Representative Jeremy Strach introduced House Bill 46, titled the Homeschool Freedom Act, to remove the statutory requirement that parents who home-educate submit their curriculum to the local school board. The bill sets an effective date of July 1, 2025.

Representative Strach said the bill ‘‘would give parents the right to educate their children at home without government overreach’’ and noted that several states do not require this notification. He also said the bill would not change existing law that allows homeschooled students to participate in public-school activities under W.S. 21-4-506.

Dicky Shanor spoke for State Superintendent Megan Degenfelder and indicated the superintendent ‘‘is in support of this bill.’’ The Wyoming Department of Family Services (DFS) offered a cautionary perspective. Corinne Schmidt, director of the Wyoming Department of Family Services, said the department ‘‘doesn't have an opinion on this bill other than just to highlight a little bit of a complication it creates for us as we are tasked with investigating educational neglect.’’

Schmidt explained that DFS receives roughly 50 educational-neglect allegations statewide each year and substantiates about half of those. She said the current curriculum-submission requirement provides a straightforward verification tool in some investigations: ‘‘When we investigate that, we will go talk to the family...One of the ways that we can verify for homeschooling is that that is reported to the district, and then the district can check the curriculum.’’ Schmidt added that without a way to verify curriculum, DFS investigations into alleged educational neglect could become more difficult and that the department may seek an amendment allowing verification upon request.

Public testimony included supporters who described the submission requirement as unnecessary red tape. Brenna Lowry, president of Homeschool Wyoming, said the annual submission felt like ‘‘a hoop to jump through with no outcome’’ and that many new homeschool families find the requirement confusing. Representatives of education organizations urged the committee to consider practical impacts when families return to public school. Tate Mullen of the Wyoming Education Association said curriculum submission ‘‘ensures when that child comes back to a public education system, that the remedial action isn't an undue burden on our educators.’’ Boyd Brown of the Wyoming Association of School Administrators said districts only ask to be notified so they do not mistakenly treat homeschooled students as truant.

Committee members questioned DFS about how curriculum verification is used in practice. Director Schmidt said DFS could request curricula from families during a neglect investigation but that caseworkers lack the educational expertise to assess curricular quality without consulting schools, which can create additional complications.

Moved and seconded by committee members, House Bill 46 passed committee on a roll-call vote: Representatives Bratton, Guggenmoss, Kelly, Lawley, Singh, Strock, Williams and Chairman Andrew voted aye; Representative Erickson voted no. The committee recorded 8 aye, 1 no. DFS said it may seek an amendment to preserve DFS’s ability to request verification in specific investigations; no amendment was adopted in committee.