Dear GSHE families and supporters,
Many families have reached out asking why GSHE is not fully supporting HB 1268 as amended. We appreciate the question. Our position has been consistent and is laid out in detail in the testimony here. In short: the amendment reduces paperwork (a step we welcome), but it does not give families a proactive, durable shield when enforcement questions arise under the unchanged compulsory-attendance, truancy, and child-protection laws. In a compulsory state, that gap matters.
The amended version of HB 1268 substantially restructures RSA 193-A. While it reduces formal reporting obligations, the underlying systems of state authority remain intact—without giving families an optional, proactive legal shield from the state.
The central question is not whether the amendment reduces paperwork. It does. The question is whether it strengthens the legal standing of families when enforcement questions arise. In a compulsory-attendance state, liberty depends not only on fewer statutory requirements, but on whether the law provides durable, affirmative grounding for parental authority.
Proposals that minimize affirmative recognition of lawful home education often look like expanded freedom on paper. In practice, however, they expose families to greater government interference, not less. When parents have no way to assert their rights before enforcement occurs, ordinary education questions are pushed into truancy and child-welfare systems that can be deeply disruptive. Freedom that exists only in statute—without any legal mechanism for parents to affirm their rights—is not liberty. It is liability.
Our full written testimony, submitted to the House Education Policy and Administration Committee for the February 20, 2026 hearing, commends the amendment’s positive steps while highlighting these gaps and offering practical, voluntary recommendations to close them. Read the complete testimony at this link.
For more context, see these recent GSHE resources:
- Our philosophical piece: “Home Education Freedom Respects Parents’ Rights” → https://gshenh.org/home-education-freedom-parents-rights/
- Detailed analysis of Amendment #0606h → https://gshenh.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/HB-1268-Amendment-0606h-Analysis.pdf
- GSHE’s amendment proposal → https://gshenh.org/hb-1268-2026-legislative-status-update/
We encourage every family to review the bill and submit your own thoughts before end of day Friday, February 20, 2026.
- Go to the NH House remote testimony portal: https://gc.nh.gov/house/committees/remotetestimony/default.aspx
- Fill in your information (name, address, email).
- Select the February 20, 2026 hearing date.
- Choose HB 1268.
- Upload your testimony as a PDF (or paste text if short).
- Submit—it becomes part of the public record.
Your voice matters. Personal stories about how these laws affect your family carry real weight.
Thank you for standing with independent home education families. We remain committed to principled advocacy that puts parents and children first.
— Michelle Levell Director, Granite State Home Educators
