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Committee considers requiring scholarship groups to notify parents when home-education status ends
Summary
A bill would require scholarship organizations to give written notice to parents when a family’s move to an Education Freedom Account terminates their home-education registration. Sponsors say the information is already in handbooks; scholarship fund staff propose a checkbox in parent agreements.
Representative Katie Petterneil introduced House Bill 1490 to require scholarship organizations to provide written notice to parents explaining that accepting a scholarship or EFA may terminate a home-education program (the bill references differences between RSA 193‑A and RSA 194‑F pathways).
Petterneil told the committee she filed the bill after conversations on the Home Education Advisory Council and concerns from parents who said they did not realize a change in pathway constituted a termination of the prior home-education program. Committee members asked whether the change is already communicated; witnesses said the scholarship group includes the notice in parent handbooks and agreements.
Matt Southerton of the Children’s Scholarship Fund said the organization already includes the information in the parent handbook and parent agreement and could add a checkbox for parents to confirm they understand the effect of switching programs. Committee members asked whether a statutory change is necessary or whether administrative changes to forms would suffice; Southerton said the fund would comply with statute but that the parent agreement is a suitable place for clearer notice.
No committee vote was recorded; members asked for additional written materials and discussion about whether a statutory change is required versus a rules-based or administrative fix.
