Here at the Homeschool Freedom Coalition (HFC), we often get asked what the difference is between us and the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA).
It’s a fair question, and one we’re happy to answer, because it helps clarify the evolving landscape of homeschool advocacy!
First and foremost, it should be obvious that even though we focus on different things, we love many of the things the HSLDA has done and continues to do for homeschoolers!
The HSLDA is a well-respected organization, and rightfully so. Their historical role in establishing homeschooling as a legal right in the United States shouldn’t be skimmed over.
Think back to the early days of homeschooling – a time when the very act of educating your children at home was viewed with suspicion, and sometimes, outright hostility. The battle for homeschooling freedom was, more often than not, fought in the courtroom. Individual families, bravely stepping forward, established critical legal precedents that made homeschooling a legitimate and protected choice.
Cases like Leeper v. State of Texas, Wisconsin v. Yoder and dozens more are testaments to these pivotal legal struggles. In those crucial moments, HSLDA and its founder, Michael Farris, were on the front lines, providing the vital legal defense that families needed.
They were the lawyers who stepped in when the state came knocking on the doors of homeschool families, and we celebrate their foundational work.
However, the nature of the threats to homeschooling has shifted. While legal defense remains important, the primary battleground has moved from the courtroom to the state legislatures. And this, dear friends, requires a fundamentally different set of tactics, a different emphasis, and a different mindset.
Consider the pace and nature of legal action. Lawyers, by their very training, operate very deliberately and meticulously. Lawsuits, appeals, and legal precedents are their primary tools. Every public statement, every social media post, must be carefully worded and weighed for its legal implications in a potential fight. This measured approach is essential for legal defense.
Legislative fights, on the other hand, are a fast-paced game with totally different tactics.
Things change by the minute. Deals are made behind closed doors. Legislators are responding to different pressures — and whoever can bring the most pressure will likely get results. Additionally, for many significant bills, the “votes are in” long before the legislative session even begins – often, they’re decided when an election is won. Especially in red states like Missouri, Texas,Georgia, and etc….the political landscape is often solidified in the primary elections.
This means that legislative outcomes for many bills are determined once those key primary races are decided.
For example, once Texas Governor Greg Abbott secured 11 crucial House seats in November 2024, the path for his flagship version of school choice was effectively cleared, and much of what followed in the legislative session was, in essence, political theater.
An email alert from an organization about a concerning bill is undoubtedly helpful in raising awareness. But if the votes are already secured beforehand, and if there are no direct political consequences for legislators from homeschool organizations, such alerts, while informative, are simply not enough to stop bad bills or move good bills.
This is where the Homeschool Freedom Coalition is different.
Our focus is on the legislative arena. We have a deep, up-close-and-ugly understanding its unique dynamics and deploying strategies that are effective in that environment.
While most organizations are seeking access to legislators and want to build relationships with them, we take a different approach.
We Don’t Play The Game — We Confront It
The Homeschool Freedom Coalition operates with a very different mindset than most education policy groups. That isn’t by mistake — it is a deliberate, more aggressive strategy to advance homeschooling liberty, expose anti-parent agendas, and push back against the relentless overreach of the education state.
We could have followed the old script that is used in every conservative issue cluster: blame everything on Democrats, stay silent when Republicans sell out or refuse to stand up for us, and play nice when the system tries to “compromise.” That approach gets you friendly interviews, polite applause, and zero ability to defend or advance your cause.
But we weren’t founded to win popularity contests. We were founded to protect children, empower parents, and confront anyone — regardless of party — who threatens educational freedom.
Access or Authority?
Most groups settle for “access” — thinking if they play the game and stay polite, they’ll eventually get a seat at the table. Maybe, just maybe, a politician will remember their name and pass a modest bill about driver’s ed exemptions.
That’s fine — if your goal is to be respected and well-liked by the political class even while you’re forced to choke down loss after loss.
But educational tyranny isn’t going to go away politely. From homeschool registration schemes, to mandatory government home visits, to DEI-based curriculum mandates, these battles are spiritual and political — and the other side isn’t playing nice.
That’s why access is never enough. We’re here to wield authority. We build the pressure. We name names. And if a legislator betrays homeschool families, we educate and remind voters at election time.
We are happy to work alongside some of the best pro-homeschool legislative champions and lawmakers in State Capitols all over the country. But we don’t flatter them — because we expect results.
Grassroots > Lobbyists
Political power doesn’t only exist in the halls of power. It grows in living rooms, church basements, homeschool co-ops, and kitchen tables. That’s why we invest as much energy outside the Capitol as inside it — building a grassroots network of parents who will not be silenced.
Through direct mail, emails, text alerts, live videos, and targeted digital ads, we keep homeschooling families informed and equipped to take action — fast.
Politicians hate that. They want the doors closed, the language softened, and the parents pacified. Instead,we expose what they want to keep hidden: the fact that this is an ‘access-based’ power game, and they don’t have to spend any time or effort keeping homeschoolers happy so long as we just keep playing nice.
When a conservative politician who won’t stand up for homeschooling gets put on blast by us…they’ll complain pretty loudly. If we were worried about being well-liked and making friends having relationships with politicians, we’d pull back and be quiet. But we don’t do that, because we know that when politicians squeal, it means our tactics are working.
We exist to help shut down bad legislation, expose wolves in politician’s clothing, and make it very clear that homeschoolers won’t be pushed around.
Primary Election Firepower
Most groups in the conservative space just whimper when a bad bill passes. They blame “the process,” praise the Republicans who barely lifted a finger to stop the bad bill, and start planning for next year. Fund raise, lose, repeat.
Not us. We go to war in the primaries — and we don’t apologize for it. From district-targeted digital ads, direct mail, billboards, mailers, text campaigns — everything we’ve got is aimed at exposing weak-kneed legislators who betray homeschool families.
In a red states, we will spend more during the primaries than the generals. Why? Because the primaries are where the real choice is: between establishment politicians who will not work for homeschoolers, and true conservatives who respect the God-given authority that parents have to make decisions for their families.
Sometimes we win. Sometimes we send a warning shot. But the point is that there is finally some accountability for legislators.
General Election Mobilization
But don’t worry — we don’t sit out general elections. Especially not when anti-parent, anti-family radicals are trying to grab power.
While other groups send out a single newsletter and one-size-fits-all scorecards, we go directly to the people — four-page exposés via direct mail, targeted ads, text alerts, and messages customized to how each family gets their news.
Our data team tracks engagement, so we don’t waste time. We speak their language, through their channels — and we make it easy for parents to share truth with their neighbors.
Where the primaries deal with RINOs, the generals handle the Left and we have one unified message: If you push or even allow government control or oversight of homeschooling, you’ll be met by thousands of informed, fired-up, and unapologetically pro-homeschooling voters at election time.
Staying Power
None of this matters without one key thing: consistency. To be effective in primaries and elections requires a political ‘war chest’ to fund those fights. We are well aware that these fights come hard and fast — and require fundraising ahead of time. Our members and supporters will see emails from us asking for a small donation to fund a critical fight. “We need to run ads in a district, the program will cost $500, but here is why it matters…and what we’re going to do with your money.”
We’re not looking for fancy dinners and big dollar donations. Our fight is built off the $10, $25 and $50 donations of homeschooling families. We hold that trust as sacred, because we know how important every dollar is to families in this economy.
Most groups come and go. They buckle when the heat comes. They fold under media pressure. They dilute their message to please the political class. The minute that a popular political figure calls them to ask them to ‘please back off and play nice’….they choose that ‘access’ and ‘relationship’ and fold. What’s worse? They consider that phone call to be a victory. “We have access to him! He calls US to ask us to be nice!”
They play the game and back off.
We never will. We’re here for the long haul — and we’re just getting started.
This is how we’re different — not just from the HSLDA, but from other conservative organizations. The establishment class may not like us. The Republicans who have never respected homeschoolers or delivered anything for them at the Capitol? They’ll try to smear us. The other lobbyists who want to play nice will resent us? They’ll say we’re ineffective.
But we’re never ever going to back down. We’re anchored in something stronger: God’s Word, parents’ rights, and a conviction that children belong to their families, not the state.
Join us. Stand firm. Fight back.
Because your children are worth it — and the next generation is watching us to see how to fight evil ideals in high places.
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