Statement from the Center for Children’s Advocacy re Report from the Office of the Child Advocate/Informational Hearing on Homeschooling

As most states have already done, Connecticut needs to do more to address the withdrawal of a child or non-enrollment of a child in school for the stated purpose of homeschooling. While the law has long held that parents have the right to direct the education of their children, courts have also long held that states have a compelling interest in ensuring the education and safety of their citizens and therefore may lawfully create rules regarding homeschooling. In strengthening directives regarding the balancing of these rights and interests, Connecticut would not be breaking any new ground but merely ensuring further clarity on application of the laws we already have in place.

For decades Connecticut has had compulsory education laws which require schools and parents to ensure that children are either enrolled in school or elsewhere receiving “equivalent instruction.” Long ago guidance from the State Department of Education urged school districts to comply with these attendance laws by ensuring that parents provide notice of their intent to homeschool their child and conducting an annual “portfolio review” of a child’s work. Unfortunately, most (if not all) districts do nothing in the face of a child’s withdrawal or non-enrollment in school for the state purpose of homeschooling, and no further guidance has issued from CSDE in the last two-plus decades. In part because of the state’s and municipalities’ non-action on this issue for so long, too many children have been removed from school in what appears to be an effort to avoid local and state authorities.

And while there is little doubt that thousands of Connecticut citizens lovingly and appropriately homeschool their children, a right which CCA strongly supports, the lack of any enforcement or current direction on this issue creates and has resulted in dangerous and abusive conditions for children whose guardians use the pretense of homeschooling as means to hide their children from public view while delivering no education at all. Make no mistake that this happens across Connecticut towns.

While DCF can take action where it has reasonable suspicion of child abuse or neglect, DCF cannot act in the stead of state and local education officials and scapegoating the child welfare agency will not work here. Parents have rights, and we support them!  And the state and children have rights too. Connecticut, as 39 states have already done, will need to strike a balance of those rights to ensure children are educated and safe. To do nothing is untenable.