Rep. Terra Costa Howard, D-Glen Ellen | Capitol News Illinois photo by Andrew Adams
By Molly Parker and Beth Hundsdorfer | Capitol News Illinois
A bill that would tighten homeschooling regulations in Illinois missed a key deadline on Friday. But its sponsor, Rep. Terra Costa Howard, said it’s still alive — and she’s working on changes recommended by fellow lawmakers to get it passed.
“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, D-Glen Ellyn, 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.”
The proposal, amended twice in recent weeks, would require parents to file a declaration of intent with their regional office of education. If a truancy investigation arises, officials could ask for schoolwork or lesson plans.
Costa Howard introduced the bill after a Capitol News Illinois and ProPublica investigation last summer revealed Illinois’ lack of oversight in cases where children weren’t receiving an education. Illinois has some of the loosest homeschooling laws in the country, and multiple truancy officers told reporters that when they investigated a truancy case and parents claimed they were homeschooling, the investigation came to a grinding halt, even if concerns remained.
In the worst cases, children disappeared from school and endured abuse or neglect at home for years before authorities became aware.
The bill has become one of the most divisive issues at the Capitol this session, drawing thousands of opponents led by two Christian homeschooling organizations: Illinois Christian Home Educators and the Home School Legal Defense Association.
On Thursday, Will Estrada, in an upbeat message on the Home School Legal Defense Association’s Facebook page, shared news that the bill’s sponsors “did not have the votes currently on the floor to move the bill.” The organization’s chief legal counsel called it “hard to overstate how significant this news is.” Estrada congratulated homeschooling families for their efforts, adding, “The good news is your phone calls, your efforts, your talking to your friends, your continuing to get the word out to the legislators in Springfield, your voices are being heard.”
However, Estrada cautioned that the stall “doesn’t mean the battle is over.”
Read more here.
Related: “WATCH: Heavily opposed Homeschool Act stalls in Illinois House before deadline”
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