Brickbat: School Daze

The Connecticut General Assembly Education Committee voted 26–20 to advance House Bill 5468, despite thousands of people speaking out against it. The bill would make big changes to homeschooling rules starting with the 2028–29 school year. Under the bill, parents who decide to homeschool would have to notify the local school when they withdraw their child, and every year after that, they would need to submit proof of “equivalent instruction”—a requirement opponents say is too nebulous. The bill would also require schools to report every homeschool withdrawal to the state Department of Children and Families (DCF), and it would ban families who already have an open DCF child welfare case from homeschooling at all. Opponents say the bill represents government overreach into family life, creating extra paperwork and costs for homeschooling families.