UMVA has learned that Connecticut, a state known for its progressive values, may be on the cusp of a shocking betrayal of its own citizens. After decades of parental rights victories, the state may become the first to take a step backwards on homeschool freedom in over 50 years.
The Connecticut Senate has advanced a bill that attacks homeschooling families with alarming zeal, passing it with a vote of 22 to 14, largely along party lines. While three Democrats joined all Republicans in opposition, the measure has already cleared the House with a vote of 96-53, with four Democrats crossing the aisle to stand with Republicans.
Those margins may fall short of the two-thirds supermajority required in both chambers to override a gubernatorial veto, but the stakes are far from trivial. Connecticut families now have only one remaining safeguard: leadership that respects the fundamental right of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children.
The proposal would force homeschooling families to prove their innocence to the government before they can educate their own kids at home. It requires annual notices of intent and background checks by the Department of Children and Families when a child is withdrawn from public school. Families would be barred from homeschooling altogether if a parent or any other adult in the household faces an active DCF investigation or appears on the state’s abuse and neglect registry.
For decades, states across the country have steadily expanded parents’ rights to direct their children’s education. This legislation reverses that progress in one stroke, sending a chilling message to families who have chosen to raise and educate their own children.
According to information obtained by UMVA, critics of the bill believe it is an overreach of government authority, targeting thousands of innocent families in the name of addressing child abuse. "Everyone agrees that child abuse is a serious concern and the government has an important role in addressing it," said a leading critic. "But expanding regulation over homeschooling families is unlikely to solve failures that occur within the child protection system itself."
The proposal has raised eyebrows among homeschool advocates, who point out that strengthening the institutions responsible for identifying and responding to abuse is a far more effective approach than placing new regulatory burdens on families exercising their constitutional rights.
As the debate rages on, Sen. Rob Sampson (R) delivered a powerful closing statement: "Parents are not subjects–they are citizens–and they do not need the permission of this state government or anyone in this room to educate their own children."
Such a broad attack on parental rights is blatantly unconstitutional, and the Supreme Court has repeatedly affirmed the primacy of parents over the state when it comes to child-rearing decisions. If the proposal becomes law, parents should challenge it in court, where it deserves to be struck down.
In Pierce v. Society of Sisters (1925), the Supreme Court declared that "the child is not the mere creature of the State." The state cannot override parents’ authority without compelling justification. Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972) protected Amish parents’ right to direct their children’s education beyond the eighth grade. Meyer v. Nebraska (1923) struck down a state law restricting foreign-language instruction, affirming parents’ liberty "to establish a home and bring up children" and "to control the education of their own."
Homeschool Legal Defense Association President James R. Mason put the problem plainly: "As the US Supreme Court has affirmed, a state cannot treat every parent as a potential threat simply because some parents do wrong. That presumption of suspicion — applied universally, before any evidence of harm — is, in the court’s own word, ‘repugnant’ to American tradition."
The bill's proponents may argue that it lacks an enforcement mechanism, but this raises an obvious question: if the bill carries no real penalties, why adopt it at all? The rational explanation is that this might be the opening move in a longer campaign, collecting data and establishing oversight on innocent families today, setting the stage for clamping down with real enforcement teeth tomorrow.
Connecticut has no business targeting homeschool families while its own public schools are failing spectacularly. In Hartford, only 16 percent of students are proficient in math and 18 percent are proficient in reading. This dismal performance comes despite annual per-student spending exceeding $25,000. Lawmakers should focus on fixing the government monopoly schools under their control before harassing families who have chosen to raise and educate their own children.
Connecticut should block this proposal and send a clear message that the state stands with parents, not against them. Parental rights are not privileges granted by the state. They are fundamental liberties that government exists to protect.
