The FREE Act: Groundbreaking “Family Right to Educational Emancipation” Legislation Introduced in Tennessee
By Tiffany Boyd
Tiffany Boyd has been a monthly contributor to The Murfreesboro Pulse since August, 2021.
The special session in Tennessee ended as expected—the Education Freedom Scholarship Act passed. Our state and many others have officially adopted an agenda whose goal is the destruction of true private education.
I would like to commend the legislators who held their ground and voted no. They listened to their constituents—many of whom seemed opposed to the legislation—and stood firm under immense pressure from their Republican counterparts who bowed the knee to big money and lobbyists.
As we have been warning about the dangers of school choice for years, we fully anticipated the passage of this in our state. Therefore the Free YOUR Children team worked to draft legislation that would offer true educational freedom in Tennessee.
It is important for us to have legislators who are dedicated and supportive of our educational, parental and constitutional rights to sponsor our bill. Senator Janice Bowling and Representative Todd Warner exemplified those qualities by representing their constituents during the special session. We are thankful for their willingness to support and truly empower parents by recognizing our constitutional rights and sponsoring this alternate legislation.
As legislators were working to pass the Education Freedom Scholarship Act, they consistently affirmed that this voucher bill would “put parents in the driver’s seat of their child’s education.” We listened as they emphatically proclaimed that parents were the most equipped to make educational decisions for their children.
We hope that our legislators in Tennessee truly meant what they said. One of their main talking points was the empowerment of parents. True empowerment is what our bill, the FREE Act, provides without the trappings associated with government money surely to result from the recently passed “school choice” bill.
According to Will Estrada, senior legal counsel of Home School Legal Defense Association, currently there are 11 states that require no reporting for home schoolers—Alaska, Idaho, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey and Connecticut. Currently, The Homeschool Freedom Act in Wyoming (HB 46) has passed out of the House. Tennessee is only one of two states to potentially secure educational autonomy through legislation. This would be groundbreaking for Tennessee.
Home-school families drafted The Family Right to Educational Emancipation (FREE) Act (SB 494/HB 552) as a way to provide parents in Tennessee, who so desire, true educational autonomy and freedom. The bill creates a distinct category of home schools that are not subject to the data collection, reporting or assessment requirements applicable to existing independent home-school programs and public schools, and exempts such home-school students and parents from compulsory school attendance requirements.
Every legislator who claims they believe that parents are the best equipped to make educational decisions for their children should lend their support to this effort. This is true school choice. We are simply asking that our Constitutional rights be recognized as they have been in other states. This bill will protect home schoolers and establish Tennessee as one of the truly free home schooling states. Find more on the bill (SB 494/HB 552) at capitol.tn.gov or read its full text here.
The National Republican Platform states that Republicans plan to “ . . . ensure safe learning environments free from political meddling, and restore Parental Rights. We commit to an Education System that empowers students, supports families, and promotes American Values.” They go on to assert, “We trust Parents!”
As the Libertarian platform espouses, “Parents, or other guardians, have the right to raise their children according to their own standards and beliefs, provided that the rights of children to be free from abuse and neglect are also protected.”
The Constitution Party Platform says, “WE SUPPORT THE PARENTAL RIGHT TO PROVIDE FOR THE EDUCATION OF THEIR CHILDREN:
· We support the unimpeded right of parents to provide for the education of their children in the manner they deem best, including home, private or religious.
· All legislation from any level of government that would interfere with or restrict that liberty should be opposed.
· Compulsory attendance laws should be repealed.”
If Republicans, Libertarians and Constitutionalists are committed to upholding their own platforms, the FREE Act should be supported by each and every one. Our bill draws a line in the sand. True conservatives and liberty-minded individuals will be defined by how they vote on this piece of legislation. If they truly support home schooling and parents in the state of Tennessee, it will reflect in their vote.
Our bill does not seek to limit parental choice. It is an additional home-school category, free from any governmental oversight or interference. Parents will still have the option to enroll in the various other legal home-school categories if they so choose. It is important to note that Free YOUR Children is a Christian ministry; however, the FREE Act is a bill that will benefit all home-school families that desire freedom. Freedom applies to every parent.
“It is a great honor to carry an education freedom bill that protects home schoolers across this great state of Tennessee,” Representative Warner said. “This is a true school choice bill for families in Tennessee.”
We invite supporters of parental rights and schooling freedom to come and be a part of something historic in our great state of Tennessee. Do you want to establish a state where true educational freedom and constitutional rights are recognized? Now is the time.
We need your help to get this bill passed.
Reach out to legislators today and ask them to vote YES on HB0552 /SB0494. Sending personal emails and calling is a great way to let them know that you support this bill.
It is also critical that parents and supporters show up in person as the bill moves through committee. Please commit to joining us. Subscribe to our newsletter, follow us on social media platforms and visit freeyourchildren.com for updated information on the bill and for calls to action.
The Free YOUR Children ministry is committed to protecting educational, parental and Constitutional rights in Tennessee and across the nation. We are honored to have had the opportunity to have drafted legislation that seeks to do just that. A special thank-you to our team members who have worked tirelessly for families throughout this process.
Please start contacting members of both the House and Senate Education Committees! Ask them to vote YES for The FREE Act SB0494/HB0552.
Senate Education Committee:
sen.raumesh.akbari@capitol.tn.gov
Suite 764 Cordell Hull Bldg.
(615) 741-1767
sen.rusty.crowe@capitol.tn.gov
Suite 720 Cordell Hull Bldg.
(615) 741-2468
sen.ferrell.haile@capitol.tn.gov
Suite 708 Cordell Hull Bldg.
(615) 741-1999
sen.joey.hensley@capitol.tn.gov
Suite 742 Cordell Hull Bldg.
(615) 741-3100
sen.adam.lowe@capitol.tn.gov
Suite 732 Cordell Hull Bldg.
(615) 741-1946
sen.mark.pody@capitol.tn.gov
Suite 754 Cordell Hull Bldg.
(615) 741-2421
sen.bill.powers@capitol.tn.gov
Suite 772 Cordell Hull Bldg.
(615) 741-2374
sen.kerry.roberts@capitol.tn.gov
Suite 746 Cordell Hull Bldg.
(615) 741-4499
sen.dawn.white@capitol.tn.gov
Suite 744 Cordell Hull Bldg.
(615) 741-6853
House Education Committee:
rep.jody.barrett@capitol.tn.gov
Suite 596 Cordell Hull Bldg
(615) 741-3513
rep.charlie.baum@capitol.tn.gov
Suite 620 Cordell Hull Bldg.
(615) 741-6849
rep.gino.bulso@capitol.tn.gov
Suite 520 Cordell Hull Bldg.
(615) 741-6808
rep.scott.cepicky@capitol.tn.gov
Suite 678 Cordell Hull Bldg
(615) 741-3005
rep.ronnie.glynn@capitol.tn.gov
Suite 410 Cordell Hull Bldg.
(615) 741-2043
rep.yusuf.hakeem@capitol.tn.gov
Suite 524 Cordell Hull Bldg.
(615) 741-2702
rep.kirk.haston@capitol.tn.gov
Suite 554 Cordell Hull Bldg.
(615) 741-0750
rep.chris.hurt@capitol.tn.gov
Suite 500 Cordell Hull Bldg.
(615) 741-2134
rep.gloria.johnson@capitol.tn.gov
Suite 434 Cordell Hull Bldg.
(615) 741-2031
rep.renea.jones@capitol.tn.gov
Suite 584 Cordell Hull Bldg.
(615) 741-7450
rep.aron.maberry@capitol.tn.gov
Suite 576 Cordell Hull Bldg.
(615) 741-4341
rep.sam.mckenzie@capitol.tn.gov
Suite 512 Cordell Hull Bldg.
(615) 741-0768
rep.kevin.raper@capitol.tn.gov
Suite 508 Cordell Hull Bldg.
(615) 741-1350
rep.jay.reedy@capitol.tn.gov
Suite 402 Cordell Hull Bldg.
(615) 741-7098
rep.lee.reeves@capitol.tn.gov
Suite 552 Cordell Hull Bldg.
(615) 741-1864
rep.william.slater@capitol.tn.gov
Suite 568 Cordell Hull Bldg.
(615) 741-2534
rep.robert.stevens@capitol.tn.gov
Suite 432 Cordell Hull Bldg.
(615) 741-3830
rep.mark.white@capitol.tn.gov
Suite 624 Cordell Hull Bldg.
(615) 741-4415
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Photo, Top, Courtesy of Olia Danilevich / Pexels
