A Huntsville-area mother has filed suit against Sam Houston State University, accusing the school of shutting homeschool students out of the full range of dual-credit courses that state lawmakers required universities to offer this fall.
Autumn Selman, the parent of a local high school junior, argues that the university is refusing to comply with House Bill 3041, a new law that guarantees equal treatment for homeschool students seeking to enroll in college-level coursework. Selman filed the lawsuit on behalf of her son with representation from the Home School Legal Defense Association.
According to the complaint, Sam Houston State informed Selman’s son that he could only sign up for a limited set of dual-credit classes, while public school students who partner with the university have access to the full core curriculum taught by university faculty.
“The University limits homeschoolers to a small handful of courses, while public school partners receive broad access to the University’s full core curriculum, including courses taught on campus by University faculty,” the suit states.
The case centers on a key part of HB 3041. Under Section 51.9675 of the new statute, a university must offer homeschool students the same access to dual-credit opportunities that it provides to public and private school students. The law took effect on September 1. It also specifies that colleges cannot add requirements for homeschool students that are not imposed on students from traditional schools.
The lawsuit alleges that Sam Houston State is doing exactly that by requiring homeschoolers to be enrolled in a school with a memorandum of understanding before granting dual-credit eligibility. Selman says she attempted to create such an agreement through her home education program, Selman Homeschool Academy, but the university “refuses to execute” it.
State lawmakers rewrote HB 3041 earlier this year after Selman and the Texas Home School Coalition raised concerns about uneven admission practices. According to the court filing, those conversations led to an amendment that closed several loopholes universities had used to block or restrict homeschool participation.
The new law also addresses a separate admissions issue. HB 3041 requires every public university in Texas to automatically admit homeschool graduates who score in the top 10 percent nationally on the SAT or ACT. Lawmakers added that section after advocates learned that a homeschool student seeking automatic admission to the University of Texas at Austin had been told they needed a perfect ACT score. No such requirement existed for public school students.
Selman is asking the court to order Sam Houston State to provide her son with full access to its dual-credit catalog, just as it would for any other student.
In a statement shared on X, HSLDA President Jim Mason wrote, “For more than 40 years, we have stood with families against exactly this sort of discrimination. Homeschool freedom requires constant vigilance and support, and these sorts of cases are essential to defend it.”
Sam Houston State University did not respond to a request for comment before publication.
Sam Houston State University is a component of the Texas State University System. The system is governed by a Board of Regents appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Texas Senate.
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