St. Joseph's Cathedral, San Diego / Google Maps
CV NEWS FEED // A senior counsel for a homeschool legal organization this week expressed hope that the next bishop of the Diocese of San Diego will reconsider the policy currently in place prohibiting homeschool groups from meeting on parish grounds.
Cardinal Robert McElroy, who is set to be installed as Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Washington this March, implemented the policy in September 2024. Homeschool Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) Senior Counsel and Director of Group Services Darren Jones told CatholicVote in an emailed statement that he intends to offer to meet with the next bishop of the Diocese of San Diego to talk about the policy.
“I am very hopeful that the next bishop assigned will re-examine the policy and allow homeschool groups to once again meet on parish property — as they had been doing, and as homeschool groups do around the country, in churches ranging from Catholic and Orthodox to mainline Protestant and non-denominational,” Jones said. “In fact, as soon as the next bishop is announced, I plan to write and renew HSLDA’s offer to meet with him in person to discuss the matter — this is important to us.”
HSLDA has provided legal assistance to protect the right to homeschool in the United States, and it continues to offer information to homeschool parents about state-specific school laws and financial support for families in need who would like to be able to homeschool.
HSLDA reported Jan. 14 that it previously reached out to the Diocese of San Diego to request a reconsideration of the policy blocking homeschool groups from meeting on parish grounds, and the Diocese has yet to respond.
The Diocese implemented the restriction in September 2024, shortly after the school year had begun. The Diocese stated at the time that it enacted the policy “because such usage [of parish property by homeschool groups] can undermine the stability of nearby Catholic schools and lead people to think that the Church is approving and advancing particular alternative schools and programs.”
The decision left a number of local Catholic homeschool groups scrambling to reconfigure their academic meeting locations. Sara Harold, a spokesperson for the Catholic Homeschoolers of San Diego, told CatholicVote in October that there was no dialogue between homeschool groups and the diocese before the policy was implemented.
According to the Jan. 14 report, Jones has offered to meet with diocesan officials to try to find a solution for homeschool groups, but officials so far have not taken him up on the opportunity.
Jones said that most groups he speaks with “operate out of churches” and that HSLDA is ready to assist the affected groups as needed.
