Another state is making waves this summer over massive changes to school choice policy. New Hampshire moved forward and passed into law a slew of educational choice bills, which would majorly restrict state oversight over homeschooling families. Homeschool Boss has covered numerous states this summer, which have all been a part of a larger national trend of state legislatures taking bold stances for and against school choice policies. These policies range from homeschooling oversight to school voucher payments, but they all boil down to the same question: Who has the power to decide how a child is educated?
New Hampshire House Bill 1268
New Hampshire’s HB 1268, the Home Education Freedom Act, was officially signed into law on July 10. New Hampshire’s new bill will be a massive expansion of parental educational freedom, by repealing parental mandatory reporting, DHS investigations on the basis of homeschooling status, and state-required annual evaluations. Once in effect, HB 1268 will also make it optional for homeschool parents to notify their local school or the state of their intent to homeschool their child, which is currently required. HB 1268 would effectively eliminate the State Board of Education’s rulemaking authority over home-school programs.
New Hampshire House Bill 1573
Last month, New Hampshire Senate Republicans also passed HB 1573, on July 16th. This makes it easier for students to transfer districts This bill would allow parents who demonstrate their child has a “manifest educational hardship” to bring their case before the State Board of Education for evaluation. If the board found the hardship justified, it would be mandated to allow the child to attend another public school. This bill has a goal of open enrollment for public schools, a school choice policy Republicans in the state have long been trying to pass. Currently, any potential receiving school district can deny accepting the student due to a lack of capacity, or the student’s disciplinary history or chronic absenteeism. HB 1573 would remove those refusal rights.
Why Are These Bills Important for Homeschoolers?
These bills follow a huge win last summer for school choice when New Hampshire Governor Kelly Ayotte signed a bill that removed income limits on education freedom accounts. Right now, school choice policies are seeing significant wins, promising that the expansion of these policies are only beginning. This will mean a major shift for alternative schooling and homeschooling families financially and administratively. What this means for educational policy nationwide is what makes these wins noteworthy.
New Hampshire is following a larger national trend. The debate over educational oversight and educational freedom is in every statehouse across the nation. We are witnessing a mind-boggling number of school choice bills pass at a rapid rate. For parents taking an alternative path of education for their children, it can seem like the landscape is changing constantly. With policies, funding, and regulations rapidly changing, homeschooling families may find their state changing how they access homeschooling in their state in this upcoming school year and beyond. Let us know how these changes are impacting your state in our comment section below, we want to hear from you.
We will continue to provide simple, clear information on national homeschool news and policy changes. We update our blog weekly every Monday, so be sure to check back regularly for the latest homeschooling news, with practical insights for families.