Freedom Watch District Impact Summary 2024-2025
At a Glance: How HEAV Protected Homeschool Families in 2024–2025
Problems Solved: HEAV addressed 244 incidents and conflicts affecting homeschool families in Virginia and successfully resolved 97% of them, preventing escalation.
Homeschool Freedoms Protected: The top issues involved Virginia’s homeschool privacy law, local overreach, and limited familiarity with Virginia’s compulsory attendance laws.
Statewide Work: HEAV’s School Board Monitor Team reviewed 1,728 school board agendas across Virginia, spotting issues early and protecting families before problems spread.
Virginia is home to a vibrant, empowered community of homeschool families, deeply committed to educating their children and helping them flourish—on their own terms. As homeschool parents ourselves, HEAV is honored and committed to protecting this freedom and ensuring that families have the support and guidance they need to navigate the incredible homeschool journey.
On the Ground for Parents
While HEAV’s government affairs team focuses on state and federal issues, the government relations team works at the local level—identifying policy and implementation concerns, reducing conflicts, fostering community relations, and safeguarding our cherished freedoms.
This essential local work ensures parents can educate their children without unnecessary or unlawful challenges and safeguards our hard-fought freedom to exercise the “fundamental right of parents to determine the education and upbringing of their children” (VA Code § 1-240.1. Rights of parents.)
2024-2025 Local Impact
During the 2024–2025 school year, HEAV’s government relations team—which includes our director of government relations and a 17-member school board monitor team—monitored 1,728 school board agendas and addressed 244 escalated incidents affecting homeschool families and certified teachers.
We are pleased to report that the team achieved a remarkable 97% resolution rate, repairing the rails statewide for parents and division personnel and preventing further escalation.
Top three challenges addressed for 2024-2025:
- Privacy Law Concerns: The top challenge this year related to the statutory privacy protections afforded to homeschool families under Virginia’s home instruction law (see subsection G). These incidents included privacy breaches and local public school policies that were inconsistent with the law. The latter challenge will continue into the 2025–2026 school year.
- Overreach: HEAV addressed incidents involving overreach that included efforts to obtain nonpublic school student information outside the limits of the law; emails, website content, and school board policy suggesting parents must receive “approval” or submit an application before withdrawing from public school or providing home instruction; and a variety of additional arbitrary “requirements” unsupported by the law.
- Unfamiliarity with Virginia Law: HEAV addressed numerous challenges in which local personnel were unaware of existing statutes, including the kindergarten op-out option, religious exemption, and certified tutor or teacher of qualifications laws.
Additional Challenges
Additional challenges involved misunderstandings regarding Notice of Intent (NOI) and evidence of progress requirements, inappropriate truancy contacts and investigations, and overreach relating to graduation. Among several issues involving questionable practices, families also experienced the denial of confirmation that legally required documents, such as the NOI and evidence of progress, had been received.
Please Join Us in Protecting Homeschool Freedom
HEAV’s work is only possible because of our incredible homeschool community and supporters. Monitoring, addressing, and resolving policy and implementation concerns requires expertise, time, and a dedicated team.
