An Illinois bill that could drastically change homeschooling rules in the state would create “a pipeline to the criminal justice system for parents,” a state Democratic lawmaker warned Thursday. 

Rep. La Shawn Ford, who represents a district that includes parts of Chicago, made the remark as parents, students and opponents of HB 2827, the Homeschool Act, rallied in the city’s downtown.  

The bill, which is advancing through the Illinois state legislature, would charge parents with a misdemeanor if they fail to register their kids in a “homeschool declaration form” to the nearest public school they would otherwise be attending. It also requires documentation of immunizations and health examinations for children who wish to participate in public school activities. 

“I support the representative that is sponsoring the bill, and I hope that we can work with her to have this bill become something that you can support. But right now, I don’t believe the bill is exactly what’s needed in Illinois,” Ford said. “I believe in restorative justice. I believe in making sure that people don’t have a pathway to the criminal justice system. And this bill is a pipeline to the criminal justice system for parents. And I can’t stand for that. How can we criminalize parents for wanting to love their children?” 

Rep. La Shawn Ford, an Illinois state Democrat, said “this bill is a pipeline to the criminal justice system for parents.” (Fox News)

However, opponents of the bill argue there’s no correlation between homeschooled students being more at risk of abuse than those in the public school system. 

“Many families need to make sometimes untimely decisions to pull their children out of a public school setting for their own safety, and a more effective learning environment,” Chantal Moore, a homeschooling mother, said at the rally Thursday. 

Moore said her son was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, but that he has thrived in a homeschooling environment. 

“Keeping our children safe is not acquired by a form, but by standing as a community together,” she added. 

A March 19 protest against House Bill 2827, known as the Homeschool Act, at the Illinois state capitol. (Fox News)

Aziza Butler, a self-described homeschooling mother of six and former Chicago Public Schools teacher, said, “Not only will this bill divert precious resources, time and energy away from the critical needs of public schools who are already in peril, but it threatens an education revolution that so many minorities are benefiting from.” 

Fox News’ Jamie Joseph and Andrea Margolis contributed to this report.