Homeschool advocate urges restoring post-enrollment hearings as Senate weighs absenteeism bill; school counselors back model policy

A homeschool advocate and school counselors offered sharply different priorities to the Senate Education Committee considering H930, the state's chronic-absenteeism bill.

"Once the home study notice was given to the agency, the child would be continuously enrolled," said Ra Dunle of the Remote Home Education Network, urging lawmakers to restore statutory language authorizing "hearings after enrollment." Dunle, who said she has tracked homeschooling figures since 1981 and that the Agency of Education provided recent counts, told the committee the agency recently reported roughly 3,969 homeschooled students in 2024 and about 4,241 in 2025–26. She warned that requiring repeated reenrollment or seat-based attendance reports can create technical truancy findings for families who are teaching at home.

Dunle also argued that the bill's focus on "attendance" or "absenteeism" mischaracterizes the experience of many homeschoolers: "Every…