HARTFORD, Conn. (WFSB) – Connecticut’s Education Committee has approved legislation that would significantly increase oversight of homeschooling in the state, advancing the bill to the full House in a close vote that saw some Democrats break with their party.
Connecticut is currently one of 12 states with no regulations on homeschooling. The proposed legislation would change that with a series of new requirements for families who educate their children at home.
Under the bill, school districts would be required to notify the Department of Children and Families when a parent attempts to withdraw a child from school. Parents with an open DCF case would not be permitted to homeschool. The bill would also require parents to register their child for homeschooling and renew that registration annually, and to demonstrate their child is learning through documentation such as a school portfolio or a state exam.
More than 200 people signed up to testify at a public hearing last week, with testimony running more than 12 hours and lasting past midnight. Many who testified were homeschooling parents and children who spoke against the bill.
Rep. Jen Leeper, D-chair of the Education Committee, said the legislation addresses a gap in the state’s existing framework.
“Currently, we have a framework that exists for all children except these children. This is a place where there is no framework for them,” Leeper said.
Supporters of the bill have pointed to two Connecticut cases as reasons for increased oversight — a Waterbury man who alleges he was held captive by his stepmother for two decades, and the case of Jacqueline Torres Garcia, an 11-year-old found dead in a plastic bin. Both individuals had been removed from school and, according to lawmakers, were never checked on again.
Opponents, including homeschooling parents who have returned to the Capitol multiple times, argue the legislation infringes on their rights and that existing policies are sufficient to address child welfare concerns.
Ken Farrington, who homeschools three children with his wife, said the bill will not make children safer.
“It’s still going to be overreaching to the parents who are doing a great job for their kids and are sacrificing for them,” Farrington said.
“I believe it’s about wanting more control in the lives of people who are doing things differently,” he added.
Rep. Lezlye Zupkus, R-Education Committee, said the recent tragedies were troubling but questioned whether the legislation would have prevented them.
“Nothing in this bill would ever make a difference, unfortunately—if somebody is that evil, they are that evil,” Zupkus said.
The DCF notification requirement has been among the most contested elements of the bill. Homeschooling parents have objected to being entered into a state database when they have not been accused of wrongdoing. A handful of Democrats voted against the bill in committee, and additional opposition is expected when the measure comes before the full House.
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