Lombard mom among thousands of parents who oppose proposed homeschool legislation

For Lisa Edison, homeschooling her son is important.

Edison’s 12-year-old boy, William, has ADHD but flourishes in the homeschooling environment.

“He is not successful in a traditional school setting,” Edison said. “Homeschooling is necessary for our family so we can be flexible, pivot and change whenever we need to so that we are best suiting the education needs of our children.”

So when Edison learned state lawmakers were considering legislation that would require homeschool families to complete a form that would be collected by the local school district, before ultimately landing in the regional school district offices, she took action.

The Lombard homeschooling mom of four and moderator of the DuPage County Homeschoolers Facebook group was one of thousands of homeschooling families who took time from conducting lessons a couple of weeks ago and occupied the State Capitol building.

Holding signs and completing witness slips, the homeschoolers were there to argue that the proposed the legislation was government overreach.

“We want the best of everything for our children and provide them with the best opportunity for success,” Edison said. “This is very important to us. We will continue to fight to protect that.”

“Homeschooling provides an individualized approach to learning and allows parents the ability to customize the best education opportunities for their children,” she added.

“This bill actually requires an annual registration of intrusive information,” Edison said. “We don’t understand what they are doing with the information.”

A Capitol News Illinois and ProPublica investigation found cases where parents claimed children were being homeschooled and they were not, said state Rep. Terra Costa Howard, one of the Homeschool Act’s three co-sponsors.

“Not only were they not being homeschooled, but they were also being abused and neglected in their home,” Costa Howard said. “Some children actually died.”

The bill missed a procedural deadline for non-budget bills to clear their chamber of origin. But lawmakers can request an extension, which Costa Howard has done.

“We recognize that there’s some more changes that need to be made and so we want to be respectful of the process,” Costa Howard told Capitol News Illinois. “I want to pass a bill that we can be proud of. And even though I’m proud of the bill now, I want to be able to take into consideration some of the other suggestions that have been made.”

Costa Howard said 38 other states have regulations related to homeschooling.

Some states go farther and require testing of homeschooling students, she said.

Others require homeschool families to submit the curriculum plans that must be approved by an educator.

“Illinois is an outlier,” Costa Howard said. “A form should not be a hardship.”

Still, she said, “We have been meeting with homeschool families to hear their perspective.”

“This bill can protect children to not only make sure they are receiving an education, but that they are also not falling through the cracks,” Costa Howard said.

Furthermore, she said, the bill adds protection for homeschool families from nosy neighbors who may call local police and ask questions about why children are not in school.

Costa Howard said not all homeschool families are opposed to the bill.

Some homeschooling families support the bill because they have shared stories of families in their co-ops who are not homeschooling, she added.

In addition, Costa Howard said, some tutors have come forward with concerns over children in homeschooling environments.

Under the proposed legislation, the Homeschool Declaration Form would be passed from the local school district to the Illinois regional office of education—who has responsibility for truancy.

With her name attached to the proposed legislation, Costa Howard said she received a letter from a homeschooled student stating, “please don’t take me from my parents.”

“That is not part of the bill,” she added.

On the day homeschool families came to Springfield, Costa Howard said security was needed to escort her through the Capitol.

“I had individuals including children screaming at me as I was walking by,” she said.

In addition, Costa Howard said there is currently an active police investigation surrounding death threats to the resentative and her staff from individuals who are misinformed over the content of the bill.

The anonymous letter, addressed to Costa Howard at her legislative office in Lombard, referenced HB2827 – the Homeschool Act – contained five lines:

“It’s all over the country. We all know. It starts here and must end here. If we have to break the 6th Commandment, so be it. God said “Do Not Kill,” but also said “Smite thine enemy.”We’re watching ….” –Anonymous