Heidi St. John Diagnosed with Tumor. Michael Farris Testifies to Trump’s Anti-Christian Bias Task Force. And HB 2827 Stalls in Illinois.
April 28th, 2025 Newsletter
Roundup of happenings around Homeschooling for the prior weeks and what’s coming up, all in five minutes or less.
Heidi St. John Diagnosed with Tumor
HSLDA board member and Homeschool evangelist, Heidi St. John, announced on her podcast last week that in February doctors found multiple precancerous tumors in her colon.
St. John ran for congress in 2022 Republican primary for Washington’s 3rd district; she placed third in a lean-R district due to voters finding her absolutely insane.
St. John has stated she will be taking a hiatus from advocacy in the coming weeks as she begins intensive treatment.
The diagnosis is uncannily fitting, as Heidi’s effect on the world can also be described as a tumor in the ass.
Michael Farris Testifies to Trump Anti-Christian Bias Task Force
HSLDA co-founder and current board member, Michael Farris, testified to the near entirety of Trump’s cabinet on April 22.
The Task Force, headed by Attorney General Pam Bondi, is part of the Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias Executive Order initiated on February 6 earlier this year.
Farris’ involvement was to provide testimony to the IRS “discriminatory” investigation into his pastor at NOVA mega church Cornerstone Chapel, Gary Hamrick, for violations of the Johnson Amendment.
Illinois Homeschool Act Stalls
While there are still five weeks in Illinois General Assembly session, Terra Costa Howard’s HB 2827 momentum seems to have reached a plateau. With little comment from ICHE and HSLDA, it’s future is uncertain.
In a very out of character move, ICHE and HSLDA issued a statement during Holy Week recess to not contact their representatives.
Finally up is Ayla’s testimony to the Illinois House Education Committee. An important reminder what Homeschooling’s institutions hope to keep hidden by killing this bill.
Everything Else
Mahmoud v. Taylor
Last week The Supreme Court heard Mahmoud v. Taylor—ostensibly a case on what content in public schools can be opted-out from, yet in reality is a vessel to exclude LGBTQ and others from public life.
The Coalition for Responsible Home Education (CRHE) filed an amicus brief in support of the School District.
I attempted to attend the oral argument, but was 26th in a line that ended up admitting 25 people. Live thread of the day’s events is here.
The case is in part a do-over of Mozert v. Hawkins County, a case from 40 years ago where Michael Farris represented the plaintiff attempted to remove secular humanism from the classroom. The saga is chronicled in Stephen Bates’ book Battleground.
Connecticut Homeschool Prisoner
In February, an emaciated man was pulled from a house fire in Connecticut. The man was later found to be a child who had been removed from public school and subsequently disappeared through homeschooling over 20 years ago. The fire was set by himself as a means to finally escape.
On April 16, he released his first statement since the fire, “Please call me S. This is not the name given to me by my parents when I was born. I am choosing a new name for myself, and I will use that name as I reclaim control over my life and my future.”
Day of the Homeschooled Child
CRHE will be hosting a livestream as part of Day of the Homeschooled Child on Wednesday April 30th at 2PM EST