LANSING, Mich. — Home schooling is not a new concept, but since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, states across the U.S. have seen an uptick in it. While home education has been praised by several government officials and state agencies, some have concerns over the lack of regulations, specifically when it comes to child abuse and neglect.
What sparked the conversation?
On Jan. 10, 2024, Michigan State Superintendent Michael Rice wrote a letter to state lawmakers requesting that the state require families to register their children with the state of Michigan if they choose to home-school their children.
In his letter, Rice suggested that knowing where all students are in an educational setting was an issue of safety for children.
"The state should have a record of all children enrolled in all educational programs, for reasons of safety and to find those who are not being educated," stated Rice.
Rice's comment follows criminal charges filed by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) on several child abuse and neglect cases. A common thread throughout these cases was that caregivers were able to hide the alleged abuse of children by claiming to home-school them.
In one case, four foster parents in DeWitt, Michigan were charged with child abuse crimes and conspiracy to commit child abuse crimes against eight children. Alleged abuse of the children was hidden partly due to the children being home-schooled. In total, the parents in question had been able to foster or adopt 30 children throughout the years.
What do current laws in Michigan surrounding at-home education look like?
The state of Michigan has several laws in place that outline how home-school should work for families who opt into it. Here is a breakdown of what some of those laws currently look like according to the 2022-2023 Michigan Department of Education Nonpublic and Home School Information document.
- All children within the state of Michigan from ages six to 18 must attend school throughout the duration of the school year. Families who opt to not send their children to public school should provide their district with a written notice.
- Home schooling should teach subjects comparable to those taught in the public schools to children of corresponding age and grade. (Section 3(a))
- A home-schooled child should be educated in the areas of reading, spelling, mathematics, science, history, civics, literature, writing and English grammar. (Section 3(f))
- "A home-school operating under Section 1561(3)(a) of the Revised School Code (MCL 380.1561) as described above is considered a nonpublic school if in compliance with the Private, Denominational and Parochial Schools Act, PA 302 of 1921. If a home school family chooses to operate under exemption (a), it reports to the Michigan Department of Education (MDE)."
- The state does not require specific content in the basic courses. Nonpublic or home-schools, however, may wish to use the Michigan content standards that have been developed for public schools in Michigan.
It is important to note that not every at-home school is required to be registered as a nonpublic school within the state of Michigan.
Families that do register their home-school as a nonpublic school are held to the same standard as public schools in their area, which some can interpret as a "higher standard" than home schools that are not registered as a nonpublic school within the state.
The choice ultimately comes down to what the parent or caregiver wishes to do in the situation. There is currently no law that requires home-schools to be registered with the state.
Is there currently legislation introduced to change these laws?
In short, no. A bill has yet to be drafted and placed before the Michigan House of Representatives or the Michigan State Senate, where an official vote can be taken on the measure.
Rice's letter to state officials was to further advocate to lawmakers about the next steps of creating a bill that would require registration with the state for home-schooled children. A bill of such nature has been talked about since late 2023.
