Hundreds of families packed into the state Capitol on Wednesday to fight new regulations on homeschooling and vaccinations.

The push comes after two high profile child abuse cases involving victim who were withdrawn from school under the guise of being homeschooled, and changes the Trump administration is making to federal vaccination guidelines.

Connecticut is one of the only states that does not regulate homeschooling. On Wednesday, hundreds of parents and their children urged state lawmakers to keep it that way.

“I’ve never been to public school and I’m okay with that,” said homeschool student Cody Owens. “I enjoy learning at home.”

Democratic lawmakers want more oversight after a Waterbury man was allegedly held captive by his own family for two decades and 11-year-old Jacqueline “Mimi” Torres-Garcia was found dead in a storage container.

“No law can undo what happened to Mimi, but we have an obligation to learn from this tragedy,” said New Britain Mayor Bobby Sanchez.

Both victims fell off child welfare authorities’ radar after parents falsely claimed they were being homeschooled.

“Our state laws here in Connecticut do not differentiate from the families who are pouring their everything into educating their children and those who are claiming to homeschool to hide neglect and abuse,” said state Rep. Jennifer Leeper (D-Fairfield), co-chair of the General Assembly’s Education Committee.

Under a new bill, parents who teach at home would have to prove their children are getting an “equivalent education” to public schools.

Republicans said the proposal is vague and leaves parents vulnerable to frivolous challenges.

“What is ‘equivalent?’” asked state Rep. Lezlye Zupkus (R-Prospect). “Is it equivalent to Bethany or Prospect or Waterbury or Greenwich or Bridgeport? So there are so many unanswered questions.”

It would be up to local school districts to certify that homeschool curriculums meet the standard. Some superintendents likened it to being the education police.

“This bill would place local school districts in the position of regulating and monitoring educational programs that they do not operate,” Dr. Kevin Smith, the Wilton Public Schools superintendent, told lawmakers.

Homeschool students would also have to pass standardized tests.

Another bill would notify the Connecticut Department of Children and Families when a student is pulled out of school, although the information would only be noted if the child has an active case.

Homeschool students said they shouldn’t be penalized for DCF’s failures.

“You’re scapegoating homeschooling families and casting suspicion on them,” said Jacob Tummelscheit, a homeschool student.

Protesters also targeted proposed changes to Connecticut’s vaccine rules.

A pair of bills would let the Department of Public Health commissioner recommend immunizations beyond the federal guidelines. Supporters said the move is necessary because the Trump administration has trimmed the list of recommended vaccines, potentially making them harder to find and get covered by insurance.

“The main goal of this bill is to provide continued access to vaccines for the residents of Connecticut,” said Dr. Manisha Juthani, the DPH commissioner.

Juthani told lawmakers that she has no plans to mandate the COVID vaccine for children or adults. But opponents warned the law would give the commissioner too much authority.

“When you hand all the power to one unelected bureaucrat, you don’t protect public health, you weaken checks and balances,” said Amber Webster with Connecticut Residents Against Medical Mandates.

One of the bills could also stop a legal challenge to Connecticut’s school vaccine rules.

State lawmakers ended religious exemptions in 2021. Three parents are suing, claiming the policy violates a 1993 religious freedom law. One of this year’s bills would amend the law to specify that it does not apply to school vaccines.

More than 800 people signed up to testify on the bills, and thousands more submitted written testimony.

To submit testimony on the homeschooling bill click HERE.

To submit testimony on the vaccination legislation, click HERE.