by Carolyn Martin

Unalienable Rights

The founders of our country believed in the existence of self-evident truths that cannot be denied – truths that are rooted outside of man, in God Himself. They wrote about how “our Creator endowed us with certain unalienable rights.” The right to home educate your children rests solidly on parental and conscience rights, both of which are unalienable, God-given rights. Conscience rights are enshrined in the 1^st Amendment to the US Constitution. Not so with parental rights, and a storm is brewing.

From the beginning, God organized people into families, giving parents the authority and responsibility to guide and nurture their offspring. Our founders did not foresee a time when we would allow our government to grow so large as to intrude in our family lives, nor did they foresee a time when forces would try to destroy the nuclear family, but we are in that time. Every day at the state legislature, the family is under attack, and parental rights are being stripped away.

Children’s Rights

As the winds of change push to elevate children’s rights, the state longs to insert itself into the family. The assault on parental rights began slowly, with the courts giving deference to children’s wishes. Then, the legislature started giving children decision-making authority over the mental health and medical treatments given to them. In this last election, we saw a proposed constitutional amendment to give children the authority to choose their education (Amendment 80). The worldwide children’s rights movement is nothing new, but it is growing and using governments to implement its plan to elevate state control over parental authority and destroy God’s order for the family.

Gathering Storm Clouds

On the horizon, storm clouds are gathering. In the center of the storm is the Coalition of Responsible Home Education (CRHE), which began with a group of disgruntled homeschool graduates over a decade ago. In their Bill of Rights for Homeschooled Children, they state, “Children who are homeschooled have a right to a quality education that centers their interests [sic] and prepares them for an open future.” CRHE’s most recent work that is causing a stir in the homeschool community, the Make Homeschool Safe Act, lays out how they believe all homeschools should be regulated by the government. Their stated purpose is “to affirm and protect homeschooled children’s right to a comprehensive education and a safe home environment.”

Legislators across the country are being influenced by CRHE’s advocacy to regulate homeschooling. In Michigan, homeschoolers fought against a centralized registration scheme. In Oklahoma, a bill was brought to require homeschoolers to register and be approved to homeschool by their Department of Human Services. In Minnesota, legislators were looking to require annual assessments. There are more bills coming based on CRHE’s recommendations in both red and blue states, and the storm is gaining momentum.

Today, Colorado is considered by HSLDA to be a low-regulation state. While we have some regulation, we are not as highly regulated as New York or Pennsylvania, nor are we as free as Texas or Oklahoma. CRHE’s proposal asks states to create a homeschool regiment that is even more strict than the laws in highly regulated states. (See HSLDA’s analysis here for more information on what the document contains.)

Bills are being brought across the nation due to the media’s heightened focus on child abuse cases involving reported homeschooling families. Some families have been found to not actually be homeschooling, like the case here in Colorado where the parents claimed to be homeschooling to hide the murder of their child. It is only a matter of time before we must deal with a push to increase regulation on us.

We are in great need of God’s favor during this tumultuous time. Pray that we will be unified against any intrusion into our families and that we will stand firm together on our God-given right to parent our children.

Take Action!

• Watch for an email from CHEC inviting you to a webinar where HSLDA will discuss their concerns about CRHE’s proposed regulations, and plan to attend.
• Build relationships with your representatives! Find out who they are here. Read Tips for Meeting with Your Legislators. You need to make your voices heard on homeschooling and be the one legislators look to for information!
• Register and attend Meet Your Legislator Day on February 13^th, 2025.       
• Mark your calendars and plan to attend CHEC’s Homeschool Day at the Capitol on April 10^th, 2025, and bring your friends!

Trusting in the mighty power and grace of Jesus,

Carolyn Martin, CHEC Director of Government Relations

About the Author: Carolyn Martin

Carolyn Martin serves as CHEC’s Director of Government Relations, working for you and other liberty-loving families to protect homeschool freedom, parental rights, and religious liberty at the state capitol. Subscribe to the CHEC blog for Carolyn’s regular updates here, learn more about legal issues in Colorado here, and donate to support Homeschool Freedom here. Contact Carolyn directly at carolyn@chec.org.