Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont supports a bill that would require the Department of Children and Families to get an alert when children are withdrawn from school.
The bill is in response to the death of an 11-year-old girl, whose remains were found months after she had reportedly disappeared from public view under the guise of homeschooling.
In defense of the bill, Lamont said it’s not a move against homeschooling.
“I love the homeschoolers. I love the care and love they give to their kids and what they are doing in terms of education,” he said.
“But sometimes someone falls through the cracks when they are not seen in a school. So, we are just trying to find a way that we can keep track of those kids and make sure that they are safe,” Lamont said.
The governor’s comments followed a day of emotional testimony from parents of home-schooled children at an Education Committee public hearing on Wednesday.
Some parents and Republican lawmakers strongly oppose the bill, which would also require parents to prove they are providing their children with “equivalent instruction” to that of children in public school.
