Sen. Berthel Opposes Education Committee Approval of Controversial Homeschool Legislation

Watch Sen. Berthel’s remarks here.

State Sen. Eric Berthel (R-Watertown), ranking member of the Education Committee, today opposed the committee’s approval of a controversial homeschool bill that drew hundreds of families to the Capitol last week to testify against the measure during a nearly 20-hour emotional public hearing.

“I continue to echo the thousands of homeschool families that oppose this bill. Last week, we heard from nearly 300 people during a 19-hour public hearing who overwhelmingly opposed the bill, and we received more than 3,300 pieces of testimony with similar concerns. Committee chairs from the majority party capped public testimony to 24 hours, creating a chilling effect that discouraged many from even coming to Hartford. That is fundamentally wrong.

“Families showed up, many with their children, and stayed into the early morning hours to make their voices heard. They demonstrated not only their commitment, but the success of their children’s homeschool education. Their voices should matter, and they should guide our decisions.

“This bill unfairly targets homeschool families and is built on flawed assumptions and questionable data. At the same time, we are being told the real failures lie elsewhere. Expanding government intrusion into families who are doing the right thing is not the answer.

Bipartisanship is possible, and we’ve proven that on other issues.

“Unfortunately, today the majority is ignoring the clear message from the public. For that reason, I did not support this misguided bill that will only punish homeschool families who are doing the right thing,” said Sen. Berthel.

The bill now awaits action by the full General Assembly before the 2026 legislative session ends May 6.

Background:

• Days before the Education Committee’s March 11 public hearing on H.B. 5468, Democrat-majority committee chairs limited public comment to 24 hours—an uncommon practice for public hearings.
• The bill includes new intrusive government reporting requirements for homeschooling families based on the Lamont administration’s policy recommendations in 2025.
• The state Department of Education and the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents (CAPSS) have raised significant concerns about the bill in written testimony.
• Following widespread opposition from thousands of homeschool families, majority Democrats declined to advance similar legislation during the 2025 legislative session.