New Jersey Bill Would Serve Major Blow to Parental Rights and Put Homeschool Families Under Government Surveillance

It seems Governor Phil Murphy of New Jersey wasn’t satisfied with just radicalizing New Jersey schools with his diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policy. He has now set his sights on targeting homeschool students.

Radical New Jersey lawmakers have introduced a deeply troubling bill (A5825) that would strip away long-standing protections for homeschool families, forcing them into a government tracking system and subjecting them to intrusive oversight. If passed, this legislation would impose some of the strictest mandates on homeschool families in the nation, turning local school districts and state agencies into overseers of private family education.

At the ACLJ, we are committed to protecting the fundamental, constitutional right of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children. This bill is not a reasonable effort to ensure educational outcomes. It is a sweeping power grab that treats law-abiding parents as suspects and hands excessive authority to public school bureaucrats.

Under current New Jersey law, parents satisfy compulsory education laws by providing “equivalent instruction elsewhere than at school.” That standard – long upheld by New Jersey courts – has allowed homeschool families to thrive with autonomy, dignity, and proven academic success.

A5825 would drastically change that framework. Specifically, the bill would:

• Create a de facto homeschool registry by mandating annual registration of every homeschool child with the local school superintendent. Parents must provide the child’s name, address, date of birth, and documentation verifying identity and age.
• Require a signed annual statement certifying that the child will receive instruction equivalent to public school education, provide a copy of the curriculum to be used, and that the parent or guardian is responsible for providing it.
• Require curriculum to meet “New Jersey Student Learning Standards” that include lesson plans on climate change and now-illegal radical DEI programs.

This Bill Threatens Every Family’s Liberty

This bill is part of a coordinated legislative effort, paired with a second bill (A5796), that would go even further by requiring an annual meeting for parents and children with a designated school official for a general “health and wellness” check of the child.

The sponsors of A5825 offer vague claims of educational neglect, yet provide no evidence that homeschoolers in New Jersey are failing or need intervention. In reality, homeschool students consistently achieve strong academic and social outcomes.

The bill would reverse the presumption of trust long afforded to parents and instead presume noncompliance and neglect unless proven otherwise – a disturbing shift in how the state views families.

Most concerning is how A5825 empowers public school officials and state agencies to monitor private families – not because of evidence of harm, but simply because parents have chosen a different educational path. Under this bill, even families educating their children diligently and effectively could face scrutiny and intrusion from school officials and other state agencies for issues regarding paperwork. This undermines the very foundation of parental rights and opens the door to abuse and intimidation by government entities.

A National Wake-Up Call

If New Jersey enacts these extreme measures, other states could quickly follow. That’s why the ACLJ is prepared to respond. We stand with homeschool families who fought back against unreasonable intrusion.

Most recently, the ACLJ quickly responded to a recent anti-homeschoolIllinois bill, where the radical anti-homeschool agenda was beaten back after public outcry. Our swift action in raising public alarm resulted in the bill being abandoned before a full vote. The Illinois bill, which would havecriminalized parents now rightly lays dormant. We will not allow government overreach to redefine education as a privilege granted by the state rather thana right held by parents. We are closely monitoring the New Jersey bills, and we are prepared to take swift action on behalf of homeschool families.

We will not stand by while parental rights are regulated out of existence.