Parents who home-school their children celebrated a major victory Wednesday after rallying to defeat a state bill they say put their childrens' education in question.
The bill would have required all high-school diplomas not awarded by a public school, including those issued by home-schooling organizations, to be certified by the state Education Department and the state Education Board.
The legislation was sponsored by Rep. Adam Taylor of Laurens.
Legislators said that the bill was designed to protect against unaccredited diplomas issued over the Internet.
But home-schoolers said that the bill was too vague and would have hurt their children.
Hundreds of home schooling advocated from across the state gathered on the Statehouse lawn to rally against the bill.
They argued that if the bill passed, their children would have a tougher time getting college scholarships and jobs.
Several home-schooling supporters appeared before a Senate education committee, which apparently agreed with their position and rejected the bill by a 5-0 vote.