IFI's Dave Smith and Rep. Chris Miller on Fox News Channel

During her testimony in the House Education Policy Committee, the sponsor of HB 2827, State Representative Terra Costa Howard (D-Lombard) claimed that one of the reasons she is pushing this bill is to protect children from homeschooling parents “who don’t do it the right way, who don’t have the ability to do it the right way.”

Other proponents are giving heart-rending stories of child abuse and neglect by parents who claim to homeschool. While we hope that the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) will protect these children, it does not excuse onerous regulations for tens of thousands of good families who educate at home diligently.

In our opinion, there are no good reasons to expand government authority over hardworking citizens who prioritize their children’s wellbeing in education. These parents not only love their children, but they want to equip them to be future productive members of society.

In her opening statement, Representative Howard said:

“Education is a fundamental right for every child. However, we know that loopholes exist, and we have a duty to ensure that children actually receive an education and that they don’t fall through the cracks of our system.”

Yet, for years now, the Illinois State Board of Election has reported an alarming percentage of public-school students who do not meet basic proficiency levels. Less than 32 percent of high school seniors are proficient in English Language Arts and less than 27 percent are proficient in Math.

Where is the concern about the majority of public school students who are not receiving an education and falling through the cracks verses a few that are supposedly homeschooled?

It is also alarming to note that 1 in 10 students are sexually exploited and/or assaulted in public schools by an adult in their school – an administrator, a teacher, an aide, a janitor, a security guard, etc.

The sexual abuse problem in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) has been a significant and persistent issue, highlighted by multiple reports and investigations over recent years.

As the nation’s third-largest school district, CPS has faced systemic failures in preventing and responding to sexual misconduct involving students, perpetrated by both school employees and peers. A 2018 Chicago Tribune investigation revealed over 500 cases of sexual abuse and rape by CPS staff against students over a decade, exposing grave deficiencies in hiring, training, reporting, and oversight.

This led to the creation of the Office of Student Protections, Title IX and the Sexual Allegations Unit (SAU) within the CPS Inspector General’s office to address these issues.

Since then, the SAU has reported a high volume of allegations annually, including 470 complaints of sexual misconduct in 2022, with cases ranging from grooming to assault, some resulting in criminal charges.

In 2023, 446 allegations of adult-on-student abuse were reported, and in 2024, the SAU received a total of 469 new complaints involving allegations of sexual misconduct by CPS-affiliated adults toward students, evidence that it’s not going away.

It couldn’t be clearer: the public school system has failed in their basic responsibility of educating and protecting children in their system. This fact is reason enough for distrust among so many Illinoisans.

They are disqualified to oversee homeschool families in Illinois!

ACTION: It is vitally important that we pray fervently for God’s help in defeating this bill, make phone calls, send emails, schedule visits, and then pray some more.

We urge readers to first focus on making phone calls to your own State Representative and then another call to House Speaker Chris Welch’s office to let him know how unpopular HB 2827 is with Illinois families: (217) 782-5350.