New Jersey Pushes DEI Mandates on Homeschoolers

Jessica Lewis, Unsplash

New Jersey came out swinging with new legislation that would force homeschooled children to be subjected to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) curriculum, ignoring the desires of the very parents who choose homeschooling in the first place. 

Stay Out of Our Classrooms! NJ Trying to Mandate Homeschoolers with DEI Codswallophttps://t.co/I4HOzPoFa8

— PJ Media (@PJMedia_com) September 6, 2025

What the Bill Would Do 

Homeschooling has long been a strong alternative for families who reject the one-size-fits-all classroom model. But at least one New Jersey legislator disagrees. State Assemblyman Sterley Stanley has introduced Assembly Bill 5825, raising red flags for parents and homeschool advocates. 

While the bill does not spell out “diversity, equity, and inclusion” by name, it requires homeschool curriculum to align with the New Jersey Student Learning Standards. Those standards, as the Department of Education makes clear, are “deeply committed to ensuring that schools are safe, welcoming and inclusive environments for all students regardless of race or ethnicity, sexual and gender identities, mental and physical abilities and religious beliefs.” 

DEI by Another Name 

This is no neutral framework. New Jersey already passed laws in 2019 requiring LGBTQ-focused curriculum in public schools. The state’s own Department of Education admits their programs are designed to “support educators in implementing the new legislative requirements of the 2019 History and Contributions of Individuals with Disabilities and LGBT, Diversity and Inclusion statutes.” 

That means DEI isn’t just a suggestion. It’s the foundation. And now lawmakers want to carry it from the classroom straight into the living room. 

Impact on Homeschool Families 

New Jersey has an estimated 94,518 homeschooled students. If enacted, this overreach would impact tens of thousands of families across the state. Parents who already left public schools to avoid ideological indoctrination would find their decision undermined. 

Homeschool advocates are sounding the alarm. Nicki Truesdell, a leading voice for home education, bluntly urged parents to stop waiting for relief from bureaucrats: 

“I’ll say it again: you can fight for your three minutes at a school board meeting or beg the administration to stop the bullying in your kid’s school. Or you can bring your child home today and homeschool them.” 

Tracking and Oversight Requirements 

And Stanley’s bill isn’t just about aligning curriculum. It carries teeth. Parents would be required to keep detailed portfolios tracking their child’s educational progress, including reading lists, writing samples, worksheets, and even creative materials. On top of that, the law demands evaluations by a “qualified evaluator, who may be a licensed psychologist,” to judge whether homeschool students are progressing. 

As if that weren’t enough, this comes on the heels of another proposal. Reason reports that New Jersey is also considering A.B. 5796, which would force homeschooling families to meet annually with a public school official for a child welfare check. Together, the bills signal a growing push to place homeschool families under state surveillance, the kind of surveillance that has prompted outrage and concern over a list of issues over the years. 

Why Parents Don’t Trust the System 

Parents are right to be concerned. For decades, public schools have chipped away at their own credibility by prioritizing ideology over education, pushing LGBTQ propaganda, sidelining traditional values, such as pushing back against the wholesome display of the Ten Commandments, and turning classrooms into battlegrounds over race and gender. Meanwhile, parents are left wondering: whatever happened to reading, writing, and arithmetic? 

Public Schools have found themselves in a hard place. To give up what they deem as education, would mean to lose the political battle they have engaged in for decades. But parents, and voters broadly, are displeased with the results produced by the public schools. Many states are now passing various forms of school choice policy, prompting public schools to re-evaluate their motives and their plans going forward.  

The Way Forward 

For the church and for parents, two paths emerge. Some may continue to engage at the school board level and fight policy battles. But increasingly, many families are taking the other option, withdrawing their children from government-run schools altogether. If New Jersey’s lawmakers push forward with this overreach, they may only accelerate that trend.  

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