• Reviewed 339 bills beginning January 2025

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

Pennsylvania House

  • The Democrat Party continues to retain control of the PA House by one seat.
  • 218 bills were referred to the House Education Committee, 34 advanced out of committee. None of these bills address homeschooling issues directly.
    • HB 869’s title indicates it would amend the Public School Code to provide an exemption for nonpublic school and home education programs in “terms and courses of study.” The bill was referred to the State Government Committee and doesn’t appear to have moved further or had text widely published yet.  Its language suggests an effort to clarify or expand exemptions for homeschoolers and nonpublic programs from certain mandated state curriculum requirements.  We will continue to monitor the bill to determine whether it would protect homeschoolers from curriculum mandates that apply to public schools or whether it’s a cosmetic change with little real impact on existing home education autonomy.
    • HB 46 would amend the Public School Code to require all school districts to offer pre-kindergarten programs and adjust kindergarten/compulsory age limits. It lowers the age definition for “compulsory school age,” meaning children could legally enter school at age 5 instead of 6 and remain through age 17 under the code. This bill doesn’t directly affect homeschool law, but by changing compulsory age language and expanding early learning mandates, it could signal a shift toward earlier formal schooling expectations
    • HB 829 aims to revise how kindergarten and related attendance rules work in public schools, chiefly providing for full-day kindergarten and updating definitions of student age (for kids ages 3-5 )/temporary residence. We will continue to monitor the bill looking for any changes to age limits, attendance definitions, or compulsory age that could indirectly influence how auditors, districts, or courts interpret homeschool compliance requirements over time.
  • Representative Peter Schweyer (D) from Lehigh County remains Chairman of the Education Committee.
  • Minority Chair is Bryan Cutler (R) of Lancaster County.
  • Most recent Committee Meeting took place January 27, 2026

Pennsylvania Senate

  • The Republican Party continues to retain control of the PA Senate by 4 seats.
  • 121 bills were referred to the Senate Education Committee, 29 bills advanced. Only one bill could directly impact homeschooling
    • SB 969 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.
    • SB 139 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.
    • SB 984 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.
    • SB 304 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 homechool freedoms.
  • The Chair of the Education Committee is Lynda Schlegal Culver (R) from Northumberland County.
  • The Minority Chair remains Lindsey Williams (D) from Allegheny County.
  • Most Recent Committee Meeting took place December 9, 2025
  • No Committee Meetings Scheduled at this time

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).
  • The Federal Scholarship Tax Credit (FSTC) program was enacted in 2025 as part of the “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act.” Individuals can receive a nonrefundable federal income tax credit of up to $1,700 per year for cash contributions to qualified Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs).
    • The credit is 100 % of the donation (dollar-for-dollar) up to the limit and can’t be claimed as a charitable deduction.
    • Scholarships go to eligible K-12 students — families with household income below 300 % of the area median income (AMI).
    • SGOs must be 501(c)(3) nonprofits, spend at least 90 % of revenue on qualifying scholarships, and meet federal requirements.
    • The program starts January 1, 2027 (credits claimed on 2027 tax returns in 2028) and is optional for states to participate.
    • Scholarship funds can be used for qualified K-12 educational expenses including tuition, fees, books, supplies, tutoring, special needs services, technology, and related costs. However, unlike many other programs, funds can flow to homeschool-related costs only if the SGO’s policies allow it.
    • The House Republican Policy Committee held a hearing on Jan 23rd to discuss this program and have called on Governor Shapiro to act before the 2026 deadline, urging Pennsylvania to continue its progress. Pennsylvania must opt into the federal program for families to be able to participate in the program.
    • Areas of Concern
      • Risk of inflation or tuition creep: As seen in other state programs, when new scholarship funding becomes available, private school tuition, homeschool curriculum costs, and services like piano lessons can rise, potentially diminishing the real value of scholarships. These well intended efforts can cause unintended economic effects that make schooling less affordable even with support funds.
      • Scholarship use isn’t automatically guaranteed for “homeschool costs”: Federal rules allow the broad use of scholarship funds, but SGO policies and state regulations will determine which homeschool expenses qualify. Some SGOs historically limit scholarship use to tuition at private schools, not homeschooling.
      • Compliance and equity issues: Scholarship distributions could create hidden reporting or oversight requirements for homeschoolers beyond typical affidavit/portfolio requirements. SGOs may favor private schools to the detriment of homeschool families.

CHAP News

  • CHAP and HSLDA hosted a State of the Nation Virtual Event on Jan 20th via Zoom
  • CHAP attended the Education Unlocked Mega Expo school choice event in Station Square Pittsburgh, PA on Jan 31st.
  • CHAP Hometown Tour 2026: Lauren Gideon from Education Independence (an initiative of Classical Conversations) will speak at each of our five 2026 Hometown Tour Stops across the commonwealth.
  • CHAP will be holding a Capitol Day event in Harrisburg on Tuesday April 21, 2026
  • 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.  Ginger Wayde host of Chattin’ with CHAP and Will Estrada of HSLDA review this topic on Chattin’ with CHAP episode 276 (9:00min mark – 19:00min).  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqBw6KPEUIY
  • Issues with PA Homeschool families and ELANCO School District were resolved after the district sent a school official and a school social worker to the families’ homes

National News

Global News