Prairie State Wire

The Coalition For Responsible Home Education (CRHE) recently endorsed Illinois HB2827, a proposed bill aimed at increasing oversight of homeschooling in the state. The group was co-founded by Kieryn Darkwater, a “transmasc, nonbinary, artist and organizer who grew up trained to fight in the ‘culture war.’”

“This is co-founder of CRHE, the leftist org that provides the template for IL #hb2827. What could go wrong?!” Awake Illinois wrote in a March 25 social media post on X.

According to Darkwater's bio page on CRHE’s website, Darkwater grew up homeschooled in a Christian family and graduated high school at 15. They studied Labor and Community Organizing at Laney College, led a grassroots housing advocacy group in the East Bay, and briefly served as a delegate to the California Democratic Party. Darkwater claims to have spent much of their childhood raising younger siblings instead of focusing on academics and is committed to increasing accountability in homeschooling and raising awareness of both its benefits and drawbacks. 

Screenshot of Awake Illinois' March 25 social media post. | Awake Illinois

“Urgent! We need your help to pass Illinois HB 2827, a bill that would protect children's right to learn and to be safe,” the CHRE said in a March 5 Facebook post. “HB 2827 can reverse a decades-long trend of reckless deregulation at the expense of children's wellbeing. And it does so while drawing from CRHE's Make Homeschool Safe Act, our groundbreaking model legislation that provides extensive protections for homeschooled children's rights.”

Illinois HB2827 is a proposed bill that seeks to regulate homeschooling by requiring parents to register with their local school district. The bill mandates that homeschooled children be given access to community resources, with parents required to decide whether to opt in or out of these services. It also introduces a vaccine requirement for children wishing to participate in sports, though medical exemptions would allow for participation with a valid doctor's note.

HB 2827 has garnered significant criticism, with a primary concern being the bill's requirement for homeschooling families to submit a "Homeschool Declaration Form" to their local public school district annually. According to the New York Post, Failure to comply could result in children being classified as truant, with potential penalties including fines, imprisonment, or removal from the home.

Furthermore, the bill's requirements extend to private schools, including religious institutions. This has led to concerns about potential conflicts with religious freedoms and the autonomy of faith-based educational institutions. Leaders from The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod have expressed that the bill's measures "overstep the bounds of decency" in pursuit of educational goals.

Awake Illinois was launched in May 2021 as a “grassroots movement of fellow parents and citizens who are committed to protecting our children, our liberties, and our American way of life.” Its first chapter was in Naperville.