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Pro/Con: Should Home Schoolers Be Allowed To Participate In Public School Sports?

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By Austin Britt

Screen Shot 2014-02-19 at 9.23.21 PMIn today’s world of overcrowded schools and lack of coaches and funding, high school sports are a complex activity to organize. Due to the introduction of the “Tim Tebow Bill” around the country, high schools are having an even more difficult task of putting on such events because of the addition of local home school students to their teams.

Out of the country’s 50 states, 29 of them currently allow home schoolers access to public school’s athletic teams. While it may seem that they should not be discriminated against, they are indirectly discriminating themselves if investigated closer.

All students have the option of taking advantage of free public education. Under state guidelines, there are requirements to participating in extracurricular activities such as clubs, organizations, and sports.

Sports are a privilege that home schoolers forfeit because of their choice to opt out of public schools. Home schoolers’ arguments that they are being discriminated against is illogical and misconceived.

If home schoolers are allowed to participate in high school sports, then they are telling the government that they play by their own rules.

On top of the blatant disregard for government guidelines, the additional athletes will increase the burden on coaches, players, and the school’s athletic funding.  This law would necessitate increased funding of the high school’s athletic programs.  Although the possibility of better teams are a plus, the extra work that is required by coaches is unnecessary seeing as they already get paid minimal wages for a time-consuming, part-time job.

Along with the already abundant advantage the home schoolers have, this would give them the ability to play for whatever team they desire. The setbacks are far less for home schoolers because they can just move to a new school and not worry about their grades or a new school.

A simple solution would be to organize home school teams that compete against public and private schools near them.

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