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Senator from Cabell urges rejection of homeschooling bill; motion to reject fails and measure advances
Summary
During floor debate on SB 966, the senator from Cabell moved to reject the homeschooling bill, arguing it would remove required instruction and reporting; after extended debate the motion to reject failed on a 10‑24 roll call and the bill advanced.
On Feb. 25 the Senate debated a motion by the senator from Cabell to reject Senate Bill 966, a measure altering requirements for homeschool instruction. The motion was procedural: if sustained the bill would have been defeated in the Senate. The motion prompted extended debate from members on both sides of parental choice and statutory protections for children.
Senator from Cabell, urging rejection, said the bill "eliminates instruction of reading, math, and science" and warned that it would remove reporting and assessment requirements, arguing the state constitution guarantees "a thorough and efficient education." He asked for the yeas and nays on his motion to reject.
Supporters of the bill defended parental choice and noted that existing code provisions and county oversight would remain. The senator from Jefferson, among others, argued that assessments would continue and the bill would bring West Virginia more in line with other states that impose minimal regulations on homeschooling.
After debate and a sustained demand for the yeas and nays, the clerk recorded the roll call: 10 yeas, 24 nays. Because fewer than a majority voted in the affirmative, the motion to reject the bill failed and the bill advanced to the next stage of the legislative process.
Quotes from the floor: "No mandatory reading, math, science," the senator from Cabell said, summarizing his objections to the bill. "Assessments are gonna continue happening annually," the senator from Jefferson said in defense of the measure, noting that county oversight authority remains in state code.
Why it matters: The floor exchange highlighted a persistent divide over regulation of homeschooling—between lawmakers emphasizing parental rights and those prioritizing minimum educational standards and oversight. The procedural vote preserved the bill's path through the legislative calendar.
Ending: The motion to reject failed 10‑24; the presiding officer advanced the bill to second reading for further consideration.
