Child Safety and Freedom: Building a Culture of Accountability in Homeschooling

What’s happening:* A series of horrific child abuse deaths in several states (including West Virginia, Connecticut, Hawaii, Georgia, and Illinois) involved children who had been withdrawn from school under the label of “homeschooling.”* Lawmakers in multiple states are pushing bills that would:* Require more reporting/monitoring of homeschooled children.* Ban individuals with certain abuse histories from homeschooling.* Add steps like wellness checks or annual assessments.* Homeschool advocates argue:* These measures treat all homeschoolers as suspects.* The real failures lie in child protection agencies that already knew about many of these families.Why it matters for homeschool families:* This is the current national narrative policymakers are reading about homeschooling.* The debate is framed as “child safety vs. parental rights,” with little space for the reality of high-functioning, accountable homeschool families.* It sets the stage for copycat legislation in a number of states over the next 1–2 sessions. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit homeschoolce.substack.com