New Hampshire House passes bill cutting homeschooling regulations

New Hampshire’s House passed a bill Wednesday removing nearly all state regulation for home education, or homeschooling. Supporters of the bill say the legislation would strip away unnecessary reporting processes and government oversight. The bill, dubbed the Home Education Freedom Act, narrowly passed with a vote of 174-166. All House Democrats opposed it, along with 13 Republicans. The bill next heads to the Senate.

If passed, the bill would make New Hampshire one of the best states in the country for homeschooling, in terms of eliminating regulations, said Republican Rep. Kristin Noble, the main sponsor of the bill.

What would the bill do? Families would not be required to notify their child’s school district, public school or private school, or the state Department of Education when they started homeschooling. The bill would also remove requirements for families to maintain portfolios of their child’s work, and obtain annual academic evaluations.

The Home School Legal Defense Association said the bill would streamline the law and better recognize how families, not the government, are best equipped to direct their children’s education. The bill would eliminate burdensome paperwork, like notice requirements, recordkeeping rules, and evaluation mandates, the organization said. If passed, New Hampshire would be the 13th state in the nation to remove notice requirements for homeschoolers, according to Will Estrada, an attorney for the organization.

What opposition has the bill faced? Earlier this month, Democratic Rep. Megan Murray said the bill could threaten federal grant access for students with disabilities. In a February hearing, Democratic Rep. Muriel Hall said the bill would lower the educational standards for homeschooling, which could leave children unprepared for college and careers, according to reporting by the New Hampshire Bulletin. Other Democrats voiced concerns that the bill would weaken child labor and neglect laws.

Dig deeper: Read Lauren Smyth’s report on the effectiveness of education savings accounts.