Lake County Gazette

Jay Swidler, chairman of the Vernon Township Republicans, has urged legislators to oppose House Bill 2827, citing concerns over parental rights and homeschooling freedoms that have been upheld in Illinois for more than 70 years. Swidler made his statement to the Lake County Gazette on February 18.

"Illinois lawmakers must stand against House Bill 2827, a direct threat to parental choice in education," said Swidler. "For decades, homeschool families have thrived under laws that protect their rights, but this bill seeks to undo that progress. HB 2827 is a slippery slope toward total government control, and Illinois lawmakers cannot let it happen. Parents—not the state—should have the final say in how their children learn."

According to a post on the Illinois General Assembly website, HB2827, known as The Homeschool Act, proposes the creation of a Homeschool Declaration Form. This form would be used by homeschool administrators to submit information indicating that a child is enrolled in a homeschool program. The post states that students enrolled in such programs without notifying the public school or district using this form would be considered truant, with penalties applicable. Additionally, the act outlines requirements for homeschool administrators and programs along with reporting obligations.

Awake Illinois expressed opposition to HB2827 in a February 9 post on social media platform X. "We need you to help us oppose IL #HB2827 filed Feb 7 by woke radical democrats," they said. "It will override education freedom that has been in place for homeschoolers since 1950. This IL bill is an attack on homeschool freedom."

The National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI) reported that homeschooled students tend to score between 15 and 25 percentile points higher on standardized tests compared to their public school counterparts. NHERI said that 78% of studies favor homeschoolers academically and noted that the success of these students is not significantly related to parental education levels or household income. Homeschooled students also reportedly perform above average on standardized college entrance exams like the SAT and ACT, leading to increased recruitment by colleges.

Swidler, who resides in Buffalo Grove, was first elected Chairman of the Vernon Township Republicans in 2024. According to the organization’s website, he is focused on boosting Republican voter turnout, growing party membership, and communicating party positions on issues important to Vernon Township voters.