• Reviewed 383 bills beginning January 2025

All PA House members and half of the PA Senate members are up for election in November 2026.

Pennsylvania House

https://www.palegis.us/house/committees/12/education 

  • The Democrat Party continues to retain control of the PA House by one seat.
  • Representative Peter Schweyer (D) from Lehigh County remains Chairman of the Education Committee.
  • Minority Chair is Bryan Cutler (R) of Lancaster County
  • 225 bills were referred to the House Education Committee, 66 advanced out of committee. None of these bills address homeschooling issues directly.
  • Legislation Being Monitored
    • *Memo Ensuring Parental Access to Current Vaccine Information Act
    • PA HB 869 – No movement.
      • Exempt from the requirements of a declaration by the Governor of disaster emergency under 35 Pa.C.S. § 7301(c) (relating to general authority of Governor) or an order by the Secretary of Health under the laws of this Commonwealth. Referred to State Government March 11, 2025
    • PA HB 46 – No movement.
      • Require all districts to provide Full Day Kindergarten and Part Day Pre K program, change compulsory age to 5-17 years Referred to Education Jan 10, 2025
    • PA HB 829 – No movement.
      • Full Time Kindergarten for kids ages 3-5 Referred to Education March 10, 2025 Referred to Education Feb 25, 2025
    • PA HB 1596 – No movement.
      • Amends the Tax Reform Code of 1971 to provide a sales tax exemption for back-to-school supplies. Referred to Finance June 11, 2025

Pennsylvania Senate

https://www.palegis.us/senate/committees/23/education

  • The Republican Party continues to retain control of the PA Senate by 4 seats.
  • The Chair of the Education Committee is Lynda Schlegal Culver (R) from Northumberland County
  • The Minority Chair is Lindsey Williams (D) from Allegheny County
  • 117 bills were referred to the Senate Education Committee, 43 bills advanced.
  • Legislation being monitored.
    • *PA SB 1340 – Referred to Education May 20, 2026
      • Amends the Public School Code to support military families with homeschooled children. It provides a 30-day compliance window for out-of-state transfers and explicitly allows homeschooled students to participate in local Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) programs
      • https://www.palegis.us/legislation/bills/text/PDF/2025/0/SB1340/PN1732
    • *PA HB 2632 – Passed House Floor Jun 22, 2026, Referred to Senate Education
    • *PA HB1667 – Passed House and Senate, currently in reconciliation
      • HOME SCHOOLING.–AN OPPORTUNITY SCHOLARSHIP ORGANIZATION SHALL NOT AWARD AN OPPORTUNITY SCHOLARSHIP TO AN APPLICANT FOR ENROLLMENT IN A HOME EDUCATION PROGRAM UNDER SECTION 1327.1 OF  THE PUBLIC SCHOOL CODE OF 1949.
      • https://www.palegis.us/legislation/bills/2025/hb1667
    • *SB 720– Amended June 9, 2026
      • Mandates comprehensive eye health and vision examinations for new students and those with disabilities, requiring parents to submit proof of the exam to the school. The legislation also updates vision screening requirements to meet modern professional standards, with costs for exams and treatments not covered by schools.
      • https://www.palegis.us/legislation/bills/2025/sb720
  • *PASB 378 – Laid on the table (Pursuant to Senate Rule 9), June 3, 2026, temporarily set aside and rendered inactive, effectively pausing its progress.
    • The bill is designed to address rising cyberattacks and security risks within school districts by creating clearer, more accountability-focused guidelines for handling student personal information. It establishes strict rules for educational entities regarding the collection, storage, and sharing of student data, creates a Chief Data Privacy Officer, and limits third-party vendor use of data. The bill mandates security policies, prohibits selling student data, and allows parents/students to review records. March 23- amended and referred out of committee.
  • PA SB 969 – No Movement.
    • Proposes an Education Savings Account (Educational Freedom for Families Program). While this bill is sponsored by several homeschool-friendly senators, CHAP opposes this legislation as it would inevitably restrict homeschool freedom across the commonwealth. So far, the bill has not advanced out of the education committee.
  • PA SB 139 – No Movement.
    • Provides an exception from compulsory education for certain children with disabilities. The language could set a precedent for tailored attendance exemptions.  We will continue to monitor this bill to ensure that homeschool families with special needs students aren’t adversely affected by any shifted definitions of compulsory education or continued attendance enforcement.
  • PA SB 984 – No Movement.
    • Revises attendance and truancy procedures in the Public School Code, with new enforcement mechanisms and support structures. It strengthens and clarifies how charter and cyber charter schools define and monitor attendance, aligning them with compulsory attendance provisions.  We will continue to monitor this bill to ensure there are no adverse impacts on homeschool attendance.
  • PA SB 304 – No Movement.
    • Establishes a scholarship account — essentially an Education Opportunity Account — for military families to support their children’s education. The bill does not yet provide detail about eligibility, funding amounts, or compliance beyond military linkage.  Legislation that introduces government funding of private education will necessarily come with regulations and restrictions to enforce fiscal responsibility and provide accountability.  As stated previously, CHAP opposes any legislation that would inevitably restrict homeschool freedoms.

NOTE: Districts continue to request additional private information from homeschool supervisors beyond what is required by law. Homeschool students would not currently be protected under this legislation. Currently policies to protect such physical and digital information are limited as we saw when a PA district sent a child’s medical forms to the wrong family. While this legislation does not specifically address homeschoolers, all homeschool information and data is currently collected and stored by public school districts and their associates. The CHAP Legislative Team will continue to monitor this legislation. CHAP continues to educate and encourage homeschoolers to supply only what is required by law to districts to help protect children’s personal information.

HSLDA: PA School District Violates Homeschooler’s Privacy – CHAP

Pennsylvania Home Education Law – Homeschool Pennsylvania

United States Congress

  • US Senate Chairman of Education is Dr. Bill Cassidy (R) Louisiana. The Ranking Member is Bernie Sanders (D) Vermont.
  • House Education Committee Chairman is Tim Walberg (R) Minnesota. Three Pennsylvania members serve on this committee. Representative Glenn Thompson (R), Representative Ryan Mackenzie (R), and Representative Summer Lee (D).

CHAP News

  • PA Homeschoolers continue to be asked for additional Medical and Immunization Documentation from districts, CHAP continues to share information from the law and HSLDA supporting why homeschoolers should not need to submit immunization records or information about medical exams to the school district.
  • Representative Jones joined us at our 2026 CHAP Convention. He and his team provided free PA educational resources to families, and Representative Jones spoke for 2 workshop sessions.
    • Rejoicing in Hope: Teaching America’s Story in the Homeschool – As CHAP celebrates 40 years alongside our nation’s 250th anniversary, this workshop invites homeschool families to reflect on America’s founding, its guiding principles, and the biblical truths that shaped our republic. Rooted in Romans 12:12, the session equips parents to teach American history with gratitude, hope, and conviction, encouraging students to love their country, understand its heritage and faithfully live out their role as future citizens.
    • Teaching Civics at Home: Raising Engaged Citizens Through Real Life Action – With increasing pressure on homeschool freedoms nationwide, it is more important than ever for homeschool families to understand and participate in the civic process. This workshop encourages parents to see civic involvement, especially voter education and Get Out the Vote efforts, as a practical and meaningful way to fulfill required civics education at both the elementary and secondary levels. Families will learn how real-world participation can teach students responsibility, citizenship, and the value of protecting the freedoms that make homeschooling possible.
  • CHAP hosted a Hometown Tour with Lauren Gideon from Education Independence across 5 locations around PA
  • The 2026 CHAP Capitol Day was very successful and sold out. The Capitol Day team is looking at options for 2027 to accommodate more people.
  • Issues with PA Homeschool families and ELANCO School District have been resolved after the district sent a school official and a school social worker to the families’ homes

National News

  • HSLDA monitoring 232 bills nationally, none in PA
  • S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), and Ashley Moody (R-Fla.) introduced the Continuity of Military Parents’ Academic Schooling and State Standards (COMPASS) Act. This legislation allows military families to continue following the homeschooling laws of the servicemember’s legal home state during Permanent Change of Station (PCS) moves, rather than immediately shifting to the laws of the new duty station state, reducing the burdens on those families and enhancing homeschooling options.https://www.cruz.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sens-cruz-budd-moody-introduce-bill-to-support-military-homeschool-families
  • “Make Homeschool Safe Act” continues to raise concern as this proposed model legislation has surfaced in several states. “This model bill represents one of the more dangerous threats to homeschool families and homeschool freedom in the last decade.” — Jim Mason President, HSLDA MHSA

CHAP will continue to monitor bills as the session continues and provide regular updates.

Be sure to sign up for CHAP E-News for Legislative Updates, and follow us on social media to stay up to date on the latest from Pennsylvania’s 2026 legislative session.

For 40 years, CHAP has been on the front lines, working to equip, connect, encourage, and protect those interested in homeschooling. Community support is essential in making this happen.

Partner with CHAP to support this important work today Donate to CHAP Mission and Freedom Fund. Reviewed 383 bills beginning January 2025