Homeschooling in Texas :: New Bills Introduced in 2013



The Texas legislature is in full swing and several lobbying groups for homeschooler rights have introduced bills or are opposing bills for this session. These are important bills and garner the attention of Texas homeschoolers.

If you support them, give your legislative member a call and let them know; if you oppose them, do the same. To protect our ability to homeschool in the state of Texas, we, as educators, need to understand the importance of these proposed laws and their potential impact on homeschooling.

• House Joint Resolution 45 proposes a state constitutional amendment to protect private schools from regulation from the state and local governments. If passed, the amendment will be submitted to Texas voters on the November 5 ballot for approval.

• House Bill 462 limits the use of the Common Core State Standards in Texas public schools. HB 462 ensures that school districts are not required to teach the Common Core and prohibits the State Board of Education from adopting the Common Core. HB 462 also prohibits the Texas Education Agency and Commissioner from adopting or developing a student or teacher assessment based on the Common Core.

• House Bill 704 rejects the Common Core State Standards developed by the Common Core State Standards Initiative in the U.S. Department of Education. HB 704 would prohibit the Texas State Board of Education from adopting these standards, and would limit the use of the common core by school districts and charter schools.

• House Bill 1374 (Tim Tebow Bill) gives homeschool students the right to participate in University Interscholastic League (UIL) sports. Homeschool students wanting to participate in UIL sports would be required to pay all applicable fees and submit evidence of academic achievement as required of public school students.

• House Bill 1990 would allow homeschool students who take one or more courses from a public school district to be included in the district's average daily attendance. Currently, each school district determines the level of involvement of homeschooled students in public school classes and activities.

       {Taken from the HSLDA website}

For more information and a video update on the legislative session, please visit here.