Education Freedom Under Threat: Why Professionals Should Care About Illinois HB2827
As a business professional who has navigated the full journey of parenthood, I've recently come to appreciate something I wish I'd understood years ago: the critical role parents play in educational decisions and how policy can either empower or restrict that role.
The Issue at Hand
Illinois House Bill 2827, the "Homeschool Act," threatens to fundamentally alter educational freedom in our state. While seemingly targeting only homeschooling families, this legislation signals a concerning shift in how we approach education innovation and parental rights that could impact all Illinois families.
For context, fewer than one in three Chicago Public Schools students read at grade level—a startling statistic that should be our primary educational focus. Yet instead of addressing this crisis, some legislators are creating bureaucratic hurdles for families who have taken personal responsibility for their children's education.
What I Learned from Education Innovators
I recently hosted Leslee Dirnberger, founder of Aspire Education, and Aziza Butler, a former CPS teacher who now homeschools her six children, on my podcast "Trust Your Voice." (Listen here on Spotify)
Their insights were eye-opening.
Homeschooling has become the fastest-growing educational model in America, with approximately 3.1 million students nationwide and around 70,000 in Illinois alone. The research is compelling: homeschooled students typically score 15-30 percentile points higher on standardized tests, and colleges increasingly seek these students for their superior academic preparation, critical thinking skills, and self-direction.
What surprised me most was learning that many families choose homeschooling because their children have unique learning needs that traditional settings simply cannot accommodate effectively. For neurodiverse children, especially, personalized education can be transformative.
Why This Matters to Professionals
As business leaders and professionals, we should care about HB2827 for several reasons:
Future Workforce Development: How we educate today shapes our workforce tomorrow. Educational diversity and innovation create the problem-solvers, critical thinkers, and self-directed learners our companies need.
Innovation Ecosystem: Homeschooling has been an incubator for educational approaches now gaining traction in progressive education. Many teaching methods that forward-thinking companies value—project-based learning, mastery-based progression, and apprenticeship models—were refined in homeschool settings.
Personal Impact: While your children might not be homeschooled today, legislation that limits educational choice could affect your family's options in the future. As one parent shared with me, "I never imagined homeschooling until my son's learning differences weren't being addressed at school."
My Personal Reflection
My own children have completed their K-12 education journey, and I'm grateful they attended schools that prioritized reading fundamentals. But I now realize I didn't fully understand my role and rights as a parent in their education.
Looking back, I see how fortunate we were that our district emphasized literacy—the cornerstone of all learning and future success. Not every family has that experience, which is why educational freedom matters.
What You Can Do
Even if education policy seems distant from your professional concerns, I encourage you to:
Learn about the issue: Understand what HB2827 proposes and how it might impact educational innovation. Leslee Dirnberger’s Aspire Education has great information.
Reflect on your own journey: Consider how your education shaped your professional path. Would more personalization or flexibility have benefited you? We are in the age of personalization - why does education have to be one size fits all.
Contact your representatives: Visit your Illinois representatives' websites, fill out their contact forms, or call their district offices. Introduce yourself as a professional constituent and share your perspective on educational freedom. To find your Illinois representatives and share your perspective, visit ilga.gov/house and enter your address to locate your district representatives.
Literacy and educational outcomes are the building blocks of our society and economy. As professionals, we have both the privilege and responsibility to advocate for policies that strengthen rather than restrict educational excellence and innovation.
Have you experienced the impact of educational policy on your professional journey or family? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
Here’s the letter that I wrote to my representatives, State Senator Laura Fine and State Representative Robyn Gabel:
Dear Representatives Robin Gable and Laura Fine,
I'm writing to you today as a concerned constituent regarding HB2827, the Homeschool Act. I urge you to oppose this legislation that would create unnecessary barriers for families who have chosen to homeschool their children.
This bill attempts to solve a problem that simply doesn't exist. While the sponsors point to concerns about potential abuse, there is no evidence connecting homeschooling with higher rates of child abuse or neglect. Meanwhile, public schools themselves aren't immune to such issues, with 446 allegations of sexual misconduct or abuse reported in Chicago Public Schools in 2023 alone.
What troubles me most is that while fewer than one in three Chicago Public School students can read at grade level, our legislature seems focused on regulating parents who have taken education into their own hands rather than addressing this educational crisis. Many families choose homeschooling precisely because their children have neurodivergent learning needs that aren't being adequately met in traditional school settings.
The invasive reporting requirements in HB2827 would force families to submit personal information to local schools, subject us to potential criminal truancy penalties, and allow state authorities to demand curriculum reviews at any time. This represents a significant breach of privacy, and an infringement of parental rights to educate their children.
Instead of creating more bureaucratic hurdles, I implore you to redirect your energy toward addressing the root causes of educational failure in Illinois. Our state spends nearly $22,000 per public school student—the eighth highest in the nation—yet learning outcomes continue to decline. School districts aren't mandated to train teachers in the science of reading, and children with dyslexia often go unidentified until it's too late to provide effective intervention.
Reading is the foundation for all learning. How can we build the next generation of entrepreneurs and innovators if our children can't read? That's the five-alarm fire that demands your attention.
The overwhelming public response against this bill—nearly 50,000 witness slips opposing it compared to fewer than 1,000 in favor—speaks volumes. Please listen to your constituents and vote NO on HB2827. Here’s a letter from a Black mother who homeschools her neurodiverse children: https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/03/30/opinion-homeschool-regulation-illinois-black-families/
Sincerely,
Sylvie Légère