Parents who homeschool their children packed into a hearing on Tuesday, calling legislation that would notify child welfare authorities when a student is withdrawn from school a "witch hunt."

The proposal comes after two child abuse cases that gained national attention.

Waterbury police say a 32-year-old man was held captive by his own stepmother for two decades. When he was rescued last year, investigators said the man only weighed 68 pounds.

A few months later, police found the body of 11-year-old Jacqueline “Mimi” Torres-Garcia in a plastic storage bin behind an abandoned home in New Britain.

"As a mother, this makes me sick to my stomach," said former New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart.

Torres-Garcia’s mother, her mother’s boyfriend and her aunt all face charges in connection to her death.

Both victims fell through the cracks after being pulled out of school under the guise of being homeschooled. Parents falsely told child welfare authorities that they were being homeschooled, prosecutors have said.

Now, state lawmakers want changes.

Under a new bill, when a child is withdrawn from school, the State Department of Education and the Department of Children and Families would have to be notified. DCF would only note the move if the agency already has an open case on the family.

But parents who homeschool worry about being unfairly targeted.

“If I forcefully locked my child in a room, DCF would rightfully be contacted,” one parent told lawmakers. “But under this new rule, I would be the one investigated by DCF for protecting my child from this abuse at the hands of school.”

Republican lawmakers also raised red flags.

“I have another concern that we’re just kind of on a witch hunt, that we are looking for people that withdraw their kids from school,” said state Rep. Gale Mastrofranceso (R-Wolcott). “Maybe they’re homeschooling their children. They’re innocent people.”

Hamilton insisted that child welfare authorities would not investigate parents simply for homeschooling their kids.

“It would be noted in the record, just like it is now, but there would be no specific mandatory follow-up,” said Susan Hamilton, DCF’s interim commissioner.

Dozens of parents brought their children to Hartford to speak in-person, but were sent home to testify virtually because of Tuesday's icy weather.

Regardless, the proposal might not even be legal.

State education commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker told lawmakers that she can only share students’ information for "evaluation and research purposes, not for individual case management.”

“Any violation of federal law places millions of federal educational dollars in jeopardy,” she wrote. “As such, the Department will be unable to comply with this proposal should it become law.”

Connecticut is one of the only states in the nation where homeschooling is unregulated. Some lawmakers also want to require parents to prove they are providing a curriculum that meets state standards.

“We are interested in ensuring that every child in Connecticut who has a constitutional right to public education or equivalent, there’s some accountability in oversight that they have access to that,” state Rep. Jennifer Leeper (D-Fairfield) said recently.

More changes could be coming to DCF too. Lawmakers from both parties grilled agency leaders on Tuesday.

“If DCF is doing all these things, why do we not know about them? Why do we feel the need is great for more oversight?” asked state Sen. Ceci Maher (D-Wilton).

Some lawmakers said the agency’s problems go much deeper than homeschool oversight.

“I believe that existing oversight that we have is fragmented,” said state Rep. Corey Paris (D-Stamford). “We have the state advisory council, we've got regional advisory councils, we've got [Office of Child Advocate], we've got legislative committees.

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