{"id":2391021,"date":"2025-01-16T08:37:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-16T13:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/virginia-democrat-bill-would-ban-homeschooling-for-many\/"},"modified":"2025-01-16T08:39:19","modified_gmt":"2025-01-16T13:39:19","slug":"virginia-democrat-bill-would-ban-homeschooling-for-many","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/virginia-democrat-bill-would-ban-homeschooling-for-many\/","title":{"rendered":"Virginia Democrat Bill Would Ban Homeschooling For Many"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fvirginia-democrat-bill-would-ban-homeschooling-for-many%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2391021&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>This\u2063 month, Virginia State Senator Stella \u200cPekarsky\u2062 introduced\u2064 a bill \u2064(SB1031) that seeks \u2063to limit families&#8217; ability to homeschool their\u200c children by requiring a \u200b&#8221;<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">bona fide religious\u2064 training<\/a> or belief&#8221; \u2063as the only valid reason for opting out of public or private school \u200battendance. \u2064Currently, Virginia law only requires a notice \u200cof intent for\u200c homeschooling. The proposed legislation\u2062 could have negative consequences for many families as it would restrict homeschooling primarily \u2062to those with religious \u2062convictions,excluding others who \u200chave different,valid reasons for homeschooling.<\/p>\n<p>In recent years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been \u2063a significant increase in \u2062homeschooling rates in Virginia, \u200dfrom about \u206238,282 students in 2019-2020\u2064 to over \u200d56,000 in the 2024-2025 academic year.Pekarsky&#8217;s \u200bbill\u200b comes at a time when many families have opted for homeschooling or private education due\u200c to dissatisfaction with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/heres-the-biggest-supreme-court-case-no-ones-talking-about\/\" title=\"Here\u2019s the Biggest Supreme Court Case No One\u2019s Talking About\">public school offerings<\/a>. \u200cCritics of the \u200dbill, including parents who previously homeschooled during school closures, argue that \u200cit infringes on personal freedom and could force many students \u2063back into public \u200cschools, perhaps\u2063 causing further financial \u2064strain on families and undermining their educational \u2063choices.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>This month, Virginia State Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.senate.virginia.gov\/Senator\/memberpage.php?id=S124\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Stella Pekarsky<\/a>, D-Fairfax, introduced a bill to the Virginia Senate to restrict families&rsquo; access to homeschool options.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/legiscan.com\/VA\/text\/SB1031\/id\/3048059\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">SB1031<\/a>, currently under consideration in Virginia&rsquo;s Senate, states that a student in Virginia who is granted exemption from attending public or private school must have &ldquo;bona fide religious training or belief [that] is conscientiously opposed to attendance at school<em>.<\/em>&rdquo; The legislation further specifies that &ldquo;bona fide religious training or belief does not include essentially political, sociological or philosophical views or a merely personal moral code.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Pekarsky&rsquo;s proposed legislation narrows the scope for reasons why Virginia&rsquo;s families are permitted to choose to homeschool their children. Currently, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.doe.virginia.gov\/parents-students\/for-parents\/home-instruction\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">homeschool law<\/a> in Virginia only requires a notice of intent, not &ldquo;bona fide religious&rdquo; objection to school attendance. And really, is it appropriate for the state government to be assessing citizens&rsquo; religions as &ldquo;bona fide&rdquo; or otherwise?<\/p>\n<h2>Students Fled Virginia&rsquo;s Public Schools During Covid <\/h2>\n<p>Aside from its questionable constitutional legitimacy, if passed, SB1031 would negatively impact many families in Virginia. According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.doe.virginia.gov\/data-policy-funding\/data-reports\/statistics-reports\/enrollment-demographics\/home-schooled-students-religious-exemptions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">data<\/a> from Virginia Department of Education, in the 2024-2025 academic year, there are 56,008 students homeschooled in Virginia, with only 6,755 students holding religious exemptions. Pekarsky&rsquo;s proposed legislation would limit the freedom of the families who have reasons other than religion for homeschooling their children. Perhaps she and her <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vpap.org\/committees\/450309\/donor\/147993\/?start_year=all&amp;end_year=all&amp;contrib_type=all\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">friends<\/a> in the teachers unions who funded her campaign want public schools to collect tax dollars from the remaining 49,253 students, many of whom would be forced into those public schools.<\/p>\n<p>As a mother who homeschooled my three children for the 2020-21 academic year when Pekarsky and the other 11 Democratic-endorsed members of the Fairfax County School Board closed the district&rsquo;s schools, I find this legislation particularly abhorrent. Had SB1031 been passed prior to the school board members&rsquo; irresponsible decision to shut our children out of their classrooms, thousands of families who wanted more for their children would not have been able to pull students from the district&rsquo;s laughable circus of online learning.<\/p>\n<p>Online &ldquo;learning&rdquo; in public schools was a catalyst for change at the grassroots level. Beginning with the pandemic, enrollment in public schools declined and homeschooling rates increased significantly. In 2019-2020, there were <a href=\"https:\/\/www.doe.virginia.gov\/data-policy-funding\/data-reports\/statistics-reports\/enrollment-demographics\/home-schooled-students-religious-exemptions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">38,282 homeschooled students<\/a> in Virginia. In the last five years, homeschooling rates in Virginia have increased by more than 28 percent.<\/p>\n<p>In Fairfax County, where Pekarsky began her political career before failing up to Virginia&rsquo;s Senate, homeschooling <a href=\"https:\/\/www.doe.virginia.gov\/data-policy-funding\/data-reports\/statistics-reports\/enrollment-demographics\/home-schooled-students-religious-exemptions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">increased<\/a> from 3,247 students in 2019 to 3,749 students in 2024. Many other students <a href=\"https:\/\/www.doe.virginia.gov\/home\/showpublisheddocument\/40833\/638090430517930000\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">enrolled<\/a> in private schools. During that time, the district&rsquo;s enrollment declined from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidenova.com\/news\/fairfax\/fairfax-county-school-enrollment-still-down-10-000-from-pre-pandemic-times\/article_961752d4-326a-11ec-a877-0335c5b1ba72.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">189,000 students<\/a> in 2019-2020 to <a href=\"https:\/\/schoolquality.virginia.gov\/divisions\/fairfax-county-public-schools#desktopTabs-3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">181,000 students<\/a> in 2023-2024.<\/p>\n<p>A combination of school closures and the window into all the academic things our children were not learning, and all of the <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/12\/14\/you-wont-believe-the-leftist-nonsense-public-school-teachers-inject-into-your-kids-brain\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">political issues<\/a> forced upon them, made Virginia&rsquo;s parents search for better options and led to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.doe.virginia.gov\/home\/showpublisheddocument\/40833\/638090430517930000\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">public school attrition<\/a>. As public school students&rsquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/09\/23\/mass-immigration-is-destroying-this-top-public-school-district\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">test scores declined<\/a> over Pekarsky&rsquo;s tenure on the school board in Fairfax County, there was a mass exodus from the district&rsquo;s once flagship public schools.<\/p>\n<h2>Homeschooling Is the Most Likely Alternative to Public Education for the Middle Class <\/h2>\n<p>Of the alternatives to public schools for Virginia&rsquo;s children, homeschooling is the most affordable. In academic year 2024-2025, the average annual private school tuition in the state is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.privateschoolreview.com\/tuition-stats\/virginia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$15,321<\/a>. Meanwhile, the average annual per pupil <a href=\"https:\/\/babwell.com\/homeschooling\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">cost of homeschooling<\/a> nationally is between $700 and $1,800. Given that homeschooled children <a href=\"https:\/\/nheri.org\/research-facts-on-homeschooling\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">perform significantly better<\/a> on standardized tests than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bidens-education-secretary-confirmed-asks-america-to-reimagine-education\/\" title=\"Biden\u2019s Education Secretary Confirmed, Asks America To \u2018Reimagine Education\u2019\">students attending public schools<\/a>, limiting the homeschool option is an irrational and absurd abuse of power.<\/p>\n<p>As Democrat-endorsed local public school officials continue to push a political agenda in our public schools, including <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/01\/02\/fairfax-county-public-schools-push-radical-trans-activism-against-parents-wishes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">gender-identity education<\/a> beginning in third grade, Democratic politicians, such as Pekarsky, are trying to limit parents&rsquo; avenues to escape the state-sponsored indoctrination of their children. In school districts such as Fairfax County Public Schools, for example, school officials engage in the social <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fairfaxtimes.com\/articles\/fairfax_county\/new-fcps-teacher-training\/article_6634f376-fe2c-11ec-89f6-0365fc6586c5.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">gender transition<\/a> of students without their parents&rsquo; knowledge and further <a href=\"https:\/\/aflegal.org\/major-victory-court-rules-fairfax-county-public-schools-pronoun-and-bathroom-policies-violate-students-constitutional-rights\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">compel<\/a> children&rsquo;s speech with mandated pronoun usage in violation of the First Amendment. Meanwhile, parents&rsquo; political objections to such nonsense are not enough of a reason, according to Pekarsky, for parents to homeschool their children.<\/p>\n<p>Pekarsky&rsquo;s proposed legislation is just one example of many demonstrating the Democratic Party&rsquo;s devaluation of freedom, disregard for the middle class, and disconnect with the American people. <\/p>\n<p>The bill was assigned to the Virginia Senate Subcommittee on Public Education for consideration on Jan. 16. If Virginia&rsquo;s Democratic senators learned anything about the pulse of the American people, demonstrated by the Democratic Party&rsquo;s catastrophic loss in November, they would vote against SB1031.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Stephanie Lundquist-Arora is a contributor to The Federalist and the Washington Examiner, a mother in Fairfax County, Virginia, an author, and the Fairfax chapter leader of the Independent Women&rsquo;s Network.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Virginia Sen. Stella Pekarsky proposed a bill limiting homeschool access<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1371,"featured_media":2391022,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/44942142671_0b5cec6d27_k-e1736965615485.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[3895,4912,5468],"class_list":["post-2391021","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-bill","tag-democrat","tag-virginia"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/44942142671_0b5cec6d27_k-e1736965615485.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2391021","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1371"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2391021"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2391021\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2391025,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2391021\/revisions\/2391025"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2391022"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2391021"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2391021"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2391021"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}