FIGHT BACK / HB2827
WE STOPPED
HB2827 in
2025
By the grace of God. For more than 75 years, homeschooling in Illinois has stood as a beacon of freedom. This page preserves the record, the warning, and the call for parents to remain watchful, prayerful, and prepared.
We won the battle to protect homeschooling and parental rights in Illinois — but the war over parental authority, educational freedom, and the hearts of our children is not over.
Victory Remembered.
Freedom Guarded.
The future of our children depends on parents who are willing to stand, speak, and act. Your voice matters.
2025
YEAR FAMILIES STOOD
HB2827
THE HOMESCHOOL ACT
75+YEARS
HOMESCHOOL FREEDOM
God-Given
PARENTAL AUTHORITY
PROTECTING GOD-GIVEN FREEDOM
HB2827 was not merely a disagreement over paperwork. It represented an attempt to shift authority away from parents and toward the State.
This page exists to document the fight, preserve the truth, equip families, and remind Illinois parents that freedom must be guarded by prayer, vigilance, and action.
Never Forget 2025
Now more than ever, we must remain proactive — defending our right to educate our children our way and exposing the harm happening to innocent children under an expanding Nanny State. Parents must remain willing to stand, speak, and act.
ROOTED IN FAITH • UNITED IN PURPOSE
“Our fight against HB2827 is not just a political debate — it is a spiritual battle. We understand that our obedience is to God’s Word, not to the State.”
Videos From the HB2827 Fight
What HB2827 Represented
HB2827, also known as the Homeschool Act, would have imposed new reporting and oversight burdens on Illinois homeschool families and shifted the posture of the State toward greater supervision of private home education.
Forced Registration
Families would be pushed into reporting educational activity to public authorities, undermining longstanding private-school freedom in Illinois.
Truancy Pressure
Non-compliance could create risk of families being treated as truant, bringing penalties into a private education context.
Portfolio Reviews
Public school officials could review homeschool work and measure families against public-school standards.
Why Parents Fought Back
This was about more than a bill. It was about the biblical, constitutional, and practical responsibility of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children.
A Legacy of Freedom
For over 75 years, Illinois has recognized homeschooling as a legitimate form of private education. Families have relied on this freedom to nurture their children in faith, values, and individualized learning.
Parents Know Their Children
Parents do not rely on statistics, but on daily love, support, wisdom, and hands-on knowledge of their children’s needs, gifts, and spiritual development.
Rooted in Faith
Deuteronomy 6:7 commands parents to diligently teach their children. Christian families understand that the home is not secondary to discipleship — it is central to it.
Protect the Next Generation
Our children are not government cattle. They are our legacy, our most precious gifts, and souls entrusted to parents by God.
Requirements & Penalties Under HB2827
These points summarize the concerns families raised about government overreach and the consequences attached to non-compliance.
Proposed Requirements
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Homeschool registration/reporting with public authorities
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Teacher qualification requirements for homeschool parents
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Student portfolio reviews by local public school officials
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Proof of immunizations or religious exemption for part-time public school participation
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Expanded state interference into private education
Potential Penalties
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Families could be labeled as truant for non-compliance
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Parents could face fines or misdemeanor consequences
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Parents could face the threat of jail time under truancy enforcement mechanisms
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Government officials could pressure families under public-school standards
We Delivered the Truth
EPIC, CHESS, and allied families responded directly to HB2827 by educating legislators, mobilizing parents, and confronting misinformation.
Response to the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus
Thirty-nine HB2827 informational packets were delivered to Illinois Black Caucus members and several Republican legislators in response to accusations that homeschool advocates were spreading “misinformation” and “fearmongering.” The response laid out concerns about the bill, government overreach, parental authority, and constitutional implications.
MARCH 2025
HB2827 gains public attention
Families across Illinois begin sounding the alarm, filing witness slips, showing up, and organizing against the proposed Homeschool Act.
APRIL 2025
Families keep pressure on legislators
Parents, homeschool leaders, and allied organizations continue calling, meeting, testifying, and mobilizing against the bill.
JUNE 2025
HB2827 stopped for the 2025 session
With the legislative session adjourned, HB2827 did not become law. Families celebrated, but remained watchful.
Never Forget 2025
The lawmakers who sponsored or co-sponsored HB2827.
Terra Costa Howard
42nd District • Sponsor
Michelle Mussman
56th District • Co-Sponsor
Kelly M. Cassidy
14th District • Co-Sponsor
Other Co-Sponsors
Katie Stuart, Mary Beth Canty, Janet Yang Rohr, Nicolle Grasse, Margaret Croke, Joyce Mason, Michael Crawford, Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, Lisa Davis, Kevin John Olickal, Will Guzzardi, Kam Buckner, and Hoan Huynh.
Coalition for Responsible Home Education (CRHE)
2024 "Make Homeschool Safe Act"
Illinois State Representative Terra Costa Howard introduced House Bill 2827, a 45-page proposal that mandates homeschooling families report their educational activities to authorities. This bill requires parents to provide information about their children's identities and education, reflecting a trend from critics of homeschooling.
It borrows ideas from the Coalition for Responsible Home Education (CRHE) 2024 "Make Homeschool Safe Act," which questions parental trustworthiness and calls for greater government oversight to protect child safety, framing parental control as extremism. This view holds that parents controlling their child's life is extremism due to policies banning sexually explicit books, protecting children from LGBTQ+ ideology, and rejecting healthcare that denies biological identity in government schools.
CRHE worked with Illinois lawmakers on H.B. 2827, claiming existing laws inadequately protect homeschooled children. We firmly oppose HB 2827 because it seeks to undermine our parental rights to educate our children according to our beliefs and values. We stand united to protect our fundamental right to guide their education as we see fit.
What Families Can Do Now
We won the battle, but the war is far from over. Stay informed, pray, organize, build alternatives, and be ready to respond when parental authority is threatened again.
Stay Informed
Follow trusted updates on parental rights, homeschooling, and Illinois legislation.
Build Community
Join with other families through cafés, co-ops, churches, and local networks.
Speak & Act
Contact lawmakers, share resources, file witness slips when needed, and reject fear.