The big picture:
Connecticut has virtually no safeguards in place for homeschooled children, one of just 12 states nationwide with such minimal oversight. According to a new report from the Office of the Child Advocate (OCA), the consequences of this hands-off approach are serious.
The report:
Titled A Review of Children Withdrawn from School for Equivalent Instruction Elsewhere, the OCA report highlights how easy it is in Connecticut to withdraw a child from public school without triggering any follow-up or evaluation. According to the child advocate:
- Withdrawing due to chronic absenteeism or public school transfers requires school district involvement.
- Withdrawing for homeschooling or private school? Just a single form and no check-ins, no academic assessments, or no safety evaluations after that.
By the numbers:
The OCA looked at data from six Connecticut school districts over three years and found:
- 380 children were withdrawn for homeschooling.
- 36% of those children lived in homes previously reported to the Department of Children and Families (DCF).
- 11% of the homes had four or more prior DCF reports.
Why it matters:
The lack of follow-up allows families with repeated child welfare red flags to effectively vanish from oversight. The report called this loophole “deeply concerning.”
Regional context:
Connecticut is an outlier in New England. Every other state in the region requires annual evaluations or academic checks for homeschooled students, but Connecticut does not.
What’s next:
The OCA’s findings may prompt renewed calls for legislation to align Connecticut with neighboring states and close the gaps that put vulnerable children at risk.
