On March 11, the Connecticut General Assembly’s Education Committee will hold a public hearing for HB 5468: An Act Concerning the Provision of Equivalent Instruction. The bill proposes a framework for how families who homeschool their children would notify the state and show that their children are receiving an education, while expanding access to extracurricular activities and some classes.

For many homeschooling parents, any legislative discussion about home education can feel unsettling, especially in an environment where even the smallest gesture toward interaction with the state is portrayed as tyranny. But the conversation around this bill should not stop at concerns about regulation. It should also include a serious discussion about how the state can support families who have chosen a different path for their children’s education in order to make this option more accessible.

Homeschooling in Connecticut has grown significantly in recent years. Families come to it for many reasons: unmet special education needs, bullying, racial or religious discrimination, disability accommodations, mental health concerns, the flexibility to travel, or simply because their children learn better outside of a traditional classroom. For some families, homeschooling is a deeply held educational philosophy. For others, it is a practical solution to challenges that schools have not been able to meet. Either way, homeschooling comes with real financial and other practical barriers.

Many of the opportunities available to students in traditional schools like sports teams, music and theater programs, laboratory courses, career and technical education, and extracurricular activities are only accessible to homeschoolers when they pay for them themselves, even though they pay the same taxes to support public school programming that everyone else does. Homeschooling parents often spend thousands of dollars each year on curricula, educational materials, co-op fees, and sports and extracurricular activities to make up the difference.

For families with financial flexibility or adaptable work schedules, like mine, this challenge can be managed. For many others, it makes homeschooling effectively impossible. This is where legislation like HB 5468 has the potential to make a meaningful difference.

If crafted carefully, a framework for home education could also open the door to expanded access to public resources. Homeschooled students could have clearer pathways to participate in extracurricular activities, specialized programs, or individual courses that complement what they are learning through their home education. Families could access facilities, expertise, and opportunities that are difficult to recreate independently. For students interested in laboratory sciences, trades or agricultural training, arts programs, or athletics, these options could be transformative.

In other states, similar arrangements allow homeschooled students to participate in school sports, enroll in individual classes, or access specialized programs without abandoning the flexibility that makes homeschooling work for them. These partnerships recognize something simple: educational pathways do not have to be all or nothing.

For some families, complete independence from the school system works well. For others, a blended approach combining home education with selected public resources is the best option. A modern policy framework should make room for both.

Expanding access to resources could also make homeschooling more equitable. Right now, home education is far more accessible to families with financial stability and flexible employment. When access to sports teams, facilities, courses, and other programs depends on a family’s ability to pay for private alternatives, many children are shut out of opportunities they would otherwise have, forcing a choice between access and individualized education. Policies that allow homeschooled students to participate in public programs could reduce that gap. They would allow more families to choose the educational path that works best for their children rather than the one their finances permit.

Of course, any framework must be designed carefully. Administrative requirements should be clear and limited. Families should retain the freedom to tailor education to their children’s interests, pace, and needs. Homeschooling succeeds precisely because it allows parents to adapt learning to the individual child rather than forcing every student into the same model.

But preserving that flexibility does not mean rejecting every conversation about how homeschooling fits within the broader educational landscape. As homeschooling becomes more common, policymakers are inevitably going to consider how it interacts with public systems. The question is not whether those conversations will happen, but whether the families most affected will help shape them.

Homeschooling parents care deeply about their children’s education. We know the strengths of learning at home, but we also understand the practical challenges. Most families are not looking for restrictions or mandates, but many would appreciate an opportunity to combine the flexibility of home education with access to programs and resources that help their children thrive.

If HB 5468 is approached with that goal in mind, it could be the beginning of a more constructive relationship between homeschooling families and the state. One that preserves the flexibility families value while expanding opportunities that some children currently miss. Standing up for homeschooling does not require forcing everyone to shut the state out entirely —that is not advocacy but gatekeeping. With thoughtful policy, this bill can mean choice, collaboration, and broader access to educational opportunity for Connecticut’s children.

Steve Kennedy is an organizer and lawyer in Newtown.