Homeschool mom: Lawmakers should pursue ‘Goldilocks laws’ when considering measures to stop child abuse

Lawmakers in Connecticut need to guard against “legislating as a reaction to isolated cases of terrible abuse,” argues one homeschool mom.

“In the words of a childhood fairytale, when it comes to homeschoolers, we need ‘Goldilocks laws’—neither too strict nor too permissive, but ‘just right’ for the ends they are trying to achieve,” Ivana Greco writes in a blog post for the Institute for Family Studies.

Greco’s commentary comes after more than 2,000 families recently protested a state report seeking increased homeschool regulations after a 32-year-old man was allegedly imprisoned over 20 years by his stepmother. 

“The case set off a firestorm of controversy,” she explains, “not least because the principal at the school he had attended before his stepmother withdrew him said the Connecticut Department of Child and Family Services (DCF) had been called at least 20 times for concerns of abuse, but that investigators had closed the case.” 

‘Unintended consequences’ to laws 

Among other recommendations, the Connecticut Office of the Child Advocate suggested homeschoolers appear annually “to provide enrollment documentation” and have their children “independently evaluated annually for academic progress.” 

However, Greco questions whether such measures would ever prevent cases of child abuse. 

“Will mandating homeschooling parents appear in person with their children for an annual inspection deter or impact truly malicious parents?” she asks. “Will such parents show up or otherwise obey such administrative rules directed at homeschoolers?” 

Adding to the complexity is the recognized overuse of calls to child protective services even under the current system, according to Greco. 

“Conflicts between parents and students over how to integrate students with behavioral or developmental challenges sometimes lead to child protective services calls,” she wrote, citing research by the Hechinger Report. “One mother alleged in a lawsuit that she and the school repeatedly clashed over how best to handle her child’s ADHD. She said the school wanted her to withdraw her child, and so threatened to refer her to child protective services to increase the pressure to leave.” 

Even government caseworkers with the best intentions may suffer from “crushingly high caseloads” that only increase under additional regulations, Greco noted. 

“Most child protective services are overwhelmed by the sheer volume of reports they receive. … Adding more to the purview of child protective services might make it more difficult for them to find the ‘needle in the haystack’ of severe child abuse among all the calls they receive.” 

‘One size fits all’ rules  

Greco also takes issue with another popular suggestion among homeschool critics involving a mandated physical checkup for students. 

“Consider a homeschooling family without health insurance that decides to skip an annual physical to save money,” she writes. “If one of their children becomes seriously ill, will they delay seeking medical care for fear of being reported to child protective services for failing to meet this requirement?” 

Such a requirement would add unnecessary obligations to families who homeschool “medically-fragile children,” Greco argues. 

“Already burdened by a blizzard of doctor’s appointments, will they be investigated for opting out of a ‘well-child’ visit? Regulations concerning how a homeschooling parent cares for his or her children should take into account that each family is unique, and ‘one size fits all’ rules will inevitably present serious challenges.” 

Perhaps most importantly, these measures tend to “increase homeschoolers’ distrust of public institutions and contribute to greater adversity between state agents and parents,” according to Greco. 

“In addition to the cost incurred by the agency, families also undergo significant stress and anxiety. One reporter embedded with child protective services noted that ‘[e]ven when cases are closed, investigations institutionalize perceptions of parents as risks to their children, generate anxiety and prompt disengagement from the very service providers who should be sources of support for families.’” 

Potential for non-punitive, even positive, legal measures 

Instead of jumping to disciplinary actions against an entire community, lawmakers should consider non-punitive or “positive mechanisms” to help homeschoolers further integrate into society, Greco argues. 

These include “allowing homeschooled children to play on public school sports teams, take individual classes at local schools, access services for special needs children, or join in public school clubs and drama/choral productions,” she wrote. 

For example, Missouri recently passed legislation allowing homeschool students to join public-school extracurricular activities. 

“It provides that school districts will no longer prohibit a home school, full-time virtual school student, or other nontraditional educational student from participating in the athletic and extracurricular programs that are funded by their parents’ tax dollars,” said Sen. Ben Brown, R-Washington. 

Standardized testing can also present challenges for homeschool families. Lawmakers could relieve this by providing additional funds for homeschool testing or letting homeschoolers participate in local school testing, according to Greco.  

“My own children are homeschooled, and we administer standardized tests at home, but at a cost of over $200 annually,” she writes. “For many parents, this is cost prohibitive.” 

Testing obstacles extend to college placement exams, where homeschool families in Georgia found their children were deemed “not eligible” to take the PSAT/NMSQT test (PSAT) from the College Board. 

“They were informed that the district had said homeschoolers were no longer allowed to test, and they cited safety,” said Mary Beth Morris, board member at the Georgia Home Education Association. “It was very distressing, because these tests can only be taken at a brick-and-mortar school.”  

Students who take the PSAT can qualify for education funds through the National Merit Scholarship Program – sometimes totaling more than $50,000. 

“Any proposed legislation should be carefully evaluated in light of its goals,” Greco concludes. “Is the aim to ferret out cases of severe child abuse? Is it to push homeschooling parents to ensure their students make academic progress? Is it to provide homeschoolers with more opportunities to engage with the world outside their homes? Once such goals are identified, careful thought should go into whether the proposed legislation is likely to achieve them.” 

‘Another dangerous pathway to criminalize loving black parents’ 

Other states besides Connecticut have been considering additional homeschool restrictions despite public opposition. 

Thousands of Illinois families have protested provisions in House Bill 2827, or the Homeschool Act, which would mandate homeschoolers to report annually to school districts. 

“This bill introduces another dangerous pathway to criminalize loving black parents,” writes Aziza Butler, a former Chicago Public Schools teacher and homeschool mom, in a Chicago Tribune commentary. 

“Homeschooling has become the fastest-growing educational choice among black parents nationwide, driven by the courageous desire to give their children a safer, more nurturing and academically enriching environment than what they’ve experienced in traditional schools.” 

The legislation’s proponents also cite child abuse as a reason to add more homeschool requirements, but Butler joins Greco in questioning the efficacy of such measures. 

“National research indicates that homeschooling environments actually reduce the likelihood of child abuse due to increased parental engagement, stronger family bonds and more attentive adult supervision,” she writes. 

“Conversely, data from Psychology Today reveals that 10% of public school students experience educator sexual misconduct, highlighting that abuse risks are unfortunately present in traditional settings.”