In the United Kingdom, Parliament is advancing the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, a sweeping piece of legislation that gives the government unprecedented oversight of homeschooling. The House of Commons approved it by a massive margin earlier this year, and it now sits before the House of Lords.

Homeschooling families warn that the bill’s vague language opens the door to serious abuse. Local councils would have authority to terminate a family’s right to homeschool if an official “deems” the home environment “unsuitable or unsafe.” Those words, however, are never defined.

The bill also requires every child, including homeschoolers, to be assigned a national identification number. This number allows them to be tracked across a centralized government database for school purposes, health care, and social services.

Religious families are especially alarmed. The new registry would demand detailed information about every person who contributes to a child’s education. Even Sunday School would have to be reported — including the names and addresses of Sunday School teachers.

Meanwhile, in Germany the government has forcibly closed an award-winning Christian hybrid school, even ordering it to shut down its website.

The Dietrich Bonhoeffer International School (DBIS), a respected program allowing both in-school and at-home learning, survived nine years before the government slammed the door shut. In a letter to the school, authorities declared that allowing DBIS to operate would “displace the state’s educational mandate.”

The school’s leaders say the move violates both national and international law. Jonathan Erz, DBIS principal, grieved the loss of a school that allowed students to “flourish” and receive individualized education.

ADF International, representing the school, has now appealed to the European Court of Human Rights. Their argument is simple: parents are the first and primary authority over their children — not the state. The appeal is slowly moving through the legal process, but in the meantime, parents are left wondering what to do.

These government crackdowns are not isolated.

UNESCO, the U.N.’s education arm, recently released a report suggesting that homeschooling may violate “human rights” and urging nations to align their laws with “internationally agreed standards.”

In the United States, lawmakers have already echoed these ideas. The 2024 “Make Homeschool Safe Act” — promoted by a U.S. advocacy group — assumes parents cannot be trusted and pushes for heavy regulation of home education. The act is a “model bill” intended to be used by individual states to inform their own legislation regarding homeschooling.

It requires parents to file annual notice with local school officials—miss the 30-day deadline, and the child must be enrolled in a public or private school. Homeschoolers would also have to cover the same subjects mandated in public schools. Additional sections outline record-keeping rules, mandatory assessments, and state intervention procedures for suspected educational neglect.

As of late 2025, portions of the MHSA are being considered in some states, but no state has passed the full bill. It is expected to be a major topic in the 2026 legislative sessions.

Governments are tightening their grip on children, but we are not powerless. We can start by praying for families worldwide who are losing the freedom to teach their children God’s Word. Christian parents, teachers, and students in these countries often feel isolated, and knowing that brothers and sisters are praying for them and supporting them gives real strength.

Another way to help is by getting the gospel into these places. The Chick missions fund helps put gospel tracts into the hands of trusted missionaries who know exactly where they are needed most. Supporting this work is a direct way to shine light into countries where governments are trying to control what children learn. We can also share the gospel wherever we are — every tract we hand out and every conversation about Christ pushes back the darkness, even here at home.

Finally, we must teach our own children boldly. Whether through homeschooling, Christian schooling, or family discipleship, we can make sure our children are rooted in Scripture and prepared to stand strong.

If you’re a parent seeking legal guidance on homeschool or parental-rights issues, you can find resources through Alliance Defending Freedom, a legal organization that fights for cases involving religious liberty, parental rights, and education policy. The ADF can be found online here: https://adflegal.org