Connecticut lawmakers debate homeschool oversight after Waterbury captivity case; state's child advocate calls for stricter regulations following 32-year-old man's escape from decades-long abuse

May 5, 2025 (News-Times) –

May 5—HARTFORD — The case of a Waterbury man who police say was held in captivity since childhood has led to a showdown between some state lawmakers who say more regulation is necessary to prevent future tragedies and parental rights advocates who want less government involvement in children's education.

The state legislature's Education Committee and Committee on Children held a joint informational hearing on Connecticut's homeschooling laws Monday afternoon, as the chants of protesting homeschooling families who said they were being unfairly blamed for reports of abuse could be heard just outside the room.

The hearing comes on the heels of the case in Waterbury , in which police say a 32-year-old Waterbury man was held in captivity for decades and set his room on fire in February to escape the abuse, making national headlines and restarting the conversation about Connecticut's homeschooling rules.

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It also comes just hours after the state's acting child advocate issued a report calling for stricter regulations on homeschooling children in Connecticut .

"What we are looking for is balance between the parent's right to homeschool, the state's right to ensure that all children are educated, and the childrens' rights to an education and to be free from abuse and neglect," said Acting Child Advocate Christina Ghio at the hearing Monday. In her recently released report, Ghio contends that the lack of regulations in Connecticut has allowed "some parents and guardians to withdraw their children from school, isolate their children, shield themselves from reports to our child welfare agency and neglect or abuse their children."

But ahead of the informational hearing, multiple Republican state lawmakers accused Democratic lawmakers of using the Waterbury incident as a way to crack down on homeschooling in Connecticut and infringe on parental rights.

Republican state Sen. Heather Somers blamed state agencies in the Waterbury case, and said that excessive government intervention was not the answer. "The Waterbury case is an isolated and extreme tragic incident, but it is not a reflection of the homeschooling community," she said during a press conference. "Homeschooling is not the problem."

Dozens of homeschooling families were gathered in the Legislative Office Building for the hearing, holding signs that read statements such as "Hands off homeschool," "Hold agencies accountable not families," and "My kids my choice."

Officials from state agencies went over the current guidelines and regulations surrounding homeschooling in Connecticut during the legislative hearing, the role of agencies in handling reports of abuse and limits of their statutory authority.

"This is not about blaming homeschooling parents... This is not necessarily casting blame on any of the systems," said Department of Children and Family Commissioner Jodi Hill-Lilly at the hearing. "It's about closing unintentional loopholes that allow some of our most vulnerable children to fall through the cracks."

Still, homeschooling advocates and some Republican lawmakers said there were already regulations in place, and more regulations was unjust overreach into the lives and education of families.

"It's just about our freedom as homeschool parents, and it's about being a scapegoat for a case that does not involve us," said Jill Small , of the Greater Hartford area, one of the many parents present Monday afternoon.

Republican lawmakers and homeschooling advocates said during the press conference that greater oversight could hurt homeschooling families and discourage parents from homeschooling their children.

"I think the beauty of homeschooling is the flexibility. Education is not one size fits all, and I think that public schools don't have the greatest track record right now... There's a lot going wrong for public schools, and so for us to have to report into them and let them dictate what we're doing, when we're already doing, in our opinion, a better job, is quite frankly insulting," Small said. "We don't need regulation. We need the government to stay out of it."

However, some state officials said that too little regulation could also be detrimental.

"Our concern here are for the minority, very small minority, of families who are abusing our lack of oversight," said Democratic state Rep. Sarah Keitt during the hearing.

In Monday's report, Ghio recommends that state law be changed to require students who are withdrawn from public school to go to private school provide proof of enrollment, and that children who are being homeschooled show evidence of annual academic progress and that parents attest to the safety of the child.

"It's our view that so long as the current lack of regulation continues, there will be children at risk," Ghio said at the hearing.

Republican Senate Minority Leader Stephen Harding also condemned the hearing's lack of public comment opportunity, saying it was unfair that the homeschooling families who could be impacted by more regulations did not have a chance to speak.

And while there was discussion around the current laws and agency recommendations, there was not necessarily any formal new legislation being proposed or considered at the hearing Monday. "Our interest in learning more today is simply to better understand the policies we do have, and if there are ways we can better ensure the safety of every child," said state Rep. Jennifer Leeper , D- Fairfield , at the hearing.

Both Hill-Lilly and Education Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker told legislators during the hearing that there were currently conversations underway as to what potential new legislation surrounding homeschooling could look like in the future.

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