HSLDA joined advocates on January 28 in Washington state, where we saw one of the first legislative victories for homeschool freedom in 2026. The successful campaign once again illustrates how homeschooling families can winsomely and effectively persuade lawmakers to protect a proven and valuable form of education.

Tj Schmidt, HSLDA senior counsel, flew to Washington from Virginia to help testify against Senate Bill 6261. The measure sought to require parents of children ages 6 and 7 to declare if they intend to homeschool and submit information about their future education plans for these children—even though state law does not mandate that children attend school until age 8.

“This was a back door attempt to lower the compulsory school attendance age,” said Schmidt. Simply from a lawmaking perspective it was a terrible bill, he noted, because without changing the actual statute dealing with school attendance it would have made parents subject to the entire truancy process in Washington if they failed to file the notice of their future plans.

HSLDA also objected to S.B. 6261 because it undermined the right of parents to determine when their children are ready to begin formal schooling, instead imposing a one-age-fits-all paradigm.

State education officials said one of their motivations for proposing the bill is to start collecting data on homeschooled students at an earlier age.

Team Effort

HSLDA teamed up with allies in Washington state to send a strong message to legislators. We informed our members and friends about the dangerous bill through email, social media, and our Legislation page. And some 2,500 parents left comments on the state legislature’s website opposing the bill.

We coordinated with Washington Homeschool Organization (WHO) to arrange a rally at the statehouse on January 28, when the bill was heard by the Senate Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education.

Schmidt estimated about 150 homeschool advocates, including statewide homeschool leaders from WHO and Firmly Planted Family and homeschooling moms, dads, and kids, all showed up for the event.

“We filled two hearing rooms,” Schmidt said. “And when that many people come out on short notice, in the rain, to show how much they care about a particular bill—it gets the attention of legislators.”

The push against S.B. 6261 also benefited from the in-person testimony of Washington native Heidi St. John. The popular author and podcaster (who serves as an HSLDA board member) has long been a stalwart advocate for good governance and homeschool freedom. In addition, several board members with WHO testified and even a few homeschooled students got the chance to say something to the committee.

“It was a collaborative effort,” Schmidt said. “And it made a difference. As I was getting ready to board the plane for the flight home, we heard that the Senate committee chairwoman, who is the main sponsor, was not going to proceed with the bill. It’s basically dead in committee.”

Though buoyed by the good news, Schmidt said he was especially gratified at the outcome because it confirmed something he said to a homeschooled student who had attended the rally.

“This young person had asked me: ‘Will our presence here really have an impact?’ ” Schmidt recalled. “I assured him it did, but his being able to personally witness the defeat of a bad bill makes for an incredible civics lesson.”

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More Work to Do

The triumph in Washington, however, does not necessarily portend easy battles involving other homeschool legislation now under consideration in other states.

“The defeat of one dangerous bill is certainly a testament to the fact that when citizens show up and make their voices heard, they make a difference,” observed Kevin Boden, HSLDA director of legal and legislative advocacy. “While we celebrate this win, we remind ourselves that we must remain constantly vigilant.”

Schmidt concurred, noting that even while he was prepping for the trip to Washington to fight one piece of legislation, he was communicating with homeschool leaders in South Dakota to strategize opposition to a bad bill there.

South Dakota House Bill 1158 would have made parents file annual notices of their intent to homeschool (as opposed to the current one-time notice requirement). It also called for homeschooled students in several different grades to take a criterion-referenced state assessment exam, a mandate in conflict with a long-standing federal law that HSLDA helped put into place more than 20 years ago.

Schmidt conferred with advocates at Families for Alternative Instruction Rights in South Dakota (FAIRSD) throughout his travels to the West Coast and back. They, in turn, expressed their concerns about H.B. 1158 to lawmakers and actively pushed back against the bill.

By Jan. 29, Schmidt received news that the bill had been withdrawn from the legislative calendar and is no longer being considered for further action.

“That’s great news,” Schmidt noted. “But we’re still monitoring other legislation in South Dakota and across the U.S.”

“This is just the beginning of the legislative season,” he added.