HB 5089 Discussed in Committee

by | Feb 19, 2026 | Featured Articles, Legislative, News

For students enrolling in, or returning to, public schools, HB 5089 would have the public school verify the “mastery of the content standards indicated on the transcript.” This would apply equally to all transcripts, including ones provided by a private school, homeschool, microschool, HOPE scholarship program, or a non-WV public school.

This bill is in the House Education committee and was discussed in committee on Tuesday, February 17th. Amendments may be offered before they vote on whether to pass it to the full House floor for a vote.

This bill only affects students in the process of becoming public school students, but it has potential to limit the ability of legitimate homeschoolers to return to public school. Additionally, it could conceivably deter would-be homeschoolers from “trying homeschooling out for a year.”

The greatest concern is that the bill doesn’t specify HOW the transcript would be verified and whether the method would be consistent for all students enrolling.

We will continue to monitor the bill to evaluate what changes, if any, may affect homeschoolers.