Latest Updates
Mar. 5 | Bill waiting to be scheduled for a hearing
H.B. 5468 was introduced on March 5 by the Joint Committee on Education and is scheduled to be heard on March 11.
Two ways to take action:
1. Attend the hearing or give written testimony (see details)
If possible, plan to attend the hearing on March 11 at 10:15 a.m. in opposition to H.B. 5468. Review helpful tips for attending a public hearing from our friends at TEACH CT.
Room 1E
Legislative Office Building
300 Capitol Avenue Hartford, CT 06106
You can submit written testimony against H.B. 5468 or you can register to speak and give verbal testimony during the hearing (in person or over Zoom).
2. Contact your legislators (see details)
Please contact the members of the Education Committee to ask them to vote no on H.B. 5468. Include a few reasons why you oppose the various oversight mechanisms on homeschool families presented in the bill.
If your legislator is on the Education Committee, it is particularly helpful to contact them. (Not sure who your legislator is? You can find them here.)
If your legislator is not on the committee, please reach out to the Co-Chairs and Vice-Chairs of the committee.
- Co-Chair Sen. Doug McCrory (Email: mccrory@senatedems.ct.gov / Phone: 860.240.1453)
- Co-Chair Rep. Jennifer Leeper (Email: jennifer.leeper@cga.ct.gov / Phone: 860.240.8753)
- Vice Chair Rep. Kevin Brown (Email: kevin.brown@cga.ct.gov / Phone: 860.240.8466)
- Vice Chair Sen. Gary Winfield (Email: winfield@senatedems.ct.gov / Phone: 860.240.0475)
Watch a brief video update from Ralph Rodriguez.
Summary of H.B. 5468
House Bill 5468 would drastically expand government oversight of homeschooling in Connecticut. The bill would require families to register with their school district, submit annual continuation forms, and demonstrate their child’s education through state-approved methods. Together, these changes would establish a system of registration, reporting, and government oversight of homeschooling that Connecticut law has historically avoided.
What HB 5468 Requires
House Bill 5468 would establish a new statutory framework governing families who provide “equivalent instruction,” commonly known as homeschooling. H.B. 5468 would:
- Require parents to file an in-person intent to educate form with their local school district before providing equivalent instruction.
- Require homeschooling families to submit an annual continuation form confirming that they are continuing to homeschool.
- Require parents to demonstrate their child’s education annually through a portfolio review, standardized testing, or another approved method.
- Direct the state to collect and maintain information about children receiving equivalent instruction.
- Trigger automatic coordination with the Department of Children and Families when students are withdrawn from public school.
Taken together, these provisions would create a system of registration, annual reporting, and government oversight of homeschooling that Connecticut law has historically avoided.
Why HB 5468 is Problematic
Connecticut has long trusted parents to direct their children’s education without unnecessary government interference. HB 5468 would represent a major shift away from that approach.
Connecticut law currently affords parents the freedom to provide home education without mandatory registration, annual government filings, or state evaluation of their child’s education. HB 5468 would mandate each of those steps and place homeschooling families under a system of ongoing government oversight and scrutiny.
The bill also creates significant potential for uneven enforcement and inconsistent interpretation across school districts. As seen in other high regulation states, districts may apply the law differently when determining whether a family has demonstrated compliance. This could lead to confusion, disputes, and uncertainty for families who are trying to educate their children.
Homeschooling is effective precisely because it allows parents the freedom and flexibility to tailor education to each child’s needs. Families choose to homeschool so they can adapt curriculum, teaching methods, pacing, and support to the individual strengths and needs of their children. A system that requires families to satisfy government reviewers about whether their educational approach is acceptable undermines that freedom and flexibility.
Parents should not be treated as though they require government supervision simply because they have chosen to educate their children at home. Policies that broadly regulate all homeschooling families must be met with zealous opposition.
Conclusion
H.B. 5468 would fundamentally change Connecticut’s longstanding approach to homeschooling by replacing trust in parents with a system of registration, reporting, and government oversight. Lawmakers should reject this bill and preserve the freedom Connecticut families have long relied on to direct their children’s education.