#hslda

Molly Parker, Beth Hundsdorfer, and Jade Aubrey at Capitol News Illinois:

SPRINGFIELD — After nearly three hours of debate before a packed hearing room, a House committee on Wednesday voted to advance a bill that would impose new requirements on homeschooling, fueling a heated discussion over parental rights and government oversight in Illinois. The measure, known as the Homeschool Act, would require families to notify their school districts when they decide to homeschool, and that parents or guardians who teach their kids at home have a high school diploma or equivalent. One of the most-contested pieces of the bill provides that if education officials suspect a child is not receiving proper instruction, they could demand proof of teaching materials and student work. The House Education Policy Committee voted 8-4 along party lines to move the bill to the House floor for a vote, with one Democrat lawmaker voting present. Rep. Terra Costa Howard, D-Glen Ellyn, introduced the bill following the publication of a Capitol News Illinois and ProPublica investigation, which revealed little accountability for parents who pull their kids from school and then fail to ensure they receive an education. The news organizations’ reporting documented cases where children endured severe abuse at home, unnoticed because they were not in school. One such case, referenced in Wednesday’s hearing, was that of Zion Staples, a 9-year-old boy from Rock Island who went missing in December 2022. His mother, who had a long history of abuse and neglect allegations, was able to homeschool him despite previously losing two children to foster care. Police later determined Zion had accidentally shot himself while playing with a gun. His mother hid his body in a trash can for months before authorities found him. She pleaded guilty to felony endangering the health of a child and was sentenced to two years in prison in April.  Opponents, including homeschool advocates and religious groups, called the bill an unnecessary government intrusion. Thousands of homeschool families filled the Capitol — packing the committee room and spilling into hallways and the Capitol Rotunda where they sang hymns and patriotic songs.   In addition to showing up in person, they submitted over 40,000 witness slips opposing the bill — a mechanism state lawmakers use to gather testimony and gauge support on bills. Nearly 1,000 people filed in support, including the Illinois State Board of Education, whose representative appeared to answer questions.  

Supporters pointed to cases of abuse, arguing that some parents use homeschooling as a shield for abuse and neglect. The Coalition for Responsible Home Education, a national child advocacy group, said some families pull their children from school to avoid scrutiny. “We have tracked over 500 cases of extreme abuse and neglect in homeschool settings where the abuse escalated because of the isolation afforded through homeschooling,” said Jonah Stewart, the group’s research director. “I believe this bill will help protect abused and neglected children and leave in place the freedom of parents to decide how to best meet the educational needs of their children,” said Tanner Lovett, a homeschooling advocate who also testified in favor of the measure. Opponents pushed back, arguing there is no evidence homeschool children are at greater risk of abuse than their public school peers. “The proponents claim that children who are being homeschooled are at greater risk of abuse and neglect. This is not supported by the two peer-reviewed studies that have been produced,” said Will Estrada, senior counsel at the Home School Legal Defense Association. Some also warned the bill could lead to selective enforcement, particularly against marginalized families.

[...] Another point of contention was the impact on private schools. The bill would require all private elementary and secondary schools to register with the state and submit student information upon request.

Illinois has one of the more lax homeschooling laws in America, but there are efforts to change it with HB2827.

After 3 years of teaching myself math using Art of Problem Solving, starting grade 2 to mastering Pre-algebra, I took accuplacer and tested into precalculus!

I wanted to learn algebra since I was 8, but my dad firmly believed in Saxon math which was a nightmare for me. I used to practice math until I induced a migraine and/or fell asleep on my tear stained math 65 book. I asked for help so many times, so many times. I asked for a math teacher.

Last time I tried to read it, I got as far as Reardon's shitty family and his wife who doesn't appreciate his token of his special interest. Now I'm into the retrospective of Dagney and Francisco's childhood and youthful afair and the whole thing 1. Reminds me of The Room in that the author clearly has no understanding of the motivations of the villains and has a deep interest in relitigating their personal relationships in fiction and 2. Would be much better as full hog science fiction, because if you aren't going to understand anything about the technology you are writing about, it would be better to have it actually be made-up so it's easier to suspend disbelief, especially since things like laws, governments, and the seasons in South America are changed anyways.

Dagney's experience of gender and all the good guys' quasi autism are enjoyable for me as story elements, and Rand has an amazing ear for bad passive aggressive family dynamics, so there's that on the plus side, in addition to whatever enjoyment I can derive from the sex scenes.

I gotta say, I got distracted hard by Francisco's alma mater being Patrick Henry (and apparently several other characters as well).

For those of you who weren't homeschooled and raised far right, the real life Patrick Henry college was founded in 1998, essentially by the Homeschool Legal Defense Association, as a conservative Christian Republican feeder institution with goals of rivaling the Ivys. I took a distance class as a high school student, so I suppose technically on some level I can claim to be a student therof, although they rejected my application to study on campus, presumably because I was honest about my doubts with the Christian faith in my admissions essay, which iirc was basically begging them to help me with my doubts.

As it turned out but I am sure her having my brother and I download Limewire to access some Christian music helped.

CRHE - The Coalition for Responsible Home Education. Learn about your rights as a student, an American, and a minor, and read the testimonies of students like you.

r/homeschoolrecovery - Connect with homeschooled students and alumni and learn about what has helped others like you on an anonymous forum.

Khan Academy - A nonprofit devoted to providing a world class education entirely free and online. Use this to catch up on basics, or to learn something new.