High-profile child abuse deaths in several states have reignited debate over homeschool oversight, pitting parents’ rights advocates against lawmakers concerned that minimal regulation allows abusers to hide children from mandatory reporters in schools. The issue centers on whether states should restrict homeschooling withdrawals when child protective services or law enforcement is investigating potential abuse.
Recent cases have catalyzed legislative action across multiple states. In West Virginia, Democratic state Del. Shawn Fluharty has attempted to pass “Raylee’s Law” for the seventh consecutive year, motivated by the 2018 death of 8-year-old Raylee from severe abuse and neglect after her abusers pulled her from public school. Fluharty said he is now considering revising the law’s name to also memorialize Kyneddi Miller, a West Virginia 14-year-old who starved to death in 2024 after her mother pulled her from school in 2021. The bill passed the House twice with bipartisan support but died in a Senate committee each time. In Connecticut, the 2025 death of an 11-year-old whose remains were found on an abandoned property occurred less than two months after the family emailed school officials announcing plans to homeschool. An autopsy confirmed the girl died from abuse and starvation.
According to Connecticut’s Office of the Child Advocate, more than 1 in 5 children withdrawn from school for homeschooling between July 2021 and June 2024 lived in families with at least one substantiated child services report. A 2014 study found nearly half of child torture victims had been pulled from school to be homeschooled to evade suspicions of abuse. Meanwhile, a 2022 survey found homeschooled children are not necessarily more likely to report experiencing abuse compared to conventionally schooled children, though isolation from mandated reporters is a common thread among abuse victims.
Homeschool enrollment has risen dramatically. Before the pandemic, homeschooling represented 2-3% of K-12 students. More than one-third of the 30 states that report homeschool participation recorded their highest enrollment ever in the 2024-2025 school year. The Home School Legal Defense Association, a national advocacy group, argues that regulations unfairly burden homeschooling families and don’t address systemic failures within child protection agencies themselves.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.courant.com/2026/02/05/these-kids-are-invisible-child-abuse-deaths-spur-clash-over-homeschool-regulation/