Virginia bill would clamp down on homeschooling freedoms

A Virginia Democrat has filed a bill to severely restrict homeschooling in her state.

Sen. Stella Pekarsky, D-Centreville, filed SB 1031 earlier this month that adds significant red tape for…

A Virginia Democrat has filed a bill to severely restrict homeschooling in her state.

Sen. Stella Pekarsky, D-Centreville, filed SB 1031 earlier this month that adds significant red tape for families wishing to homeschool their children.

The bill would require all students between the ages of 5 and 18 to attend a public or private school. A family would only be allowed to homeschool if their “bona fide religious training or belief is conscientiously opposed to attendance at school.”

Pekarsky, a career teacher and former school board member in Fairfax County, ironically campaigned on the idea that “no two students are the same, and every one ought to be set up to succeed.”

“As a mother of six and former ESOL teacher, I know that a one size fits all approach to education really fits none,” she wrote during her 2023 campaign.

While many families choose to homeschool for religious reasons, the National Center for Education Statistics found other common concerns as well.

According to NCES, 80% of homeschool families report concerns about school environment (safety, drugs, etc.), 75% desire to provide moral instruction or emphasize family life and 73% are dissatisfied with public school academics. 

Now, both national and Virginia-based homeschool groups are rallying against the proposed legislation.  

The Home School Legal Defense Association (HSDLA) explained SB 1031 would “undermine the rights of parents by repealing the religious exemption option as we know it.”  

While it would still be possible to homeschool in Virginia, the added red tape would make it more difficult. 

And most disturbingly, the bill would give public school officials the ability to deny families’ right to homeschool, even if they meet the legal requirements. 

“This measure will chisel away the religious freedom of ALL homeschool families,” the Home Educators Association of Virginia added.  

And the Virginia Education Opportunity Alliance urged Virginians to contact their representatives and Pekarsky to voice their opposition to the bill. 

Stephanie Lundquist-Arora, a mother in Fairfax County who homeschooled during the pandemic, lambasted the legislation as “abhorrent.” 

“Pekarsky’s proposed legislation is just one example of many demonstrating the Democratic Party’s devaluation of freedom, disregard for the middle class, and disconnect with the American people,” she wrote.  

Indeed, the measure is reminiscent of the compulsory education movement in the early 20th century, which was supported by none other than the KKK. 

Though primarily known for suppressing black rights in the South, the KKK regained notoriety in the Pacific Northwest during the 1920’s for its involvement in the compulsory education movement, which opposed private education – particularly the religious Catholic schools – because it believed the state-mandated curricula taught at public schools would create a more unified society. 

The KKK supported the Oregon Compulsory Education Act, which required all school-age children to attend public school, and sponsored a similar measure in the state of Washington. 

The Supreme Court eventually overturned compulsory education, stating “the fundamental liberty upon which all governments in this Union repose excludes any general power of the State to standardize its children by forcing them to accept instruction from public teachers only.” 

And in a 1923 case, Meyer v. State of Nebraska, the Supreme Court ruled parents had the right to direct the upbringing of their own children as they see fit. 

SB 1031 has been assigned to the Virginia Senate’s subcommittee on public education. 

It is unclear if it will advance out of committee and how it would fare in the Senate and House. Democrats control both legislative chambers, while Gov. Glenn Youngkin is a Republican who supports school choice and would likely veto the bill.