Some school choice critics argue that allowing taxpayer dollars to follow students to private schools or homeschooling will inevitably lead to more state control over independent education. They claim that “with government shekels come government shackles.”  

But such fearmongering ignores reality—there are states where families get the shekels without the shackles, and others where families get the shackles without the shekels.  

State governments nationwide are now ramping up regulations on private and homeschool education in places that lack any school choice programs. Far from inviting more oversight, school choice builds a bulwark against authoritarian overreach by creating a larger coalition to fight back. 

In states hostile to educational freedom, school choice opponents are introducing proposals to clamp down on homeschooling families without a dime of taxpayer funding involved. Take Senate Bill 6261 in Washington state. The proposal would force parents to notify the state that they’re homeschooling as soon as their child turns 6—two full years before compulsory education laws even apply.  

Families failing to comply could face criminal penalties. The bill is a way to track and control families who just want to raise their own kids at home without government interference. 

Over in New Jersey, state Rep. Sterley Stanley, a Democrat, introduced Assembly Bill 5825 in 2025, which would mandate that homeschool curricula align with the New Jersey Student Learning Standards. Those standards have been infused with divisive DEI requirements........

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