Indiana was the first state in the nation to legalize homeschooling in 1904 with State v. Peterman. Indiana homeschooling families have taken the responsibilities laid out in State v. Peterman seriously, and their children have gone off to have successful careers inside and outside the home.
Sometimes, potential employers both in Indiana and outside of Indiana struggle to understand that Indiana homeschools are nonaccredited nonpublic schools and that our diplomas are legal. Documented cases of diploma discrimination have increased over the past 15 years. In recent years, the IAHE has worked with families facing diploma issues with police departments, government agencies, big box retailers, institutions of higher education, cosmetology schools, and even the military.
Representative Timothy Wesco, an Indiana homeschool graduate and homeschooling father, coauthors Representative Becky Cash, a homeschooling mother, and Representative Ethan Lawson, an Indiana homeschool graduate, have authored House Bill 1348 Nonaccredited nonpublic schools (HB 1348) to combat diploma discrimination.
HB 1348, which applies to all nonaccredited nonpublic schools, states that a diploma or credential issued by a person who administers a nonaccredited nonpublic school is legally sufficient to demonstrate that the recipient, or student, has met the requirements to complete high school. The administrator of the nonaccredited nonpublic school has the authority to provide any document required by law or policy to provide enrollment information, the student’s enrollment status, grades, transcripts, etc. It goes on to state that a state or local agency or institution of higher education in Indiana may not reject or otherwise treat a person differently based on their nonaccredited nonpublic school diploma.
This language offers our Indiana homeschool graduates a place in statute to point to regarding the validity of their homeschool diplomas if it were to come into question.
This language does not bring a nonaccredited nonpublic school under the government’s regulation, nor does it give the government the right to oversee the student’s education or determine the courses that must be taken during high school.
IAHE and IAHE Action support HB 1348, and we thank Representative Wesco, Representative Cash, and Representative Lawson for their work on behalf of the homeschool community.
UPDATE 1/22/2025: HB 1348 passed through the Education Committee by a vote of 8-3. It will be sent to the Senate Education committee.