The Utah Senate endorsed a bill Monday that would remove requirements for parents who home-school their children to follow state curriculum guidelines and school hour requirements.
It voted 22-5 to pass SB39 and sent it to the House.
"Home-school parents feel that there are other curriculum and different approaches to education that they would like to pursue in preparing their child for college and careers," said Sen. Aaron Osmond, R-South Jordan, the bill's sponsor.
Some are concerned about proposed Common Core guidelines, he said, "and what they would have to [teach] and not have to teach."
"The truth is we really actually have no enforcement mechanism to ensure that families are actually using" state curriculum and state school hours.
Sen. Jim Dabakis, D-Salt Lake City, opposed the legislation.
"In a world of 'Ozzie and Harriet' parents this might be a good thing. Unfortunately, there are parents who aren't Ozzie and Harriet, and I worry that someone needs to make sure those children are not left and that they are taken care of."
Sen. Wayne Harper, R-Taylorsville, responded, "We need to trust parents. We need to make sure that they have the tools to be successful and they maintain the charge of their families."