New Jersey Blinked
The holidays weren’t even behind us yet when the first warning over parental rights legislation was sounded in New Jersey. Assembly Bill 5796, which would require every homeschooling family to visit with a school official for a “welfare visit” on an annual basis, was scheduled to be heard in the Assembly Health Committee on Monday, January 5.
We received word of this threat from our friends at the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) and New Jersey Parental Rights, and we passed their warning on to those of you living in the Garden State. And you responded!
Over the weekend, we learned that the bill had been pulled from the committee’s Monday morning agenda. This was in direct response to the outpouring of emails and phone calls from concerned New Jersey parents. Like us, these parents don’t believe they should have to give up their Fourth Amendment right to be secure in their homes and persons in order to exercise their fundamental rights to choose and provide their child’s education.
We should never be forced to choose which rights we are going to exercise and which ones we will give up. That isn’t how rights work.
As a result, the bill was pulled from the committee agenda, which was the right thing to do.
Unfortunately, experience has told us this is likely not the end.
A.5796 could be added to a later committee meeting agenda and move forward. It could be replaced by another bill that is as bad or worse. So, while we are hopeful some lawmakers are listening to the concerned parents reaching out, others may simply be waiting for a more opportune time to bring the bill forward.
For that reason, we must (and we will!) remain vigilant.
And that’s not only true in New Jersey, but all over the country.
We expect challenges to home school freedoms to arise in multiple states in the weeks and months ahead. Because, while we agree with the Supreme Court that “natural bonds of affection lead parents to act in their child’s best interest,” and that parents should receive the benefit of that legal presumption, many statist lawmakers do not. They believe that, if it will save even one child from abuse, then all parents everywhere should simply surrender their rights.
In contrast, we believe that supporting and empowering loving parents will produce the best outcomes for the greatest number of children.
That’s why we’ll be watching state legislatures and standing for parental rights. We will support those bills that further parental rights, and we will stand in opposition to bills like A.5796 that rob families of their proper rights.
This week is only the beginning. And while it is exciting to report that the proponents of this bill blinked first and withdrew it from the committee agenda, we don’t want to celebrate too early. We still have a long way to go to cross that finish line.
Thank you for taking this journey with us, for supporting us, and for making your voice heard when and where it is needed. Only together can we protect children by empowering parents in 2026!