Homeschooling families in Michigan are uniting to oppose expected legislation that would mandate a state registry, fearing it could lead to increased government intervention in home education.
Several speakers at the annual Inspirational Networking Conference for Homeschoolers (INCH) highlighted state legislation of concern to the homeschooling community.
“As we prepare to encourage one another at the INCH conference this week, let us also encourage our elected leaders to continue the excellent work of preserving and even expanding our homeschool freedoms, so that parents are able to do what they believe is best for their children, both regarding their education and their work experiences,” wrote Mike Winter, president of the Michigan Christian Homeschool Network (MiCHN), prior to the event.
Michigan Democrats, who control both chambers of the state Legislature and occupy the governorship, have shown interest in creating a homeschool registry, which would require parents to inform the state if they are educating a school-aged child at home.
Other proponents of the idea include the state’s Superintendent of Public Instruction Michael Rice, who called for the state to keep records of what form of school every child in the state is attending.
Opponents worry that mandating a new means of state oversight of families’ education choices will lead to further state intervention in home education.
“This is a good time to note Rice’s full job title: ‘Superintendent of Public Instruction,’” writes James David Dickson, managing editor for the Mackinac Center for Public Policy’s Michigan Capitol Confidential.
“Rice’s job is not to promote the education of all children under 18 in Michigan,” he continued. “Nor would a homeschool registry help with that goal. His job is to promote the interests of the traditional public school system. Across America, homeschools are the fastest-growing alternative to that system. This is a national phenomenon, indeed.”
Likewise, several conservative state legislators have spoken out against the idea of a registry.
“They see that every child missing from their district is money they would have in their district that they don’t have, and they believe they deserve to have,” stated Rep. Jaime Greene, R-Richmond, a homeschool mother, regarding the motivation behind such a bill.
The MiCHN has also publicly provided positions on several bills that have already been filed, which might affect homeschooling families.
For example, Senate Bill 285, which lowers compulsory school attendance from age 6 to 5, including homeschoolers, passed the Michigan Senate and was sent to the state House for consideration. A provision in the bill does allow prospective homeschool families to opt out from compulsory kindergarten, however.
“We are still opposed to the entire bill, and would love to see it die altogether, but if that doesn’t happen, we believe we have the best scenario possible given the circumstances,” wrote Israel Wayne, vice president of MiCHN.
Originally published by The Lion. Republished with permission.
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