Virginia’s House committee on Education defeated a bill that would allow home school kids to play on their local High School sports team. The bill, nicknamed the Tebow Bill after former standout athlete Tim Tebow who was home schooled and went on to win the Heisman Trophy in college before playing in the NFL, failed to make it out of committee on a vote of 11 to 10.
This time around the bill was carried by Delegate Nick Freitas. In the past Delegate Rob Bell has carried the bill, which passed the General Assembly before it was vetoed by then Governor Fast Terry McAuliffe. Having the bill defeated in committee for a second straight year is definitely a setback for the home school community.
Delegate Gordon Helsel was the only Republican on the committee to vote against the bill. He joined every Democrat in defeating this.
This is a good bill which deserves to become law.
Teachers organizations oppose the idea. But this bill would help home school kids while not burdening any local school. Kids would have to try out for the team like anyone else. No roster spot is guaranteed for them. It’s still local control of local schools because the schools themselves pick the team. There is no quota that needs to be met; it just allows home school kids a chance.
Having that chance is how Tim Tebow was able to reach his full athletic potential. Now Tebow is a great ambassador for sports and other causes, but we wouldn’t have known about him had he not first received the chance to prove his athleticism in High School.
Democrats are, of course, in the pocket of education associations. They need that campaign money. But Gordon Helsel is supposed to be a Republican, and as a Republican, he is supposed to represent the interests of parents and home school kids over campaign money. Helsel needs to be challenged for the nomination this year (he also voted for Medicaid Expansion last session).
Here is the summary of this session’s Tebow Bill:
Students who receive home instruction; participation in interscholastic programs. Prohibits public schools from joining an organization governing interscholastic programs that does not deem eligible for participation a student who (i) receives home instruction; (ii) has demonstrated evidence of progress for two consecutive academic years; (iii) is in compliance with immunization requirements; (iv) is entitled to free tuition in a public school; (v) has not reached the age of 19 by August 1 of the current academic year; (vi) is an amateur who receives no compensation but participates solely for the educational, physical, mental, and social benefits of the activity; (vii) complies with all disciplinary rules and is subject to all codes of conduct applicable to all public high school athletes; and (viii) complies with all other rules governing awards, all-star games, maximum consecutive semesters of high school enrollment, parental consents, physical examinations, and transfers applicable to all high school athletes. The bill provides that no local school board is required to establish a policy to permit students who receive home instruction to participate in interscholastic programs. The bill permits reasonable fees to be charged to students who receive home instruction to cover the costs of participation in such interscholastic programs, including the costs of additional insurance, uniforms, and equipment. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2024.
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