South West Illinois News

The Randolph County Board of Commissioners has officially entered the growing statewide debate over Illinois House Bill 2827, passing Resolution No. 25-12 in firm opposition to what they call a sweeping attempt at government overreach into homeschooling and private education. 

In a strongly worded resolution, which passed unanimously, the board described HB 2827 as “a substantial departure from [Illinois'] legal framework,” warning it would impose “burdensome and intrusive mandates” on homeschool families and private schools.

The bill, introduced by State Rep. Terra Costa Howard (D-Glen Ellyn), has drawn intense backlash from parents and homeschool advocates across Illinois. 

Initially focused on filing requirements, the bill was recently amended to grant truancy officers new authority to investigate families who fail to submit state notification forms. 

The revised bill would also grant the Illinois State Board of Education broad rule making authority to oversee homeschooling—authority that opponents argue lacks guardrails and accountability.

The Randolph County Board of Commissioners’ resolution notes that HB 2827 “would impose significant new state mandates on families who choose to educate their children at home, including compulsory registration, detailed reporting, and state oversight of curriculum and record-keeping.”

Randolph County’s resolution further argues that the bill threatens parental rights and educational freedom through a series of highly specific provisions. 

Among them: requiring annual submission of a “Homeschool Declaration Form,” mandating that a homeschool administrator possess a high school diploma or equivalent, and compelling families to maintain a detailed “educational portfolio” that would be open to inspection by regional education authorities.

“[These changes] create the potential for arbitrary enforcement, selective scrutiny, and undue stress on law-abiding families,” Randolph County’s resolution states.

Additionally, the resolution flags serious implications for private and religious schools, which would be required to register annually with the state and report student-level data. 

The county described this as a threat to “government overreach, data privacy, and religious freedom.”

County officials also took aim at the bill’s enforcement mechanisms. 

“HB 2827 allows for enforcement through existing truancy laws, meaning parents who fail to comply with new filing or instructional requirements could face fines, court proceedings, or even misdemeanor charges, effectively criminalizing parents for educational decisions that have previously been legal and protected in Illinois,” the resolution reads. 

Over 42,000 witness slips have been filed in opposition to the bill, and Randolph County joins others like Madison County in issuing formal resolutions urging rejection. 

Randolph County’s resolution closes with a call to action, urging the Illinois General Assembly to reject HB 2827 “in its entirety” and calls on Governor JB Pritzker to veto it if it reaches his desk.

The resolution notes the bill not only introduces new bureaucratic hurdles but also breaks from decades of legal precedent protecting homeschool autonomy in Illinois.

“Illinois has long recognized homeschooling as a valid form of private education under existing legal precedent (People v. Levisen, 1950), and HB 2827 represents a substantial departure from this legal framework by singling-out home educators for separate regulation, potentially undermining their constitutional protections under state and federal law,” the resolution reads. s

Will Estrada, senior counsel for the Homeschool Legal Defense Association (HSLDA),  has called the bill “the most dangerous” he has encountered in HSLDA’s 42-year history.

“If passed, Illinois could become one of the worst states to homeschool in,” Estrada previously told Prairie State Wire.

Estrada told Prairie State Wire he is “more and more optimistic that HB 2827 is dead for the year,” as the bill missed a key procedural deadline on March 18. 

“I think where we are though now with less than three weeks to go before the session adjourns on May 31, and they've got some major issues, they have a budget bill, they've got a deficit in Illinois, so I am becoming more and more optimistic that HB 2827 is dead for the year,” Estrada told Prairie State Wire.

However, he cautioned that legislative loopholes and the backing of a powerful sponsor leave room for revival.