Missouri’s Education Crisis: Why HSLDA’s Opposition to School Choice Is Misguided
Missouri’s government schools are failing our children. Academic performance continues to decline, classrooms are filled with woke indoctrination, and families desperate for alternatives are being denied the opportunity to choose a better path. Legislation currently under consideration in Missouri seeks to empower parents by expanding Education Savings Accounts (ESAs), giving them the ability to move their children out of failing government schools and into learning environments that align with their values.
Unfortunately, the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) and its representative, Scott Woodruff, are opposing these bills. Their stance is not only illogical but also contradicts their own mission statement. By standing in the way of increased educational freedom, they are actively working against the best interests of Missouri’s children and their families.
Scott Woodruff, speaking on behalf of HSLDA, opposes these bills primarily on the basis of a slippery slope argument: If government funds are involved in education today, then future government regulation of homeschooling is inevitable. But this argument does not hold up under scrutiny.
Government overreach is always a possibility, regardless of whether these bills pass. The idea that rejecting school choice today will somehow shield homeschoolers from future regulation is naïve. If anything, the opposite is true. The more families who choose alternatives to government schools, the stronger the political base will be for resisting government intrusion.
Furthermore, research shows that expanding school choice has not led to increased regulation on homeschoolers. In fact, in states where school choice programs have expanded, regulations on homeschooling have actually decreased. This directly contradicts the fear-based argument that school choice will somehow invite new restrictions on homeschool families. The evidence suggests that empowering parents with more choices creates a broader coalition of support for educational freedom, reducing government interference overall.
The truth is that school choice programs create a pathway for more families to leave failing government schools, which in turn strengthens the homeschooling movement. Opposing these bills out of fear of future regulations is like refusing to board a lifeboat because you might get wet—it’s a nonsensical position that ultimately harms the very people HSLDA claims to protect.
HSLDA’s mission statement declares that they exist to “advance and protect the homeschool freedom.” But by opposing these bills, they are actively restricting access to homeschooling for thousands of Missouri families.
As a homeschooling father and a member of HSLDA, I am deeply concerned by this contradiction. Many families are trapped in government schools simply because they cannot afford an alternative. These bills would provide critical funding that could allow parents to make the leap into homeschooling or private education. By fighting against this opportunity, HSLDA is denying these families the very freedom they claim to champion.
If HSLDA truly supports homeschooling freedom, they should be doing everything in their power to make homeschooling more accessible, not siding with those who wish to trap children in failing and ideologically driven government schools.
Missouri’s government schools are not just struggling academically; they are actively harming children by pushing radical left-wing ideology. According to the Show-Me Institute’s Missouri School Rankings Project, many of the state’s schools rank among the worst in the country. Instead of focusing on core subjects like reading, writing, and arithmetic, schools are prioritizing gender theory, Critical Race Theory, and leftist political activism.
Missouri parents have had enough. They see what is happening in the classrooms, and they want out. But without the financial means to choose another option, they are forced to keep their children in failing institutions that act more like indoctrination camps than places of education.
Opposing these school choice bills is the equivalent of sentencing children to a prison of academic failure and ideological extremism. Every day that these bills are stalled or rejected is another day that thousands of Missouri kids are trapped in a system designed to erode their values and undermine their futures.
Instead of opposing school choice bills out of fear, HSLDA should be taking a three-pronged approach to protecting educational freedom:
- Defend Homeschoolers Where They Are – HSLDA should continue its core mission of defending homeschoolers from government overreach, regardless of whether ESAs exist.
- Support Opportunities for More Families to Homeschool – Rather than fighting against funding options that help families escape government schools, HSLDA should support school choice initiatives that make homeschooling more accessible for working-class and single-parent families.
- Work to Reduce Regulations for All – The ultimate goal should not be to oppose school choice but to fight for the removal of excessive regulations on all homeschoolers, regardless of the path they choose. Expanding school choice will create a larger, more powerful coalition to fight for fewer regulations across the board.
Missouri’s school choice legislation is an opportunity to expand educational freedom for thousands of families. By opposing these bills, HSLDA is abandoning its mission and leaving children trapped in failing, woke government schools. Their slippery slope argument holds no logical weight, and their opposition actively works against the homeschooling movement’s long-term success.
The real path forward is clear: Support these bills, empower families, and build a movement that can push back against government overreach while expanding educational options for all. Anything less is a betrayal of the very principles HSLDA claims to stand for.
Links
HB 77
SB 24
SB 195
SB 572
Homeschool Regulatory Changes: Do Adjacent Policy Changes Matter?
This Is How ‘Woke’ Schools Really Are—According to Students
The Missouri School Rankings Project
HSLDA Mission Statement
