Homeschoolers and Sports Teams

by Andrea Hermitt | More from this Blogger

02 Jan 2009 12:55 PM

Tim Tebow didn't let rules against homeschoolers playing High School football in Oklahoma stop him. Instead, he played football for Nease High School in Jacksonville Florida.

This led to winning a Scholarship to Flordia State and also a Heisman Trophy. He just finished his fourth season with the Patriots.

Many homeschoolers, myself included run into problems when happily homeschooled children become restless teens. They want to hang out with friends. They want to participate in athletics. They want clubs, and associations that are available in high schools. Many families make the decision to forgo homeschooling in exchange for a "normal" high school experience.

There is now a proposed legislation in Alabama called the Tim Tebow Act which hopes to allow homeschoolers access to public school activities. Proponents claim that the act has failed to make it out of commitee due to apathy.

Sure many public school officials don't want homeschoolers taking over public school sports. Still there are probably more homeschoolers who are not willing to cross the line than there are public schoolers who don't want them to cross it.

Most homeschoolers are content with homeschool leagues that are forming all over the country. In Oklahoma, there is homeschool baseball, softball, football, and fencing. (It exists here in GA as well.) While the facilities are lacking, and the opportunities to play are limited barring a great deal of traffic, the majority of homeschoolers are happy to play for homeschooled teams and are not looking to join the fight to gain access to high school teams.

According to an article in the Oklahoman online,

"You want to know the end answer?" said Tim Flatt, who founded the Oklahoma City Storm homeschool basketball teams and now oversees the National Christian Homeschool Basketball Championships.

"The end answer is the first homeschool dad that's an attorney whose kids are not allowed to play a sport that he wants them to be able to play ... he files a lawsuit. There's going to be no way to stop them from coming in."

Homeschoolers Competing in Sports on Our Own Terms

Equal access laws for homeschoolers

Learn more about Andrea Hermitt

Andrea Hermitt is a native New Yorker currently residing in GA. She has been married for over 16 years and has two teenage children.

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