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House approves Senate Bill 59 to codify Utah homeschool practices after debate over testing and recordkeeping
Summary
The Utah House passed Senate Bill 59 to enshrine existing homeschool procedures in statute. Lawmakers debated an unsuccessful amendment that would have allowed local school boards to require records and standardized testing for homeschooled students.
The Utah House on Feb. 25 approved Senate Bill 59, titled “Homeschool Amendments,” which codifies current practice for parents who seek a compulsory-attendance exemption to educate children at home.
Representative Anne Morley, the bill’s sponsor, told the House the measure mirrors local district exemption forms and requires parents filing for an exemption to certify they will teach required subjects and meet the State Board of Education’s instructional-day expectations. "This codifies in law current practice as it now stands," Morley said in floor remarks.
Representative Shurtleff moved to delete provisions that bar school boards from requiring parents to disclose curricular records and from mandating standardized or other testing for homeschooled students. Shurtleff and supporters argued the change would give districts options to verify that children are receiving adequate instruction and to help students who might otherwise fall through the cracks.
Morley and several colleagues opposed the amendment, saying it would impose additional regulation on families who homeschool by choice and that existing educational-neglect statutes remain available to protect children if instruction is seriously deficient. Representative Morley noted that many homeschool parents already document student progress and that requiring standardized testing could impose redundant burdens.
Representatives who spoke in favor of the amendment urged narrow exceptions for districts to request information when necessary to place returning students or to address concerns about preparation for public-school enrollment. "There may well be an important question about what the preparation of the student has been for their placement into the public school program," Representative McGee said.
The House voted down the amendment and later approved the bill on a roll call reported as 70 yes, 0 no. The bill will be signed by the Speaker and returned to the Senate.
