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Parents have rallied against three bills that would greatly restrict homeschooling in New Jersey, and they have already seen some success.
New Jersey Senate Bills 1796 and 4589, and New Jersey Assembly Bill 5825 each seek to restrict homeschooling severely, including requiring “child wellness inspections” and for curricula to be “aligned” with the states standards.
Advocacy groups such as the Homeschool Legal Defense Association have expressed their opposition to the bills, and many concerned parents have been clear that they believe the proposed bills would do more harm than good.
Homeschool families held a June 5 protest in one of the bills, 1796, which would require every parent to file a letter expressing their intent to homeschool. Approximately 200 families were in attendance, according to American Family News. The bills have been placed on hold because of fierce opposition. This means it is unlikely to move forward this legislative session.
Despite that bill being deferred, the other two bills are still being considered. These include bill 5825, the most extensive and onerous of the three. It would require every homeschooling family both to regularly submit a letter from a non-parental “qualified evaluator” approved by the superintendent, assessing each student’s progress and to submit information about all curricular materials, which must be “aligned with the New Jersey Student Learning Standards.”
The third bill, 4589, would require annual “child wellness inspections” performed by public school representatives. It is currently pending in committee.
“Homeschooling thrives on independent, parent-directed education,” says a statement from Classical Conversations’ Education Independence Network, an organization that opposes attempts to restrict homeschooling. “New Jersey’s S4589 shifts trust away from families and places it in government oversight. Mandated routine inspections signal distrust and threaten to discourage parents from choosing freedom and independence in education.”
Public opinion on homeschooling has been going up in recent years, but there is still a portion of the population that expresses suspicion towards the practice. In a 2020 study, 35% of respondents said that they opposed homeschooling.
In recent years, homeschooling rates have risen, especially since 2020’s lockdowns. Approximately 6% of children nationwide are now homeschooled, according to the National Home Education Research Institute. According to multiple peer-reviewed studies collected by the Institute, homeschooled students outperform their public schooled peers academically by 15-20%.
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