Parents who homeschool in Illinois remain on edge as a bill that would criminalize homeschool administrators who fail to register with the State Board of Education moves to an Illinois House vote.

House Bill 2827, also known as the Illinois Homeschool Act, was sponsored by Democrat State Rep. Terra Costa Howard and passed the Illinois House of Representatives’ Education Policy Committee with an 8-4 vote along party lines.

The act would require those who homeschool to annually submit a Homeschool Declaration Form to the principal of the public school the student would have attended or their local school district, which would register a student with the State Board of Education. A school district or regional office of education can at any time require a homeschool administrator to submit an educational portfolio for review. To attend any public school activity or participate part-time in public school, students would be required to have certain immunizations and health examinations and submit such documents to the school. 

If a homeschool administrator fails to submit the declaration form, the student would be considered absent from school under law, and the parent could receive a criminal record.

The bill necessitates that “If the homeschool administrator for a child enrolled in a homeschool program has not submitted to the principal of the applicable public school or to the applicable school district a Homeschool Declaration Form pursuant to the child … the homeschool administrator for the child shall be subject to the penalties set forth.”

The penalties are a “Fine for noncompliance” and a “Class C misdemeanor.” Those who do not comply are also “subject to not more than 30 days imprisonment and/or a fine of up to $500” under the Illinois School Code.

Democrat Rep. La Shawn Ford has openly spoken against the measure, calling the bill “a pipeline to the criminal justice system for parents.”

“I can’t stand for that,” Ford continued. “How can we criminalize parents for wanting to love their children?”

Ford believes the bill would harm black children who are homeschooled.

“We’ve seen, since the pandemic, the growth in homeschooling,” Ford said. “It has increased across all demographics, but specifically in the black community, from 3.3% to almost 17% of black people use homeschooling in this state.”

According to a recent survey from the National Assessment of Education Progress, which assesses certain public, private and charter school grade levels, only one-third of the state’s eighth-graders are proficient in reading or math. Among black students, only 16% of eighth-graders are proficient at reading while only 8% are able to perform math at their grade level.

A Christian organization, the American Family Association (AFA), argues that homeschooling is often a family’s first choice because personalized instructions, learning styles, academic strengths and emotional needs can be tailored to a student’s needs and growth. 

Jenna Ellis, senior policy advisor for AFA, understands why parents opt to homeschool their children.

“This legislation risks undermining environments where children are thriving academically and personally,” Ellis said. “Children are not standardized products. What helps one child succeed may not work for another—and that’s exactly why homeschooling has proven so effective for so many families.”

Calling the bill’s word choices “open-ended,” Will Estrada, senior counsel for Home School Legal Defense Association, believes the bill opens the door to further restrictions.

“If this bill is passed into law,” Estrada said, “it’s going to be expanded in future years to put even more restrictions on homeschool and private school families.”

If passed, homeschool administrators must submit the form beginning Aug. 1, 2026.

Photo: Alamy