Members of the General Assembly are debating what is required for parents who home school their children.
Senator Stella Pekarsky is a former chairwoman of the Fairfax County School Board, but she also home schooled one of her children. She says that experience gives her firsthand knowledge a problem with how the system works.
"Right now, we have a legal loophole in the Commonwealth – a unique loophole actually amongst other states, where you could ask for a religious exemption and not educate your children ever," Pekarsky explains. "I'm not saying that that is what a majority of people do. I am saying that is legally allowable in the Commonwealth of Virginia."
That’s why she introduced a bill that would require home school parents send an email outlining how their children are being educated. Victoria Cobb at the Family Foundation says a lot of parents don't want to do that.
"Parents have religious freedom. They should not have to stand up and defend to the government what they’re trying to do with their child," Cobb says. "The government is not the judge of someone's faith, and these children are getting an education."
Even if Pekarsky's bill gets out of the Democratically-controlled General Assembly, Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin will have an opportunity to veto it.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.