Michigan School Board Warns Homeschool Lists Are Intended to End Homeschooling

On February 13th, the Michigan State Board of Education met for their monthly meeting.  Towards the end of the meeting, prior to closing, Board Member Tom McMillin of Oakland Township added his comments regarding a push to require registration requirements for homeschooling.

McMillin’s issue with creating a registration has been a contentious subject in Michigan dating back to at least 2015.  However, recently the proposed “list” idea has thrust itself back into the spotlight after a case in Clinton County, where two couples are accused of adopting “nearly 30 children, some of whom the [couples] are accused of abusing.”

In response to the case, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said in an X post that “implementing monitoring mechanisms is crucial to ensure that all children, including those homeschooled, receive necessary protections.”  McMillin believes that “a mere registration, a list of people…will not help prevent what AG Nessel is talking about.”  He believes the list is nothing more than a pathway to monitoring and said that Nessel is “saying the quiet part out loud”:

“She basically said we want this list so we can have…warrantless home entry into this particular targeted group…but we have a legal system that says you have to have a warrant before you go in.

However, because of this one instance, some in the state want to be able to barge in and bust the door down….It’s not hyperbolic.  If they knock on the door and they say “no, I don’t want you to come in”…and there’s all kinds of reasons not to have them in…there’s a book called “Three Felonies a Day”…if the government wants to get you, there going to find something.  Without a warrant, they shouldn’t be coming into your house.

I just think…it’s going to go beyond registration.  They’re either naive or they’re being disingenous for anybody to say ‘all we want to do is have a list.’  It’s going to go significantly further than that.  They’re going to either want to know exactly what’s being taught or they’re going to want entry into the houses.  And so I think that this is a real problem.  I guess I just wish that the debate would be sincere.

…anyone with half a brain realizes it doesn’t stop there.”