Kane County Reporter

Devin Corbett, chairman of the Aurora Township Republicans, has called on legislators to oppose House Bill 2827, citing concerns over parental rights and homeschooling freedoms that have been preserved in Illinois for more than 70 years. Corbett made these remarks to the Kane County Reporter on February 18.

"Legislators must reject House Bill 2827, which threatens both education freedom and parental rights," said Corbett. "Illinois has safeguarded homeschooling for over 70 years, but this bill would strip families of their long-standing protections. HB 2827 isn't just bad policy—it's a dangerous power grab that must be stopped. Parents, not government officials, should be in charge of their children's education."

House Bill 2827, known as The Homeschool Act, is outlined on the Illinois General Assembly website. The proposed legislation would require homeschool administrators to submit a Homeschool Declaration Form to confirm a child's enrollment in a homeschool program. Failure to submit this form would result in the student being considered truant, with associated penalties. The bill also sets forth requirements for homeschool administrators and programs, as well as reporting procedures.

According to Awake Illinois, a post on social media platform X from February 9 expressed opposition to HB2827: "We need you to help us oppose IL #HB2827, filed February 7 by woke radical Democrats. It will override education freedom that has been in place for homeschoolers since 1950. This Illinois bill is an attack on homeschool freedom."

The National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI) reports that homeschooled students generally outperform their public school counterparts on standardized tests by 15 to 25 percentile points. Additionally, NHERI states that 78% of studies favor homeschooled students academically and that their success is not significantly influenced by parental education levels or household income. Homeschooled students also tend to score above average on college entrance exams like the SAT and ACT.

Corbett was elected Chairman of the Aurora Township Republican Party in 2024. According to the party's website, he aims to "boost Republican voter turnout, grow the party’s membership, and communicate the party’s positions on issues that matter to Aurora Township voters."