Maya Thomas Deserves Justice. New Jersey's Homeschool Families Don't Deserve a State Inspection.

A1341 would require every homeschooled child and parent to meet annually with a district employee for a wellness check the bill does not define.

New Jersey should protect children without putting every homeschooling family through an annual state check. Sens. John Burzichelli (D-Paulsboro) and Paul Moriarty (D-Washington Township) cited the death of 9-year-old Maya Thomas, whose mother and stepfather have been charged with her murder, as they called for more oversight of homeschooling.

On Oct. 18, Alexandra Bougher posted a call to action on X: “Maya Thomas deserves justice. But child neglect is NOT homeschooling, and responsible families should NOT be punished for someone else’s actions.” Her post tells homeschool families to make their voices heard on Monday, Oct. 19¹.

Assembly Bill 1341 requires a child in a home education program and the child’s parent or guardian to meet each year with a person the superintendent designates from the resident school district. That person must be a school counselor, school nurse, or school social worker, and the bill assigns that person a general health and wellness check of the child².

The bill describes the meeting as an opportunity for parents to request school support, but the annual check makes a school encounter compulsory for every covered family².

Assemblymen Cody Miller and Sterley Stanley introduced A1341 on Jan. 13, 2026, and HSLDA says Senate Bill 741 is identical. The reach is universal: HSLDA says both bills would require every homeschool child and parent to meet annually with a school official³.

HSLDA says the bill leaves the annual check undefined, including what questions officials may ask and what standards apply. That silence leaves each district to decide what a family’s check looks like. As of HSLDA’s Jan. 30 update, neither bill had a hearing scheduled³. The bill puts an annual check on every family and leaves the standard for that check to the districts.

Burzichelli and Moriarty say New Jersey’s lack of requirements governing homeschooling leaves significant gaps in oversight. Their statement says New Jersey is one of only 13 states that require no filing, registration, subject requirements, instructional hour requirements, or contact⁴.

The senators’ best answer is their own concession: “Many parents who homeschool their children provide them with an enriching educational experience. However, we cannot ignore the need for basic oversight to protect children from harm.”⁴

Protecting a child from abuse is the work of investigators who act on evidence against a specific household. A yearly school visit for every homeschool family is a standing check on households with no evidence against them. The check lands on the families who did nothing wrong.

Bougher’s post tells families to call, email, and share their concerns with the lawmakers she names¹.

Protect children. Defend parental rights. We can do BOTH¹!

Maya Thomas Deserves Justice. New Jersey's Homeschool Families Don't Deserve a State Inspection.

Sources