Following a tumultuous 2026 legislative season in which two states enacted new restrictions on homeschooling, HSLDA’s legal team worked to stave off similar measures in Louisiana and West Virginia before they can be introduced in 2027.

In recent weeks, several HSLDA attorneys partnered with homeschool leaders and allies in states where officials have expressed interest in imposing more red tape on home education to engage with their legislators. (In both these states, the legislatures have adjourned from the 2026 session.)

In Louisiana, our coalition met with the head of the state’s Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), Secretary Rebecca Harris. She had told legislators in a public hearing for another bill that she was concerned “children in homeschools are children that are often abused.”

Elsewhere, in West Virginia, HSLDA Senior Counsel Tj Schmidt addressed an off-session gathering with members of two of the House of Delegates public education subcommittees. He urged lawmakers not to use concerns about chronic public school absenteeism as an excuse to make it more difficult to start homeschooling.

Forging Relationships

“I felt like we had a constructive conversation,” noted HSLDA Staff Attorney Amy Buchmeyer, who participated in the meeting with Harris and several Louisiana elected officials. “We were able to explain more about how homeschooling works and to lay the groundwork for an improved relationship. This kind of engagement is especially important, because bad legislation is often based on misinformation and stereotypes.”

Schmidt agreed. He said it is often more fruitful to meet with legislators while they are planning and gathering facts in the off-season than it is to attempt to stop a bill during the legislative session. Our team has frequently observed that this is especially true if a bill is being driven by political trends.

This principle was borne out by the situation in Louisiana. The DCFS secretary’s desire for laws allowing officials more oversight over home-educating families reflects a prevailing view that homeschooling places children at higher risk for abuse and neglect by hiding them from authorities.

HSLDA’s attorneys pointed out that existing law gives officials a fair degree of insight into who is homeschooling and how the students are faring. For example, under Louisiana’s option for homeschooling as a home study program, parents must:

  • Apply to the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education for approval;
  • Teach for 180 days and cover certain subjects;
  • Comply with immunization requirements;
  • Provide evidence their students are receiving an adequate education.

“We discussed how officials have other measures they can invoke to deal with truancy and educational neglect,” said Buchmeyer. “Our contention is that these laws already provide the tools to address what Secretary Harris said was a primary concern—ensuring that parents who say they are homeschooling are indeed making sure their kids are learning.”

Best Interests of the Child

Several Louisiana homeschool leaders also shared from their own experience how the decision to homeschool was driven not by a desire to avoid scrutiny, but by a deep conviction that it was best for their children.

Schmidt echoed this theme in his testimony to West Virginia lawmakers. He told legislators that many parents choose home education to help their children deal with crises that traditional schools have failed to address. These include issues such as physical health challenges, bullying, anxiety, or even academic struggles.

Quite often, said Schmidt, these children have exceeded the number of absences their schools will excuse, all while trying to make the public school work. In spite of these efforts, children in these situations often risk triggering truancy proceedings unless their parents switch to a more accommodating form of schooling.

“In my testimony I told legislators that making unexcused absences a reason to delay or deny the switch to homeschooling would only add burdens to families who are already struggling,” noted Schmidt.

He said he hopes providing greater perspective into why parents homeschool will prompt legislators to treat the issue with compassion and fairness. The proof will come when legislatures convene again early next year.

Whatever happens, HSLDA will remain vigilant.

“We will continue to oppose any bills that characterize all homeschooling parents as suspicious,” affirmed Buchmeyer.