Homeschool leaders meet with Louisiana child welfare agency

(The Center Square) – Homeschool advocacy groups and Louisiana officials met with the state’s Department of Children and Family Services last week after comments by the agency’s secretary sparked concern among homeschooling families, renewing attention on both parental rights and the state’s existing homeschool regulations.

Representatives from the Home School Legal Defense Association, Homeschool Louisiana, Louisiana Homeschool Network and Louisiana Homeschool Support met with DCFS Secretary Rebecca Harris and agency staff. State Reps. Beryl Amedee, Josh Carlson and Kim Carver also attended.

HSLDA requested the meeting after Harris testified before the Louisiana Senate Health and Welfare Committee in March that “nationally and … in Louisiana, children in homeschools are children that are often abused.”

Homeschooling has grown significantly in Louisiana over the past two decades. Johns Hopkins reported nearly 5,800 homeschooled students statewide in 2002, rising to about 13,000 by 2019 and more than 16,000 b...