Why home school advocates are lobbying hard against universal school choice bills

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A legal advocacy group for home schooling believes that universal school choice bills, which allow families to use public funding for education, including home schooling, may lead to expanded government regulation. Iowa, Utah, and Arkansas have implemented such programs in recent months, and other states such as Florida and Texas are preparing to follow suit. The Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), based in Virginia, advises families not to support such bills if they facilitate home schooling expenses.

The HSLDA states on its website that it opposes school choice bills introduced in almost every state. This includes a bill recently passed in Arkansas by Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, as well as bills in Florida, Texas, and Oklahoma that are still under consideration. If approved, these legislative initiatives would permit families to use state funds to cover private school tuition, private tutors, and home school expenses.

The HSLDA is not necessarily against school choice programs, but it wants home schoolers to be ineligible for state funds even if the program is voluntary. This is because the organization believes accepting state funds would attract scrutiny and regulation. In addition, the HSLDA fears that if home schoolers take public money and thus become subject to regulation, it would affect home schoolers who choose not to accept state funding as well.

According to Corey DeAngelis, a senior fellow for the American Federation for Children and a prominent school choice advocate, the HSLDA’s concern is unfounded. DeAngelis attributes it to the “slippery slope fallacy” and says the bigger threat to private and home education is having authoritarians in office who do not respect parental rights in education.

DeAngelis stated that he wants the HSLDA’s support, but they should trust their own community members to make the choice, weigh the costs and benefits for their own kids, and risk the potential outcome. Nevertheless, the HSLDA believes that home schoolers who support school choice should consider at what cost they would lose their liberty.

In summary, the HSLDA opposes school choice programs if it involves taxpayer-funded private home schooling. This is because accepting state funding could lead to increased regulation that would affect all home schoolers, regardless of whether they take public money or not. But school choice advocates such as DeAngelis believe that the HSLDA should trust its own community members and not be swayed by the potential outcome of accepting state funding.