. 

“I support the representative that is sponsoring the bill, and I hope that we can work with her to have this bill become something that you can support. But right now, I don’t believe the bill is exactly what’s needed in Illinois,” Ford said. “I believe in restorative justice. I believe in making sure that people don’t have a pathway to the criminal justice system. And this bill is a pipeline to the criminal justice system for parents. And I can’t stand for that. How can we criminalize parents for wanting to love their children?” 

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“And finally, we’ve seen, since the pandemic, the growth in home schooling. It has increased across all demographics, but specifically in the Black community, from 3.3% to almost 17% of Black people use homeschooling in this state,” he added. 

Bobby Sylvester, the vice president of the Urban Center nonprofit, said Thursday that “This bill would require private schools to hand over the individual contact information, including names, phone numbers and addresses, to the state of Illinois.  

“That is government overreach,” he said. 

Democrats say the bill – which contains a portion that requires parents to hand over teaching materials if it’s suspected the child isn’t being educated properly – will strengthen oversight of homeschooling.   

Democratic state Rep. Terra Costa Howard introduced the bill following an investigative story by ProPublica, which has a left-leaning bias, according to the nonpartisan news rating company AllSides, entitled, “How Illinois’ Hands-Off Approach to Homeschooling Leaves Children at Risk.” The report included cases of abuse that went unnoticed because children were not in school. 

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However, opponents of the bill argue there’s no correlation between homeschooled students being more at risk of abuse than those in the public school system. 

“Many families need to make sometimes untimely decisions to pull their children out of a public school setting for their own safety, and a more effective learning environment,” Chantal Moore, a homeschooling mother, said at the rally Thursday. 

Moore said her son was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, but that he has thrived in a homeschooling environment. 

“Keeping our children safe is not acquired by a form, but by standing as a community together,” she added. 

Aziza Butler, a self-described homeschooling mother of six and former Chicago Public Schools teacher, said, “Not only will this bill divert precious resources, time and energy away from the critical needs of public schools who are already in peril, but it threatens an education revolution that so many minorities are benefiting from.” 

Fox News’ Jamie Joseph and Andrea Margolis contributed to this report.