Dear friends of homeschool freedom,
Who decides what is best for children—parents or the state?
The starkly contrasting answers to this question are at the root of the conflicts we’re facing today.
Harvard law professor Elizabeth Bartholet recently called the 1925 Supreme Court case that supports parent’s rights in education a “curse.” She claims that homeschooling allows “backwards” parents to raise their children in racism and fascism, cut off from society. Her prescription: treat homeschooling as presumptively dangerous unless parents prove themselves to the state.
Her statements illustrate a worldview shared by many, including figures in the media, social sciences researchers, and academic elites:
- Parents are inherently suspect.
- Freedom is dangerous.
- Children are safe only when the state is in control.
Standing against this is a very different vision: Notre Dame professor Vincent Muñoz reminds us the the American founding was rooted in liberty, equality, and faith. Parents are entrusted by God with the sacred duty to raise their children.
The family is a pre-political institution—prior to and independent of the state. Government’s role is not to invade the family, but to protect its rightful authority.
Here is the clash before us: Bartholet sees parental freedom as a curse. The Founders saw it as a blessing. At stake is whether children are the “mere creature of the State,” or whether parents will remain free to nurture them according to conscience and conviction.
The Cases That Prove the Need
This clash is not theoretical. It is playing out in real homes and courtrooms.
In Pennsylvania, one school district sent threatening letters demanding parents’ diplomas—documents the law does not require. Then administrators and a school social worker showed up unannounced at homeschooling families’ doors, insisting on seeing the children “to make sure they were safe.”
Within days, HSLDA filed suit to defend those families. No parent should face that kind of intrusion alone. And within days, the school district backed down.
In another Pennsylvania case, a homeschooling mother named Elizabeth faced a custody battle after her husband passed away. She asked to be represented by our director of litigation, Peter Kamakawiwoole, because of his deep experience in homeschool law. The judge refused, insisting homeschooling wasn’t relevant. But six hearings later, it became the central issue.
The judge grilled Elizabeth about her faith and her decision to homeschool, at one point asking in a demanding tone: “You don’t feel it’s necessary to educate yourself on what the public school system has to offer your children?” When Elizabeth answered quietly, “I don’t feel right about sending them,” the judge pressed: “Is it because you don’t want them exposed to gay and transgender people?”
She left the courtroom shaken, feeling as though her faith were on trial. Imagine the weight she carried—six hearings, endless questions, and the subtle message that her convictions disqualified her as a mother.
The judge granted the grandfather joint custody. If this judge’s view stands, it sets a precedent where any parent’s faith could be dragged into the dock in custody cases.
That is why HSLDA is standing with her on appeal. Our legal team is fighting not only for Elizabeth and her children, but for every parent whose religious convictions could one day be challenged by a hostile court.
Both of these cases required significant attorney time and resources. And they are not rare. Our legal team is working at full capacity, which is why expanding our staff is not optional, but essential.
Stand with families like Elizabeth’s »
The Legislative Front
The courtroom is not the only arena. State legislatures are also testing our liberties.
In Illinois, lawmakers introduced a bill that would have made missing a paperwork deadline a crime. It would have turned ordinary families into criminals for something as simple as turning in a form a day late.
Thanks to swift mobilization by our longtime allies, Illinois Christian Home Educators, several trips to Springfield by HSLDA attorney Will Estrada, and the powerful voices of Pastor Chris Butler and his wife Aziza, who brought homeschool families from Chicago into the debate—together we defeated the proposal.
Thousands of moms and dads flooded the Capitol the day of the hearing, while hundreds more rallied outside. Legislators’ inboxes overflowed with respectful but urgent messages. And lawmakers saw clearly that this bill wouldn’t protect children; it would punish families.
That victory was only possible because coalitions stood strong, and because HSLDA backed them up with legal analysis and nationwide support. Illinois showed us what works, but also reminded us that the other side isn’t going away.
New Jersey: A Wake-Up Call for the Nation
Nowhere is the danger clearer than in New Jersey, where four separate bills are pending—each designed to curtail homeschool freedom:
- Mandatory Wellness Checks: Parents and children would be required to meet annually with school officials for vague “health and wellness checks,” which would treat parents as guilty until proven innocent.
- Curriculum Control: Families would be forced to align their instruction precisely with New Jersey Student Learning Standards. Th state would dictate not just what subjects must be taught, but how, stripping away parents’ ability to design flexible, faith-informed, and individualized instruction.
- DEI Mandates: Parents would be compelled to teach state-approved lessons on diversity, equity, inclusion, gender identity, and sexual orientation—even when these conflict with their religious convictions or their children’s maturity.
Taken together, these bills would turn homeschooling into little more than public school at home, stripping away the flexibility and uniqueness that allow children to flourish.
The Supreme Court’s recent decision in Mahmoud v. Taylor confirmed that parents have a right to direct their children’s education according to religious convictions. Nearly 75 percent of homeschooling parents cite moral instruction as a primary reason, and nearly 60 percent specifically cite religious instruction. New Jersey’s proposals run directly contrary to those constitutional protections.
If enacted, these laws would set a dangerous precedent for other states. And they would require sustained legal and legislative engagement from HSLDA—more staff, more resources, and more vigilance.
I want to defend homeschool freedom!
Liberty Must Be Defended Early
James Madison warned in 1785: “It is proper to take alarm at the first experiment on our liberties. . . . The free men of America did not wait till usurped power had strengthened itself by exercise . . . they avoided the consequences by denying the principle.”
That is the principle guiding HSLDA today.
When school officials arrive without authority, we fight back immediately.
When judges exceed their role, we appeal to higher courts.
When legislators test new restrictions, we mobilize coalitions to stop them.
But all of this requires more attorneys, more legislative staff, and more support for state leaders. That is why your gift today is so crucial.
Not Just Skirmishes
Post-COVID, officials increasingly view the exodus from their schools as a problem. Some even say the quiet part out loud. One county executive in Kentucky bluntly admitted his concern was not student welfare but lost funding. His solution? Blame homeschooling.
This is the new landscape:
- Legislators who criminalize late paperwork
- Judges who put parents’ faith on trial
- School officials who knock at the door
- Professors who call parental freedom a curse
These aren’t isolated incidents. They are signs of a growing hostility to homeschooling and the worldview that undergirds it.
And they remind us of a truth the Founders knew well: Liberty never preserves itself. It must be defended always, and often at the first small incursion.
Stand with homeschooling families
Why Your Support Matters
In every one of these battles, HSLDA was there because of faithful friends like you.
When the letters came in Pennsylvania, our attorneys were ready.
When the judge questioned Elizabeth’s faith, we stood beside her on appeal.
When Illinois families faced criminal penalties for paperwork, we joined with allies to stop it.
And now, as New Jersey considers bills that would gut homeschool freedom, we mobilize again.
But we cannot do this without you.
Your gift to the Freedom Fund provides the resources to:
- Defend families in court at no charge to them.
- Mobilize coalitions in legislatures when new bills threaten freedom.
- Shape the legal arguments that will guide courts for decades.
- Strengthen leaders across the nation who carry this mission into their communities.
Every dollar you give helps ensure that when the knock comes at the door, a homeschooling family will not have to face it alone.
A Call to Renewed Strength
The prophet Isaiah wrote: “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
That promise has sustained me personally, and it sustains the mission of HSLDA. When families feel weary, when cases drag on, when bills keep coming, the Lord renews our strength.
And He often does it through friends like you. Your prayers, your advocacy, your generosity—these are how God strengthens our hand in the fight.
Every case we fight, every bill we block, and every family we defend happens because you choose to give. You are the difference between a family standing alone and a family standing protected.
Looking ahead, 2026 will bring even more challenges. More legislatures in session, more bills introduced, and more school officials emboldened to make demands outside the bounds of the law. Your gift today makes sure that when the next phone call comes in—when the next family is threatened—HSLDA is ready to act.
Imagine being that parent, hearing the knock at the door, and knowing you’re not alone. Knowing that thousands of fellow believers and defenders of freedom are standing with you through HSLDA. That peace of mind only exists because friends like you choose to give.
For homeschool freedom,
James R Mason
PresidentP.S. The battles we are fighting today are fierce, but the values at stake remain the same as in 1776: liberty, faith, and family. With your help, we can defend those values for the next generation. Please give to the Freedom Fund before year’s end, and together let’s ensure the future of homeschooling remains free.