HB1729 SB2636 / Expands government oversight onto homeschooling families.

UPDATE: BILL WAS AMENDED ON MARCH 3 TO REMOVE THE LANGUAGE WE CONSIDERED GOVERNMENT OVER-REACH. TENNESSEE STANDS IS NOW NEUTRAL ON THIS BILL.

This bill tightens statewide oversight of homeschooling families. Parents who homeschool children in grades 5, 7, or 9 must annually administer either a parent-chosen, nationally normed test (proctored by someone unrelated) or the state’s standardized tests. Test results go to parents, the local district, and the State Board of Education. Children who “approach” proficiency must trigger a consultation with the director of schools; those who score below basic must retest in a year, work with a state-licensed teacher on remedial coursework, and report progress to the district. After two consecutive sub-proficient outcomes (absent a learning-disability diagnosis), the school director may require enrollment in a public, private, or church school.

This bill amends Tennessee’s education code to recognize the Classic Learning Test (CLT) alongside the ACT and SAT for statewide purposes—everything from accountability measures to scholarship eligibility. Public schools offering advanced courses or college-prep exams must post dates, capacity, and financial-aid options for low-income students, and they must allow homeschoolers to enroll in those courses and exams if space is available.

Constitutionally, Tennessee clearly has the authority under its police powers to regulate educational standards, but these new requirements represent a significant expansion of state involvement in home education—a domain historically reserved to parents. The inclusion of the CLT as an alternative to the ACT/SAT bolsters school choice and academic competition, which conservatives typically support, but the added homeschool mandates conflict with the principle of minimal government intrusion and parental primacy.