My experience is that the high schools themselves in GA have no problems with homeschool students playing, the state body governing all high school sports won't allow it (GISA). But that did not stop college coaches from coming to her traveling soccer team's tournaments. She received a scholarship to play in college, since she decided to go to an naia school, the transition was easy. I am more of the I don't want my kid to play in public school if it involves either the local school district or most certainly, the fed. Bureaucracy involved in my homeschooling decisions. Jennifer
When we chose to homeschool, we chose to give up certain things. We can enjoy the freedom of homeschooling on our own and not do high school sports, or we can join in high school sports, but give up the freedom. The bottom line is, we can't have it both ways.
Here kids who are homeschooled are allowed to play in PS band and sports teams, if there is a seat or a space. So, they have to try out like everyone else, but the particular school or coach can say no homeschoolers if the program is usually full with full time attending students. Usually something like band works out, but you'd have to be pretty skilled for them to agree to a sports team. They look at you like you've bumped one of they're players. I've never heard of any problems with it though.
And that's probably how most schools would operate. I doubt this bill would do much other than create an opportunity to try out. Coaches still tend to be loyal to "their own."
The principle is sound as long as it's an either/or thing. The state I live in is either/or. You either homeschool or you public school. No sport participation of any kind. Your kid can essentially audit a class but the schools don't have to give credit (and here they don't). There are states, though, who already have regulations for homeschooling and the participation in sports or clubs in no way increases the requirements of the homeschooling families. I can see where heavily regulated homeschoolers really think they have nothing to lose. The biggest problem to me is still taking it to the federal level.
I believe here in VA the HS kids and do any activities that the PS kids are offered. I remember when I was in school in MN we had a HS girl on our gymnastics team. I am really thinking that when we move that I might go for religious exemption because we don't take advantage of any of it now and I doubt that we will in WI either. I do however believe that it needs to be a state issue and not one for federal. The hs laws vary from state to state so much that it would be too difficult to have the same rules. Even here, the cities are so different on what they really want. Where I live, they are so uptight about having everything perfect and they are very demanding. A friend moved from here to the next town over and she went to turn everything in and they told her that they only require her NOI because it is not their business what she is doing. I thought that was crazy. She still had to turn in her tests at the end of the year but they said nothing to her about it.
When we lived in Iowa, I looked into religious exemption from regulation. Turns out that Iowa has it written into their law to only allow religious exemption if you are a member of a group formed prior to a certain year in the 1800's. I can't remember all the details, but I remember thinking that I would have had to be Amish for it to work. We happen to be non-denominational.
That seems completely wrong. There is so much in the PS that I do not agree with and we could get the exemption here with a letter. It is not that hard. The only thing that I do not like, they will make it VERY difficult on you if for whatever reason you need to put your children into PS. I find that part rude. I guess I need to check into it a little more for WI.
