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Jan. 13 | Introduced and referred to Assembly Education Committee

A. 3394 was introduced on January 13 and referred to the Assembly Education Committee. There are currently no hearings scheduled for this bill.

Please urge Assemblyman Sterley Stanley, the sponsor of A. 3394, to withdraw the bill if you live in his district (District 18, Middlesex County). Contact him here.

Summary of A. 3394

Assembly Bill 3394, which is similar to a bill filed last year (A. 5825), would significantly alter New Jersey’s long-standing approach to homeschooling by replacing the current low-regulation framework with a formal system of government oversight.

Under A. 3394, homeschool families would be required to:

  • Register their home education program with the local school district
  • Provide instructional or curriculum information aligned with state standards
  • Maintain detailed student portfolios documenting academic progress
  • Submit students to annual evaluations conducted by individuals meeting state-defined qualifications

Last year, HSLDA Senior Counsel Will Estrada wrote an op-ed about several troubling New Jersey bills. Among them was A. 5825, which has the same sponsor and is nearly identical to A. 3394. Not only does this bill place additional burdens on homeschool families, but it also goes against recent US Supreme Court decisions.

New Jersey currently does not require homeschool families to register with school districts, submit curricula for review, or participate in annual evaluations. A. 3394 would represent a major policy shift by conditioning homeschool freedom on ongoing compliance with district-level requirements.

HSLDA opposes A. 3394 for the following reasons:

  • Creates government oversight without demonstrated need. The bill presumes that homeschool families require monitoring despite no evidence of widespread educational or child-welfare concerns, undermining New Jersey’s long-standing trust in parents to direct their children’s education.
  • Invites inconsistent local enforcement. By placing implementation and evaluation authority at the district level, the bill risks uneven standards, subjective decision-making, and different expectations depending on where a family lives.
  • Imposes unnecessary administrative burdens on families. Mandatory registration, portfolio requirements, and annual evaluations add layers of compliance without any demonstrated benefit to student outcomes.
  • Marks a departure from New Jersey’s historic homeschool framework. Homeschooling has thrived in New Jersey precisely because it has not been treated as a state-run program; A. 3394 moves the state toward a regulatory model that diminishes flexibility and independence.