Governor Abbott called a Special Session of the Texas Legislature on October 9 to address parental choice in education.
He said at the end of the last regular session that he would do so after the Texas House refused to adopt legislation that would give parents in Texas tax-supported funding to follow their students.
Special Sessions called by the Governor last for 30 days.
The Governor has also made clear that if the legislature does not pass “meaningful” educational choice legislation, he will call another session and will make this a campaign issue, meaning that he will likely campaign against legislators who oppose parental choice legislation.
The Dallas Express-News reported, “Nevertheless, Abbott has indicated that he will draw a line in the sand over school choice, saying, ‘There’s an easy way to get it done, and there’s a hard way.’ ‘We will take it either way — in a special session or after an election,’ Abbott said, according to The Texas Tribune. ‘If we do not win in that first special session, we will have another … special session, and we’ll come back again. And then, if we don’t win that time, I think it’s time to send this to the voters themselves.’”
THSC’s legislative team is on the ground in Austin focused on two key priorities.
First and foremost, we understand that whenever the legislature is in session, and education is an issue, we must be there to monitor legislation that could impact the freedom of Texas homeschoolers for good or ill.
Very often, legislators file bills and are unaware that the wording of their bill could have an adverse effect on homeschoolers and all parents. Our team is there to make sure that legislators are made aware of such situations and to provide amendments that will alleviate our concerns and protect homeschool freedom as well as the freedom of all parents in Texas.
Secondly, polling shows that homeschoolers in Texas clearly support legislation that will give families more choices when it comes to educational options for their children, and that includes legislation that would empower parents through Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) or other measures that would allow parents to fund educational opportunities for their children.
While more and more states are passing such laws, a number of those states have homeschool organizations that have actively opposed these measures due to fear that allowing homeschooled families to use such funds will lead to regulation of all homeschoolers in the state.
Similar arguments have been made against laws allowing homeschoolers to access public school sports, which is now allowed in nearly every state.
We have reviewed the data from every state that has passed school choice legislation and sports access laws going back almost five decades and have found no state in which homeschoolers have suffered a loss of freedom as a result of those laws.
This is not to say that homeschoolers should not be vigilant and engaged whenever the legislature is in session because changes can happen that negatively impact families. That is, of course, why THSC’s legislative team is “on the ground” during legislative sessions.
As a result of the opposition of homeschool organizations, based on the unfounded fear of loss of freedom for all homeschoolers, many of these states have addressed that fear by redefining homeschoolers who choose to participate in the new law allowing students to receive educational funding.
This means that homeschool families who choose to receive ESAs will not be legally defined as homeschoolers and, therefore, not be protected by legal protections won for homeschoolers over decades of legal battles.
Essentially, this is discriminatory and in those states it has resulted in confusion and unnecessary problems for homeschool families who participate in the parental educational choice programs.
In Texas, we will oppose discriminatory measures that disenfranchise families and we will strongly stand for homeschool families being treated equally and fairly.
As always, we support the fundamental right of parents to make decisions for their children, including educational choices.
Thank you for standing with us as we work Keeping Texas Families Free!
Make sure you are signed up for our email and text messages to be ready to take immediate action to protect the parents and families of Texas.
Please sign our petitions to support these measures and get updates as parental rights reforms move through the Texas Legislature.
Read the rest of The Family Freedom Caller
Listen and Subscribe Today to the Family Freedom Caller Podcast!
Tim Lambert, THSC President
Tim Lambert, has been the president of the Texas Home School Coalition since 1990 and involved in homeschool leadership since 1984. He and his wife Lyndsay taught their four now-grown children at home for 16 years, graduating the last two in 2000. As the head of the organization for the leading home school state in the country, he is recognized as an authority on home education issues.
Tim has testified before numerous Texas legislative committees on issues related to homeschooling and often deals with state government agencies, including the Texas Education Agency and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. He has also addressed such conferences as the Texas Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers on the topic. He holds a B.A. in political science from Texas Tech University and is active in the political arena, serving eight years as Republican National Committeeman for Texas. Tim is committed to serving the homeschooling community and to protecting parents’ right to choose the method of education of their children.
Governor Abbott called a Special Session of the Texas Legislature on October 9 to address parental choice in education.
He said at the end of the last regular session that he would do so after the Texas House refused to adopt legislation that would give parents in Texas tax-supported funding to follow their students.
Special Sessions called by the Governor last for 30 days.
The Governor has also made clear that if the legislature does not pass “meaningful” educational choice legislation, he will call another session and will make this a campaign issue, meaning that he will likely campaign against legislators who oppose parental choice legislation.
The Dallas Express-News reported, “Nevertheless, Abbott has indicated that he will draw a line in the sand over school choice, saying, ‘There’s an easy way to get it done, and there’s a hard way.’ ‘We will take it either way — in a special session or after an election,’ Abbott said, according to The Texas Tribune. ‘If we do not win in that first special session, we will have another … special session, and we’ll come back again. And then, if we don’t win that time, I think it’s time to send this to the voters themselves.’”
THSC’s legislative team is on the ground in Austin focused on two key priorities.
First and foremost, we understand that whenever the legislature is in session, and education is an issue, we must be there to monitor legislation that could impact the freedom of Texas homeschoolers for good or ill.
Very often, legislators file bills and are unaware that the wording of their bill could have an adverse effect on homeschoolers and all parents. Our team is there to make sure that legislators are made aware of such situations and to provide amendments that will alleviate our concerns and protect homeschool freedom as well as the freedom of all parents in Texas.
Secondly, polling shows that homeschoolers in Texas clearly support legislation that will give families more choices when it comes to educational options for their children, and that includes legislation that would empower parents through Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) or other measures that would allow parents to fund educational opportunities for their children.
While more and more states are passing such laws, a number of those states have homeschool organizations that have actively opposed these measures due to fear that allowing homeschooled families to use such funds will lead to regulation of all homeschoolers in the state.
Similar arguments have been made against laws allowing homeschoolers to access public school sports, which is now allowed in nearly every state.
We have reviewed the data from every state that has passed school choice legislation and sports access laws going back almost five decades and have found no state in which homeschoolers have suffered a loss of freedom as a result of those laws.
This is not to say that homeschoolers should not be vigilant and engaged whenever the legislature is in session because changes can happen that negatively impact families. That is, of course, why THSC’s legislative team is “on the ground” during legislative sessions.
As a result of the opposition of homeschool organizations, based on the unfounded fear of loss of freedom for all homeschoolers, many of these states have addressed that fear by redefining homeschoolers who choose to participate in the new law allowing students to receive educational funding.
This means that homeschool families who choose to receive ESAs will not be legally defined as homeschoolers and, therefore, not be protected by legal protections won for homeschoolers over decades of legal battles.
Essentially, this is discriminatory and in those states it has resulted in confusion and unnecessary problems for homeschool families who participate in the parental educational choice programs.
In Texas, we will oppose discriminatory measures that disenfranchise families and we will strongly stand for homeschool families being treated equally and fairly.
As always, we support the fundamental right of parents to make decisions for their children, including educational choices.
Thank you for standing with us as we work Keeping Texas Families Free!
Make sure you are signed up for our email and text messages to be ready to take immediate action to protect the parents and families of Texas.
Please sign our petitions to support these measures and get updates as parental rights reforms move through the Texas Legislature.
Read the rest of The Family Freedom Caller
Listen and Subscribe Today to the Family Freedom Caller Podcast!
Tim Lambert, THSC President
Tim Lambert, has been the president of the Texas Home School Coalition since 1990 and involved in homeschool leadership since 1984. He and his wife Lyndsay taught their four now-grown children at home for 16 years, graduating the last two in 2000. As the head of the organization for the leading home school state in the country, he is recognized as an authority on home education issues.
Tim has testified before numerous Texas legislative committees on issues related to homeschooling and often deals with state government agencies, including the Texas Education Agency and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. He has also addressed such conferences as the Texas Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers on the topic. He holds a B.A. in political science from Texas Tech University and is active in the political arena, serving eight years as Republican National Committeeman for Texas. Tim is committed to serving the homeschooling community and to protecting parents’ right to choose the method of education of their children.
