by Yvonne Strachan

I used to wonder why anyone would oppose school choice. Everyone should be aware of alternative options beyond public school. Being a vendor and a speaker at school choice events allowed me to inform others about homeschooling, share my positive experience with it, and provide guidance and advice to those interested.

My perspective on school choice shifted when I learned that school choice involves our government providing and monitoring all forms of education.

It is extremely alarming that bills promoting school choice are gaining traction. An increasing number of states are enacting laws to allow families to use government funds collected through taxes to subsidize their homeschool expenses.

I have come to realize that other parents also have misconceptions about school choice. I hope that by helping you grasp the impact school choice initiatives have on homeschool freedom and parental rights, we can collaborate to protect them.

Here are four important reasons to say “NO!” to school choice:

1. School choice goes against the foundation of the homeschool movement.

Homeschooling originates from a deep love and sense of responsibility that we parents have for our children. Historically, homeschool parents have been driven by their inner convictions and sustained by their resourcefulness. Homeschool parents believe that our kids are not the property and responsibility of the state, so we do not want the government to interfere with our efforts.

We at Christian Home Educators of Colorado envision families honoring Jesus Christ by embracing home discipleship that is Christ-centered, parent-directed, and free from government control.

2. School choice grows our dependence on the government.

Homeschooling families often manage their finances carefully so that one parent can focus on educating and nurturing their children at home. However, the rising costs and increasing popularity of homeschooling have led to discussions on social media about the possibility of “free” education programs and government funding for homeschooling. Additionally, families relocating from states offering educational savings accounts (ESAs) are curious about similar programs in Colorado.

Many homeschool families are exploring the potential benefits of having additional funds to invest in educational resources and programs for their children. However, their growing participation in school choice programs will increase costs for educational programs and resources, making it challenging for families to afford these without government funds.

The more we rely on government support, the more dependent we become, making it challenging to give up school choice benefits if we do not agree with any new regulations.

3. School choice invites more accountability measures (and less freedom).

Many states have implemented some form of school vouchers, education savings accounts (ESA’s), or publicly funded education programs that allow parents to receive taxpayer-funded government benefits to provide resources for educating their children at home.

When the government redistributes money collected through taxes to parents to provide their children’s education, it will need to manage its investment. Consequently, the government will take measures to ensure that the families receiving the funds are “fiscally responsible,” not spending that money on a home mortgage or a birthday party. Do not be fooled. The government will implement accountability measures, including long-term personal data collection and restrictions. More accountability equals less freedom.

Do not assume you will not be impacted by legislation if you do not participate in these taxpayer-funded government benefits for homeschoolers.

With new homeschool choice initiatives being enacted in states nationwide, the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) is increasingly called on to help protect homeschool families’ freedoms from accountability measures that apply to all homeschool families, regardless of participation in school choice programs.¹

In 2021, West Virginia enacted a type of education savings account (ESA) called a Hope Scholarship, which allowed all families with k-12 students, including homeschool families, to enroll. Given the politics of the situation, HSLDA did not think they had the power to kill the bill. Therefore, they worked hard to incorporate a safeguard within the bill by creating a different legal category (a legal silo) that would protect non-enrolled homeschool families’ freedom down the road. In 2023, a bill was introduced to regulate how the money flows in those scholarships. Language was added to the bill to establish new requirements for all homeschool families, even if they were not enrolled in the Hope Scholar program.¹

HSLDA and the state organization, Christian Home Educators of West Virginia (CHEWV), were able to work together to protect the rights of non-enrolled homeschool families in this case; however, the reality is that all of us will face increasing threats of new homeschool regulation with the implementation of any school choice initiative.

4. School choice calls us to surrender our parental responsibility and invites regulation.

We must be mindful of outside influencers who present contrasting worldviews and ideologies to our children. Additionally, we must carefully review our children’s educational curricula. After all, no subject is neutral. Ideologies are even present in academic subjects like math. As homeschool parents, we have the freedom and responsibility to mitigate adverse exposures. If we discover that our children are exposed to any negative influences, we must leverage that opportunity to help our children develop discernment by engaging in meaningful discussion and guiding them in searching for timeless, unchanging wisdom throughout the Bible.

Make no mistake; if you allow the government to provide any part of your child’s education, whether through primary participation (appointing others to actively teach your child) or secondary participation (providing funds for your homeschool), you are handing over the reins.

We must be vigilant and learn the implications of legislation, or we may unintentionally give up our freedoms while buying into a great marketing strategy and embracing school choice initiatives. If we embrace these school choice initiatives, we also affirm the government’s assumption that they know what is best for our children. As a result, we could inadvertently become our own adversaries against homeschool freedom. Our ability to fight back against any changes in our homeschool law depends on us staying outside the system.

What concerns do you have about school choice initiatives? Please share your concerns below!

Here are some practical ways you can protect homeschool freedom today!

AVOID unintentionally surrendering your rights in exchange for seemingly “free” services such as publicly subsidized education programs.

DO NOT SUPPORT OR ACCEPT government funding for home education (educational savings accounts, vouchers, etc.).

BE WATCHFUL for legislation that could negatively impact parental rights and homeschool freedom.

SUPPORT organizations who are fighting for your parental rights and homeschool freedom.

Christian Home Educators of Colorado, through Carolyn Martin and the Homeschool Freedom Team, helps you stay informed and equipped to advocate for the protection of your parental rights, religious liberty, and homeschool freedom. If you have not yet signed up to receive legislative updates and prayer emails, please do that! Also, your financial gifts to the Colorado Homeschool Freedom fund help us continue this mighty work! 

About the Author: Yvonne Strachan

Yvonne Strachan has had the privilege of being refined through homeschooling multiple children, a special needs child, and high school students while dealing with chronic illness and working. She taught art classes at a Christian school and at a homeschool art co-op that she ran for a decade. She went on to serve the homeschool community as a homeschool consultant, a radio show host, a blogger, a speaker, the author of Inspirational Homeschooling, and the founder of Inspirational Homeschooling.com. She works in the CHEC marketing department and can be reached at Yvonne@CHEC.org.

---

1. Omoniyi, S. (2023, March 15). ESAS: How education savings accounts affect homeschooling. Midwest Parent Educators (MPE). https://midwesthomeschoolers.org/esas-how-education-savings-accounts-affect-homeschooling/

2. Goodreads. (n.d.). Rousas John Rushdoony quotes (author of the Institutes of Biblical law, volume 1 of 3). Goodreads. https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/53534.Rousas_John_Rushdoony