Frontier Institute Statement in Support of HB 778

HB 778 secures protections for home schooling in Montana law

Today, Frontier Institute offered support for HB 778, a bill securing greater protections for home schoolers in Montana law. HB 778 generally follows Frontier Institute’s recommendations for Montana to expand student access to a wide array of public and nonpublic education options, including home school.

“HB 778 strengthens education freedom in Montana by ensuring home schools are recognized and treated as a separate, self-directed form of education,” said Kendall Cotton, President & CEO of Frontier Institute. “This bill builds on Montana’s strong existing home schooling laws to protect homeschool families from undue government intrusion.”

HB 778 enacts several important changes to home schooling law: 

• Clearly defines home schools as distinct from private schools. Currently, home schools and private schools are both essentially treated the same under the law. 
• Clarifies that regulations meant for structured private schools, such as facility standards and certain immunization recordkeeping, don’t apply to home schools.

Frontier Institute’s project Ed Navigate MT has made available a detailed resource guide for parents navigating Montana’s current laws for home education, and offers one-on-one consultations to support parents who are interested in exploring home schooling as an option for their child. Learn more at EdNavigateMT.com