State Representative Mark DeCaprio Defends Homeschooling Freedoms
Key Takeaways
- Many parents and families in our district who are worried, concerned, and even frightened about the potential impact of this bill on their ability to direct their children’s education.
- My opposition to HB 5468 is about defending parental rights- which was one of the main reasons I ran to be your state representative.
- I mentioned to the members all the Education Committee during the hearing - I will do anything I can do to assist them in doing what is right by Connecticut families.
On Wednesday, I joined hundreds of families from across Connecticut speaking up against HB 5468. I have heard from many parents and families in our district who are worried, concerned, and even frightened about the potential impact of this bill on their ability to direct their children’s education. The common theme in their calls and emails is clear: they do not want to see any change to the current law which rightly recognizes parents as the primary caretakers and decision-makers for their children’s education.
My wife and I homeschooled our seven children from 1993 to 2018, all the way through high school graduation. Homeschooling required commitment and hard work, but it was deeply rewarding, and our children met the educational goals in current Connecticut law CGS Sec. 10-184 has—reading, writing, spelling, English grammar, geography, arithmetic, U.S. history, and citizenship. For us, homeschooling allowed each child to learn in the way that best fit their needs and enabled us to integrate strong character formation along with academics. The growing number of homeschoolers in Connecticut—estimated around 39,000—reflects that many families have found this path very effective, and homeschool students consistently demonstrate strong academic outcomes.
My opposition to HB 5468 is about defending parental rights- which was one of the main reasons I ran to be your state representative. This bill expands government control over education and, in doing so, diminishes parental authority. Recent court decisions, such as Mirabelli v. Bonta, reaffirm that parents—not the state—have primary authority over the care and education of their minor children. The two tragic cases that inspired this bill were not failures of homeschool regulation, but failures within Connecticut's child-protection system. Conflating those issues and placing new burdens on thousands of law-abiding families will further strain the CT Department of Children and Families (DCF), the CT State Department of Education (DOE), and our local school districts. Passing this legislation will also divert limited resources away from help to our public schools, which across our state have public school districts that are challenged by high truancy rates, serious behavioral and safety concerns.
I have heard much strong concern regarding HB 5468 from homeschool parents and families in the 48th District, and I share their view that government should not expand regulatory beyond the current law for homeschoolers. We don’t need to diminish parental rights, impose burdensome regulation on thousands of families based on two isolated incidents. Instead, the state should focus on giving the tools and resources to DCF to better serve and protect children in troubled situations. As I mentioned to the members all the Education Committee during the hearing - I will do anything I can do to assist them in doing what is right by Connecticut families.
To view my testimony, click the link below.