VA Subcommittee to address home-schoolers’ access to public school athletics

[The Straight Story]

Subcommittee to address home-schoolers’ access to public school athletics

By Associated Press, Tuesday, November 22, 5:48 AM

RICHMOND, Va. — A legislative subcommittee is considering whether Virginia should allow home-schooled students to participate in public school athletics.

The House of Delegates education subcommittee plans to meet Tuesday to consider ways that home-schooled students can participate in sports. Options could include recommending legislation that would require school divisions to allow home-schoolers to participate if they meet some version of public schools’ academic eligibility requirements.

The Virginia High School League, along with state superintendents and school boards associations, oppose allowing home-schoolers to participate in public school sports.

Republican Del. Rob Bell introduced legislation last year to allow home-schoolers access, but it didn’t survive the full education committee. The subcommittee subsequently was formed to study and develop recommendations on the issue, and Tuesday’s gathering is its third and final meeting.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/subcommittee-to-address-home-schoolers-access-to-public-school-athletics/2011/11/22/gIQAPmqTkN_story.html

[SoCalNative]

1. No they shouldn't

be allowed to. They want to homeschool? Start their own team at home.

[Cid_B]

5. Why not?

[SoCalNative]

8. Because they have chosen

to not be a part of the public education system.

I'm sorry but they should not be allowed to pick and choose what parts of public education that they want to partake in.

[WillowTree]

10. Should they also be prohibited from paying that portion of their taxes that support the schools?

That "can't pick and choose" thing can work both ways, you know.

[SoCalNative]

11. You mean the property taxes

that they probably don't pay in the first place? You only have to look to the likes of the Duggars for such an example.

[Ilsa]

13. The Duggars don't pay property taxes? How did they manage that? nt

[Riftaxe]

6. Do homeschoolers get the same tax break

as those without children?

If they are paying for the public schools, why should they be denied access to it's programs?

[SoCalNative]

9. I'll wager that most who homeschool

aren't paying property taxes that pay for schools.

The Duggars are a perfect example of this.

[hughee99]

2. Provided some academic requirements are met,

the students are of the proper age, and they live in the school district, I don't see the problem.

[The Straight Story]

3. True, they are still paying the taxes to the school

Disclaimer: My daughter is home schooled.

[Philosopher King]

4. +1

Not a problem at all...

[williesgirl]

7. So they can practice/play with pub school kids, just not go to school w/them? This is

nuts and soooo like our fucked up VA legislature.

[Ilsa]

12. If they want to be on a team at school, shouldn't they be part of

the classroom too? Shouldn't they be subjected to the same rules of benchmark eligibility for academic performance? (You have to pass the session to be eligible to play.)

Shouldn't they be in school when the team is practicing? Even for individual sports?

Do they get to decide which school in the district they go play for, or are they going to be assigned to their "home" campus if they were enrolled?