Earlier this year, the Coalition for Responsible Home Education (CRHE) released a model bill, the “Make Homeschool Safe Act.” The philosophy behind this bill represents one of the more dangerous threats to homeschool families and homeschool freedom in recent memory. 

Who is CRHE?

CRHE is an advocacy organization focused on shaping the future of homeschooling through legislatures and the media. It was founded in 2013 by homeschool graduates. Some CRHE members had similar experiences to the homeschool grads on HSLDA's staff—participating in speech and debate during high school and attending the same colleges.

Some have no complaints about their own homeschooling but have been moved by the experiences of those who do. Others tell stories of harm and pain from their homeschooled childhoods.

A clash of worldviews

CRHE believes more laws and oversight by government officials and public schools are required to “make homeschooling safe.” The “Make Homeschool Safe Act” is a model bill that would massively expand government and government power into the lives of families.

A model bill is a legislative template that an organization releases publicly to try influencing legislation in that direction. While model bills are rarely adopted as is, legislators often insert portions of them into actual legislation. They can also be used to push an idea in the media and the national narrative. HSLDA has released model bills that protect families and further homeschool freedom, and many of our model bills have been incorporated into law.

In contrast to the viewpoint underlying the model provisions of the “Make Homeschool Safe Act,” we at HSLDA believe that government should be limited and parents should have the freedom to do what is best for their children. Many families choose to homeschool because they have seen the failures of public education for their children and want no part in public school officials “supervising” homeschooling. As Ronald Reagan presciently said, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’”

We agree with CRHE that a parent’s number one job is to protect their children. We agree that anyone—including a parent—who abuses a child should be punished to the full extent of the law. But we differ on whether all parents’ rights should be restricted in order to prevent some from abusing their children. As the U.S. Supreme Court explained in Parham v. J.R.: “The statist notion that governmental power should supersede parental authority in all cases because some parents abuse and neglect children is repugnant to American tradition” (emphasis in original).

What key things should I know about the “Make Homeschool Safe Act”?

The “Make Homeschool Safe Act” (MHSA), is a 23-page model bill that was released by CRHE in July 2024. You can read it here. This model bill—if adopted by a state legislature and signed into law—would fundamentally and radically transform home education into a Kafkaesque nightmare of regulation and red tape.

No state in the nation—even a state where homeschooling is highly regulated, like New York or Pennsylvania—has a regulatory regime even close to that advanced in the MHSA.

Among other provisions, the MHSA:

  1. Requires every homeschool parent to have a high school diploma or GED (p. 6). Parents without a diploma or GED would only be allowed to homeschool under the supervision of a “qualified educational professional,” who would have the authority to oversee curriculum and review the child’s academic progress. Currently 42 states have no minimum parental education threshold. Between 1991 and 2023, 6 states that formerly had such provisions removed them.
  2. States that if a parent is even investigated for abuse or neglect, they cannot withdraw their child to homeschool for three years unless they undergo an initial risk assessment by child protective services and participate in ongoing risk assessments thereafter (p. 20). It’s worth repeating that the restrictions would apply after any abuse investigation no matter its outcome—including investigations that are “unsubstantiated” because there is no evidence to support them.
  3. Requires annual notification at the beginning of the school year or a waiting period of 30 days before beginning to homeschool (p. 5). The waiting period does not include an exception for the health and safety of the child—common precipitating issues for parents deciding to homeschool midyear—and failure to wait 30 days to withdraw would trigger a notice of violation from the superintendent followed by a report to child protective services (and then #2, above, would kick in).
  4. Requires annual evaluations; state tests, norm-referenced achievement tests, and portfolios are all options. Almost a quarter of the model bill (pp. 11-15) is dedicated to these assessments, which must be reviewed by a “qualified educational professional” in person with the child. After the reviewer has signed off, the evaluation goes next to the superintendent for review. And the superintendent can reject the reviewer’s signoff—even though the list of eligible reviewers is created by the superintendent—which can place families on “probation,” or even result in the termination of their homeschool program.
  5. Requires all homeschool children to receive the full schedule of immunizations required of children in public school (p. 18). At the beginning of the school year or within 30 days of beginning to homeschool, parents must submit documentation from their state department of health or a licensed medical professional that the child has been immunized or received an exemption. (Exemptions are almost impossible to obtain in California, meaning that the MHSA would de facto require all California homeschool children to be immunized, just like their peers in public and private schools.)

If even a few provisions of this model legislation were passed into law in any state, it would signal a seismic shift away from the understanding—rooted in our nation’s history and traditions—that the responsibility of caring for, raising, and educating children is a pre-political fundamental right entrusted to parents by God; and toward the idea that children belong to the State, which grants (and can take away!) parents’ rights.

What can I do?

At this point, the MHSA has not been introduced as legislation in any state. However, HSLDA is aware of several states where legislators have discussed implementing the MHSA or its provisions, and CRHE has been aggressive in pushing the bill to state legislators. Therefore, we anticipate numerous legislative battles on this issue in the 2025 legislative session.

We encourage all homeschoolers to join HSLDA, join their state homeschool association, and remain plugged in. Sign up for email alerts below. Talk to friends who are new to homeschooling about our precious liberties. And be ready to call your legislators, visit your state capitol, and stand tall and speak out for homeschool freedom. Will you join us?