"The COMPASS Act ensures the children of our service members can continue their education without disruption while their parents serve our country.”
Texas Insider Report: WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), and Ashley Moody (R-Fla.) introduced the Continuity of Military Parents' Academic Schooling and State Standards (COMPASS) Act. This legislation allows military families to continue following the homeschooling laws of the servicemember’s legal home state during Permanent Change of Station (PCS) moves, rather than immediately shifting to the laws of the new duty station state, reducing the burdens on those families and enhancing homeschooling options.
Sen. Cruz said, “Military families homeschool their children at roughly twice the rate of civilian families. Conflicting state homeschooling laws can undermine military readiness, family resilience, and retention by forcing servicemembers and their spouses to navigate different requirements each time the Department of War relocates them. This bill will provide military homeschool families with the stability and flexibility they deserve. I’m proud to introduce it and urge my colleagues to move swiftly to pass this legislation.”
Sen. Budd said, “As a father of three children who benefited from a homeschool education, I am proud to be a strong advocate for homeschool families in the Senate. With many of our nation’s military families choosing to homeschool, it is important that their children’s education isn’t disrupted amidst the unpredictability of moving duty stations. I am proud to join Senator Cruz in introducing common-sense legislation to eliminate this unnecessary burden and streamline the homeschooling process for military families.”
Sen. Moody said, “Military families make many sacrifices so their loved ones can serve. They should not have to stress over a new set of homeschooling rules every time duty calls them to a new state. The COMPASS Act ensures the children of our service members can continue their education without disruption while their parents serve our country.”
U.S. Rep. Pat Harrigan (R-N.C.-10) introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives.
Rep. Harrigan said, "Military families are already asked to sacrifice more than most Americans will ever understand, and when a servicemember gets PCS orders across a state line, the last thing their family should face is a bureaucratic penalty for following them. Twelve percent of active-duty military families homeschool, roughly double the civilian rate, because it is the one constant their kids can hold onto no matter where orders send them next. The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act already protects military families from conflicting state laws on taxes, voting, and driver's licenses. Senator Cruz and I are simply extending that same common-sense principle to homeschooling, ensuring that a family in compliance with their home state's laws does not have to start over the moment they cross a state line in service to this country."
This legislation is supported by the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC), and Military Homeschoolers Association.
Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) President James R. Mason, Esq., (Lt. Cdr., U.S. Navy, Ret.) said, “HSLDA is pleased to support this critical legislation to support our service members and their families. Military families have long enjoyed the benefits that homeschooling offers, particularly given their high rate of moves. Homeschooling provides educational and emotional stability to children, and military families are almost twice as likely to homeschool as the civilian population. This bill will support our military families, providing educational stability during moves between states, and removing one more point of stress and paperwork on military families.”
Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC) President & CEO Mary Bier said, “Every permanent change of station brings disruption for military children. They do not choose it, and they cannot avoid it. The COMPASS Act recognizes that educational continuity is not a luxury for these children. It is a need. At the Military Child Education Coalition® (MCEC), we see how instability affects a military child’s learning, well-being, and sense of belonging. When a family is lawfully homeschooling under one state’s rules, they should not face a completely different set of requirements simply because military orders move them somewhere new. That is not meaningful oversight. It is an added barrier during an already difficult transition. Senator Cruz’s legislation removes that barrier in a thoughtful way, and MCEC is proud to support it.”
Military Homeschoolers Association Founder and Executive Director Natalie Mack, M.Ed. said, “Military homeschool families often navigate multiple moves throughout a child's education, creating challenges as they transition between different state homeschool laws and requirements. The Military Homeschoolers Association (MHA) appreciates Senator Cruz's leadership in bringing attention to an issue that affects military homeschool families across the country. The COMPASS Act offers a practical solution by allowing military families to follow either the homeschool laws of their State of Legal Residence or those of the state where they physically reside. By reducing unnecessary administrative burdens, promoting educational continuity, and respecting parental choice, the legislation recognizes the unique realities of military service and helps families provide a stable, consistent education for their children while preserving the freedom to choose the educational path that best meets their needs.”
Read the bill text here.
BACKGROUND
The Continuity of Military Parents' Academic Schooling and State Standards (COMPASS) Act amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief (SCRA) Act to allow military homeschool families to continue following the homeschooling laws of the servicemember’s legal home state when relocating under PCS orders.
BACKGROUND
The Continuity of Military Parents' Academic Schooling and State Standards (COMPASS) Act amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief (SCRA) Act to allow military homeschool families to continue following the homeschooling laws of the servicemember’s legal home state when relocating under PCS orders.
