Dupage Policy Journal

Margot Henshaw, owner of The Prince's Table and Liberty Luxury in Glen Ellyn, is voicing strong opposition to the proposed Illinois Homeschool Act (HB2827), calling it a direct violation of parental rights.

Henshaw highlighted how the state’s approach to education increasingly undermines family autonomy and parental decision-making, emphasizing what she sees as the growing trend of dissatisfaction with public education among parents.

"As America demonstrates in the voting booth that more liberty and less tyranny is the Zeitgeist, Illinois continues to move in the opposite direction," Henshaw told the DuPage Policy Journal. 

Currently under consideration by the Illinois House of Representatives Education Policy Committee, the bill aims to increase oversight on homeschooling families by imposing new regulations, including a requirement for a Homeschool Declaration Form to avoid truancy penalties. If homeschooled students wish to engage with public schools, certain health documentation would also need to be provided.

Critics, including Kirk Smith of Illinois Christian Home Educators, argue that the bill infringes on parental rights and introduces unnecessary bureaucratic barriers, requiring state permission for homeschooling. 

Over 41,000 Illinois residents have filed witness slips opposing the bill.

Henshaw referred to the ongoing tension between state control and individual freedoms and lamented the erosion of traditional values in schools, particularly within the teaching profession.

"Once upon a time, teachers were venerated as the selfless beings who patiently educed intelligence from our children, inculcating critical thinking, instilling in them patriotism and civic duty, providing icons of virtue (George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, etc.) for them to emulate," Henshaw said. 

"No more. Randi Weingarten and her minions have dispelled that myth and exposed themselves fully during the flu season commonly referred to as Covid 19. Children were largely unaffected by the virus; yet family lives were disrupted and little lives were upended completely as their entire world changed."

Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), recently claimed that her union's members "don’t really care" if President-elect Donald Trump dissolves the Department of Education, revealing that the union's focus is more on funding and political influence than improving student outcomes. 

Critics argue that AFT's influence has led to an ideologically confused and academically stunted generation of students, raising questions about the union's true impact on education over the past century.

Henshaw described what she saw as a failure to prioritize students' well-being and education during the pandemic, which she believes was exacerbated by the influence of teachers’ unions. 

"The teachers' union, under the auspices of Ms. Weingarten, not only exhibited a near complete lack of regard for students' socialization and learning, but also gave parents a peep into what our educational culture has devolved into," Henshaw said. "Small wonder we are now #40 among developed countries in education."

Weingarten has also had to answer for her union's failure to address the declining educational standards in the U.S. 

In response to concerns over low proficiency rates in math and reading, Weingarten has focused on blaming political opponents and rejecting standardized testing, but critics argue that her approach fails to confront the real issues plaguing American education, such as the poor performance of students in cities like Chicago.

Henshaw also raised concerns about the shift in classroom priorities, including the focus on topics like sexuality in elementary school education. 

"Children as young as Kindergarten are being distracted from the three R’s by discussions of libido,” she said. “Solipsistic teachers somehow think it is incumbent upon them to interest children in sexuality at tender ages... yet since the beginning of time, man (and woman) has figured out about sexuality by about age 20, or sooner, without any help from the government."

Henshaw’s comments extended beyond the academic sphere, addressing the emotional and psychological impacts of modern education on children. 

"Once a child is no longer innocent, the sweet naivete of youth is gone forever,” she said. “It cannot be recaptured. This goes for both heterosexual and homosexual experience. Neither is appropriate for children younger than 6th grade. And there need never be an emphasis on sexuality in the classroom.”

The issue of gender dysphoria was another area of deep concern for Henshaw, who described the current climate around gender identity as one that confuses children and damages their sense of stability. 

"Gender dysphoria has been an extremely rare condition, almost unknown throughout history. Why is there such an explosion of cases now?" she said. 

Henshaw also pointed out that the attention children receive when expressing confusion about their gender may be driving the issue.

"Children—all children—crave attention,” she said. “If a child agrees to gender dysphoria with the teacher/school nurse/social worker/doctor/principal all of a sudden, there is lots and lots of attention from adults. It is as simple as that."

With the growing dissatisfaction among parents, especially those unable to afford private schooling, Henshaw advocates for more educational freedom. 

"Many parents now understand that their child is actually at risk in a government school - and were they able to afford parochial or private schooling, they would opt for that,” she said. “Unfortunately, the usurious property tax rates in Illinois do not allow many young families that safer option. Homeschooling parents have banded together to help one another, share techniques and team teach. The homeschooled children that I know personally are incredibly polite, respectful and wholesome."

Henshaw is particularly passionate about policies that would support parents who choose homeschooling. 

"At the very least, vouchers need to be offered to families with children so that the money can follow the child and homeschooling parents should also receive a stipend to defray the cost of programs and materials needed," she said.

Henshaw views HB2827 as a restriction on the growing homeschool movement.  

"This bill before the Illinois legislature is an attempt to stultify the growing homeschool movement. Let's hope it fails."