Make Room for This Young Activist

All those famous activists advocating for the climate, peace, gun ownership, equal rights, and political change need to scoot over and make room for Selah Turner.

A Peotone resident, who just turned 14, she is already a powerhouse proponent for homeschooling, who is armed with quiet confidence, composure, and speaking skills.

While most eighth graders would shy away from addressing the local board of education, she stood before Peotone 207-U officials earlier this year and made her case for homeschoolers’ inclusion in extracurricular activities.

Her logic made her plea hard to ignore. Ultimately, the board did approve a measure to allow it. She probably wouldn’t take full credit for that success, but she is happy about it, nevertheless.

“I love playing soccer,” she explained.

“It is what caused me to get so involved in Homeschooler Inclusion. Many of my friends played for the public school soccer team, and I wanted to try out. At the time, that was against our school’s policy. In order to try out for the PJHS soccer team, I would have to persuade our Peotone School Board to change that policy.”

With that in mind, she addressed the Peotone School Board on the topic of Homeschooler Inclusion in Public School Extracurriculars. 

“I presented the idea of allowing homeschoolers to participate in public school extracurriculars, such as sports, drama club, chess club, etc., as long as the student takes one class at the public school. 

“At the time, IHSA had just changed its requirements to the proceeding conditions,” she noted.

“I mostly was working towards receiving permission to play for the PJHS soccer team. As of the Peotone School Board’s vote in December of 2024, Peotone homeschoolers are able to participate in any Peotone public school extracurricular as long as that student takes one class per semester at the public school.

“The school board was very supportive of my mission, and I am thankful we were able to work together to benefit our community. 

“And I’m so happy I was able to try out for and make the PJHS soccer team! Go Blue Devils!”

Selah’s quest doesn’t end there, though.

She also pressed for the defeat of stringent proposed legislation that would make homeschooling complicated, with threats of criminal penalties.

“My latest mission has been to stop the passing of HB2827, also known as the Homeschool Act,” Selah said.

“This bill defines homeschool as ‘a program where instruction is provided in a student’s home environment and which may have more than one student in the homeschool who are members of the same household.’

“If it were passed, all Illinois homeschoolers would be required to fill out the Homeschool Declaration Form within a short timeframe, and failure to do so could result in the DCFS separating the child from their parents. 

“Thirty-eight states have some form of keeping the government informed of homeschool families, but not a single state allows the government to automatically charge a family with criminal truancy, because they simply failed to fill out paperwork. If a family doesn’t file their Homeschool Declaration Form by August 1, with a 10 day grace period, it is an automatic criminal penalty for the parents. 

“In Pennsylvania, which is one of the strictest states, you would receive a 30 day grace period, and the worst penalty you can receive is not being allowed to homeschool for 12 months. 

“Also, the state would have to ‘approve’ of our homeschool curriculum. At first it doesn’t seem like a big deal, but when this power falls into the wrong hands, the state could disapprove of any homeschool curriculum with religious content. Wouldn’t that decision easily force an education that disagrees with our ethics and values? In the words of Lord Acton, ‘Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.’

“It would also negatively impact private schools, as they must inform state authorities of their student’s personal information.”

To her relief, House Bill 2827 in Illinois did not pass. It was not voted on before the legislative session ended on June 1. Despite passing through a House committee, it ultimately died without a vote on the House floor, possibly for lack of support, according to Illinois Policy. It is considered dead for the 2025 legislative session and cannot be voted on during the current session. It could be reintroduced in a future session, however.

“Because of the negative impact this bill would have on homeschoolers, private schools, and the entire state,” Selah pledged, “I will continue doing my part to oppose HB2827.”

Although she is currently a homeschooler, she also has been a private and public school student. 

“After our public school experienced lockdown due to the pandemic and uncertainties with e-learning, my parents looked for a more consistent educational option: homeschool,” she said.

“How do I do it? I keep to a schedule that includes starting class at 7 a.m. Most days, I finish by 2 or 3 p.m., then have an hour of studying and homework. If you are up for the challenge, homeschool is pretty fun! 

“Homeschooling allows the student to learn at their own pace, which is a blessing and a curse. For example, on the days I finish all my schoolwork early, I am able to work on sewing projects or other hobbies; but on the days that math gets complicated, I may be doing school till bedtime. Another benefit of homeschooling is you may have a better chance of avoiding peer pressure and/or bullying that you could experience at a public school. 

“As I have gone to a private school, public school, and homeschool, I know there are benefits at each one. I believe there are pros and cons for both homeschool and public school. 

“Some say homeschooling may cause negative social skills, while at public school you experience constant social interaction. 

“I’ll speak for myself, but homeschool hasn’t kept me from being social or chatty! I probably talk a little too much! 

“One of my favorite benefits of homeschooling is that I am taught a faith-based curriculum, while the public school applies evolution to their studies. Public school and homeschool offer different opportunities, but choosing which environment should depend on what you believe is best for you or your kid.”

A nine-year resident of Peotone, Selah has two siblings:  A brother, Jack, who played soccer and football at PHS, and a sister, Faith, who had the lead role in the drama performance “A Wrinkle in Time,” at PJHS. 

“My mom is Rachel (Humbert) Turner, and she grew up in our small town of Peotone and graduated with the PHS Class of 1995,” she added.

Rachel, by the way, is understandably proud of Selah’s accomplishments. “I am so pleased to support Selah,” she said, “as she expresses her ambition to make a positive influence on this life, with such initiative and discipline!”