(The Center Square) — The New Hampshire House of Representatives has narrowly approved a parental rights bill that would lift the state’s restrictions on homeschooling students.
The legislation would remove a requirement that parents notify school districts when they’ve decided to homeschool their children and make annual progress evaluations of home-schooled students voluntary. The bill passed 174-166, with a dozen Republicans joining with House Democrats in opposing it.
If approved, the measure would remove a requirement for parents to submit evaluations to the state and reduce oversight for families not receiving state-subsidized education funds. It would also prevent state agencies, such as the Division for Children, Youth, and Families, from using a lack of record-keeping by parents or the decision to homeschool as evidence of educational neglect.
Republicans who pushed the bill through the House on Wednesday said it will remove barriers to parents who want to homeschool their children, building on the state’s efforts to expand school choice.
State Rep. Katy Peternel, R-Wolfeboro, praised the measure for eliminating “unnecessary mandates” and a provision that would ensure homeschooling can’t be used as evidence in the investigation of any parent for child neglect.
“It restores the presumption of his innocence to families,” Peternel said in remarks in the House on Wednesday ahead of the bill’s passage. “Let’s make New Hampshire number one for homeschool education.”
House Democrats cautioned that the proposal could put the state in violation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, threatening federal grants supporting homeschooled students.
“Such a change would disenfranchise students needing those services while putting millions of dollars, compliance, and access to services at risk as a result,” state Rep. Megan Murray, D-Amherst, said in remarks Wednesday. “The tax burden at the local level would undoubtedly rise as a result of a loss of vital funding.”
The bill’s progress was praised by conservative groups, including the New Hampshire chapter of Americans for Prosperity, which have been pushing for years to ease restrictions on homeschooling.
“Families should not be forced into a one-size-fits-all education system where government bureaucrats determine education,” the group said in a statement. “Whether a family selects home education, a public school, a private school, or another learning environment, parents should have the opportunity to choose the setting that best meets their child’s needs.”
“That is why it is so important to have policies in place that ensure parents have the primary decision-making authority over the education of their children,” AFP-NH said.
The measure now moves to the state Senate, which must approve the plan before it heads to Gov. Kelly Ayotte’s desk for consideration.
