NW Illinois News

Andrew Chesney, state senator for Illinois' 45th District, said that parents and children from his district visited him to urge the defeat of House Bill 2827. He expressed concerns that the bill would prevent parents from making "autonomous decisions regarding their kids' homeschooling." Chesney shared these views in a Facebook post on March 6.

"Today, thousands of parents and children who are part of Illinois' Homeschool community came to Springfield to urge the defeat of House Bill 2827, which would interfere with parents' ability to make autonomous decisions regarding their kids' homeschooling without interference from the State," said Chesney, according to Facebook. "This fine group is from the 45th District and it was my pleasure to meet and talk with them!"

More than two dozen homeschool parents and students from the 45th District visited Chesney’s office during the Illinois Christian Home Educators’ annual Cherry Pie Day. According to Chesney, they were among thousands of families who went to the Capitol advocating against House Bill 2827, which he described as "anti-homeschool" in his week-in-review note on his official website. He met with the group to discuss the bill, how to advocate against it, and answered questions about the legislative process.

Screenshot of State Senator Andrew Chesney March 6 | State Senator Andrew Chesney's Facebook page

House Bill 2827 requires the Illinois State Board of Education to create a homeschool declaration form for administrators to submit information to the school district where the student would otherwise attend. The bill proposes penalties for students whose homeschool administrators fail to notify the public school district of their status and mandates that homeschool students provide proof of immunization and health exams or a signed exemption certificate. The bill was filed by Representative Terra Costa Howard on February 5 and assigned to the House Education Policy Committee on March 4.

Illinois Policy framed the bill as an attack on parents' rights, despite a U.S. Supreme Court decision from 100 years ago affirming parents' right to direct their children's upbringing and education. According to Illinois Policy, the bill would also affect students and parents at private schools. Under this proposed legislation, private schools would be required to report students' names, birth dates, addresses, grade levels, and parental information to either the Illinois State Board of Education or regional offices outside Chicago; for Chicago-based students, this information would be reported directly to Chicago Public Schools.

Chesney has represented the 45th District since 2023 after serving in the 89th District starting in December 2018. He has been an elected member of the Freeport City Council and served as a board member of RAMP (Regional Access Mobilization Project), an organization providing support services and advocacy for people with disabilities. Additionally, he is a former mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters.