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Connecticut adopts homeschool regulation over staunch objection from GOP
The bill requires background checks and annual in-person registration, and it bars parents with active child welfare cases or abuse registry listings.
On Monday, the Connecticut Senate passed House Bill 5468 in a 22-14 vote, establishing the state's first formal homeschooling regulations, which now head to Gov. Ned Lamont for signature.
Lawmakers pushed for these changes following several high-profile cases where homeschooled children, including 12-year-old Eve Rogers, were found dead after being withdrawn from public schools.
Republican senators fiercely opposed the measure, arguing it infringes on parental liberty and citing the U.S. Supreme Court case Pierce v. Society of Sisters, while urging the state to reform the DCF instead.
Senate President Pro Tem Martin Looney defended the bill as a "minimal degree of regulation" necessary to protect children, while Senate Minority Leader Stephen Harding characterized it as a "politically targeted effort" against homeschooling families.
While existing homeschoolers are grandfathered in, the pending law creates immediate administrative requirements for families withdrawing children from public schools, potentially triggering constitutional challenges regarding state authority versus parental rights.