For over a year, we engaged heavily in the debate of what Governor Bill Lee called, education freedom. Of course, this is a freedom which is ultimately subsidized by your tax dollars for those who might not be able to afford what they call freedom.
During that debate, proponents of the Governor’s voucher program, like billionaire-funded lobbying firms Americans for Prosperity (AFP), said the plan supports parental rights and the freedom to choose the best education for their children. The mantra was that these vouchers will put parents in the driver’s seat and allow them to direct their child’s education.
In the spirit of that debate, two bills were filed this year to protect home schools in Tennessee and ensure that the state government was restricted from abrogating the rights of parents. The FREE Act, House Bill 552, would have created a new type of home school in law where parents would have complete autonomy in the education of their child at home. Essentially, it would keep government out of any requirements on curriculum or testing and ensure that parents are able to make home-based education decisions outside of any government coercion or control.
Additionally, HJR 92 was filed by Representative Jody Barrett to secure these same rights in our state constitution. While the FREE Act would restrict government regulations over home schools by law, HJR 92 sought to permanently secure those rights in our state constitution, ensuring that state agencies had no regulatory authority over a parent’s decision to educate their child in the home. Under supermajority Republican leadership in Tennessee, both of these initiatives went down in flames. Not only did we not receive one ounce of support from education freedom groups like AFP, but Governor Bill Lee’s office directly opposed these measures and worked to ensure their demise.
The FREE Act was defeated in a House subcommittee receiving ZERO votes from Republicans on the committee. Let me say that again. NOT ONE Republican voted for a bill which would provide for parents to direct the education of their child in the home without any government interference. But, these same Republicans voted for vouchers, for what they called education freedom. How is that possible?
The FREE Act was carried by Representative Todd Warner, a vocal conservative opponent to the Governor’s voucher bill. In payment for Rep. Warner’s disobedience to the will of the Governor and GOP leadership, his bill was killed under orders from on high. Political retribution is the name of the game under the leadership of Speaker Cameron Sexton. And they have no problems playing these Survivor Island games when your liberty is at stake.
Similarly, HJR 92, a constitutional amendment to protect home schools in Tennessee, was taken off notice for this year because Rep. Barrett knew that he was facing the same political retribution from the House K-12 Subcommittee. In exchange for his NO vote on the Governor’s voucher bill, the Governor’s office directly opposed this constitutional amendment and the committee was directed under orders from Speaker Cameron Sexton to kill the bill. It is critical that you understand the politics involved in how these bills move through the legislative process. We need new leadership. And God help us, we need a new Governor, of course, I don’t currently have high hopes for what I believe will simply be Haslam 3.0 coming in 2026.
Tennesseans need to recognize the blatant hypocrisy at play. The same lawmakers who championed “education freedom” with taxpayer-funded vouchers actively worked against actual freedom for homeschooling families. They claim to support parental rights, but when given the chance to secure those rights permanently in law and the state constitution, they refused. This isn’t about principle; it’s about political loyalty and control. The Governor and legislative leadership have made it clear that they will only support “freedom” when it aligns with their preferred policies and political alliances.
This is why we cannot afford to blindly trust politicians who talk a good game but ultimately serve the interests of lobbyists and powerbrokers rather than the people. If we truly care about parental rights, limited government, and educational liberty, we must demand accountability from our so-called conservative leadership. That means electing representatives who actually stand on principle, not those who cave to political pressure or prioritize their next step up the political ladder over the rights of Tennessee families. If Republican supermajorities are willing to sacrifice true education freedom for the sake of political revenge, then it’s time for grassroots conservatives to send them a wake-up call.
