Peoria Standard

Jim Rule, chairman of the Tazewell County Republicans, has urged legislators to oppose House Bill 2827 to safeguard parental rights and homeschooling freedoms that Illinois has maintained for over 70 years. Rule made his statement to the Peoria Standard on February 18.

"Legislators must take a stand and oppose House Bill 2827, a direct attack on education freedom and parental rights," said Rule. "For over 70 years, Illinois has protected homeschool families from government interference—this bill would destroy those hard-won freedoms. Parents, not bureaucrats, should decide how their children are educated, and we refuse to allow this outrageous government overreach. Illinois citizens must demand that lawmakers defend parental rights and reject HB 2827."

According to a post on the Illinois General Assembly website, HB2827, known as The Homeschool Act, proposes the creation of a Homeschool Declaration Form. This form would be used by homeschool administrators to submit information indicating that a child is enrolled in a homeschool program. The post further states that if a student is enrolled in a homeschool program without notifying the public school or school district with this form, they would be considered truant and subject to penalties. Additionally, the act outlines requirements for homeschool administrators and programs, along with reporting obligations.

In a February 9 post on the social media platform X, Awake Illinois expressed opposition to HB2827. "We need you to help us oppose IL #HB2827 filed Feb 7 by woke radical Democrats," they said. "It will override education freedom that has been in place for homeschoolers since 1950. This IL bill is an attack on homeschool freedom."

The National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI) reports that homeschooled students typically score 15 to 25 percentile points higher on standardized tests than their public school counterparts. NHERI states that 78% of studies favor homeschoolers academically and that their success is not significantly influenced by parental education level or household income. Homeschooled students also tend to perform above average on standardized tests like the SAT and ACT, which enhances college recruitment opportunities.

Rule, who resides in Morton, was first elected Chairman of the Tazewell County Republicans in 2018. According to the organization’s website, he is "focused on boosting Republican voter turnout, growing the Party’s membership, and communicating the Party’s positions on issues that matter to Tazewell County voters."