Rules for Home Schools

[Count Coog]

I understand that they can "recruit," but who is allowed to play for the teams. We are playing a home school that is rumored to have students that are enrolled in an ISD playing for the home school. I was under the impression that these teams were created because these home school students do not have a "school team" to play with or for or how ever you want to say it... Not so that a student at a public school gets pissed at his coach and stays in school for the education and goes and plays for a home school team on the weekends.

 

[bulldawgs]

No one is supposed to "recruit" but unfortunately it happens from UIL all the way down.

If they are in a league, then that player would be ineligible. I am not aware of any league that allows a public school kid to play except for UIL of course. Now if they are an independent team, then there is no sanctioning body so they get to do what they want.

I would start with a call to that coach and let them know. The kid and parents may have lied to the coach and said they are home-schooled. The coach may be new and not had this happen before, so they do not know to check with area high schools. As a coach of a home-school team, I can tell you that I have had it happen twice to me in the past 4 years where a kid tried that with me. A call to the local schools both times before they were allowed to suit up remedied that. If they are in TCAL please let me know and I will address it.

Jimmy Stanford
T-Cal Football Commissioner
[email protected]

 

[bschupbach]

I have not heard about any home school teams recruiting but I have heard in the past a home school team playing past players that had already graduated high school. I also witnessed a home school team playing 9th graders on a middle school team.
This is why I am thankful for TCAF for developing a homeschool division. Hopefully this will bring back the trust in playing home school teams.

 

[freeagent]

Now one of my good home school coach friends told me once that the eligibility rule for home school was for players to leave their wives and kids at home ...

But yes, eligibility violations occur in all leagues, all sports. You should expect if a school (or home school organization) is a member of a league, they will comply with the rules of that league. If you're not a member of that league, it's in your rights (and obligation to your own school) to ask that your opponent share the eligibility rules of their league with you.

If they are not a member of a league, well, it is "buyer beware." But if you trust and respect the word of your opponent, that should be good. I'd still ask for their eligibility rules and specifically ask (especially for home school groups) how they confirm that a team member is eligible (ie, not enrolled at another school). As Ronald Reagan used to say, "trust but verify."

The generally accepted rules of eligibility are:

1. Enrolled in the school where they are participating and eligible under school rules (ie, eligible under academic rules, not under disciplinary action such as school suspension, alternative school, etc.). (TAPPS defines enrollment as being withdrawn from their previous school if a transfer is involved as there have been some instances of a kid not withdrawing from one school and enrolling in another school.)

2. No more than four years passed since enrolled in grade 9 and have not graduated from high school.

3. No older than 19 as of September 1 of current year.

4. Not participated as a professional athlete in the sport (Maintained "amatuer status").

5. Met any other requirements of the school's league (required transfer paperwork, residency or parental issues -- for example TAPPS requires approval if a student lives with anyone other than their parents or legal guardian or foreign students).

Folks, I as an Athletic Director, would expect to be called on the carpet by my administration (not to say anything about parents) if I allowed any of my sports teams to participate against schools or organizations that did not follow these types of rules. The personal liability (or at least the effect to my professional career as an AD) that I would incur by allowing, for example, my football team to take on a team of 20-year-old all-stars or local 5A "last cuts" that drifted over to a pick-up church team isn't something I would want to have happen -- not to say the possible injuries that could occur to my own team's kids.

Ask the questions. Hopefully it's a formality, but you've done your job.

 

[Heb 12:29]

As a coach of a home school team I feel like I need to respond to statements like "bring back trust in playing home school teams." This may not have been an intentional statement to question the character of home school coaches and parents, but it reflects an underlying (and sometimes overt) feeling of many people who do not understand home schooling and the sports teams they comprise. I do not hold ill will against people who choose to educate their children through the public school process or the private school option, but it appears there are many in those realms who hold some form of animosity towards home schoolers? I would be happy to hear those reasons and respond from an insiders perspective.

But for the issue at hand I would say let he who has never played a public or private school team that was highly suspected of bending the rules to their advantage cast the first stone. As an athletic director, why not refuse to play a public school team that allows transfers in from other school districts(possibly because they could not make that team) to play on their athletic teams? Why not refuse to play a private school team that gives "financial aid" to a student that plays athletics or who has a third party pay for their tuition so they can go to the school and play athletics? If you want to use the word recruiting in a way that it is most commonly associated, these situations would seem to fit the definition much more closely than what would typically go on in a home school team situation. Now I am not saying I am opposed to playing teams that do these things, I want kids to have opportunities to play football. Although my team might get beat handily by the majority of "school" teams out there, some of which might be on the questionable side in their striving to win, I still appreciate the opportunity to play them because it gives my kids, who otherwise would miss out on the many benefits of team athletics, a chance to play.

You are always going to have bad elements in competitive undertakings, but I feel quite certain that the percentage of "rotten apples" is greater in the school realms than the home school realms. Partly because school teams make money and pay money for having winning teams and partly because the public school system (not all and especially not the typical six man school) has taken God and His standards out of their abiding principles. But I do not make an accusation or hold an unspoken feeling of ill will toward all or "most" of the school teams, coaches, players, administrators because there are some that cheat.

I do not doubt that some of the instances mentioned about home school teams are true, but I would suspect that the majority of them are just rumors created by uninformed people who just like to stir up trouble. As a case in point: in the past my team had 2 players that sported beards, one 16 years old and one 17 years old. After we defeated a team( I mention this because we probably would have had no comments had they beaten us) we had to walk through a heckling crowd of fans who wailed and moaned about us playing 25 year olds on our team, the opposing coach even accused me of it directly. These accusations were totally unfounded, but that did not prevent them from stating it as fact to anyone who would listen and possibly repeat to other teams that would now refuse to play us because we had players that did not "leave their wives and kids at home."

I hope this post does not stir up ill feelings in anyone, because it was not meant to. I hope that it may educate and foster discussions that will clear up some of the misconceptions held and allow for better communications and understanding between school teams and home school teams.

 

[LeeMac]

Im jealous. Here I am in my 50's and still cant grow a decent beard. 16 year old! Just not right.

 

[CowboyP]

Im jealous. Here I am in my 50's and still cant grow a decent beard. 16 year old! Just not right.

You would look odd with a beard, so don't be jealous.

 

[loveofgame]

My only issue with playing a home school are field issues and academics. I obviously won't say which team but I had a conversation with a home school coach about what it took academically, and to me it kinda put us on a different playing field than what they were on. This might not be the norm, but every home school i've coach against has had a horrible, even dangerous field. Once again, this may or may not be the norm, just my experience.

 

[smokeyjoe53]

Most is us are pretty odd looking with or without facial hair. OFB being the exception....... If he didn't have a beard it might really scare small children & pets. ....................

 

[Heb 12:29]

I would agree with you about the field. Seems we have not figured out a way to tax the public to fund all the nice fields, field houses, weight rooms, stands, uniforms, practice equipment... and have not found many public schools which are willing to let us use their amenities. Now the private schools in our area, on the other hand, have been very open to allowing use of their field and track when they are not using them.

Now I am not one to bemoan paying property taxes to fund schools, I was a beneficiary of that system for my education and I think it is of the utmost public good to have as many people educated as possible. Home schoolers choose to forgo those benefits for a more hands on approach to their own childs education (and athletic competitions) but just ask for a little consideration when making judgements against us.

And just one more note about beards and ninth grade middle school players. I did coach 8th grade football a number of years in the public schools and some of those 16 year old 8th graders did have beards!

 

[loveofgame]

Just to clear up, I wasn't meaning it as an insult, just a matter of fact. I coach at a private school, so I understand sir..

 

[westexasflats]

Man, you three jokers ( Smokey, Cowboy, and LeeMac ) ya'll some hijackin' dudes.....' em boys was tryin' to have a serious discussion

 

[CowboyP]

A serious discussion - here?!? What were they thinking?

 

[bschupbach]

We are a UMS private school, which partners with the parents and provides classroom time along with homeschool time. We also play in the TCAF which has a 25% rule for home school athletes, but these or any athletes are not recruited.

I agree there are several team among many different leagues that do not play by the rules, but unfortunately the only one I caught red handed that we played was a home school team. So when I say "trust of home school teams" it does not mean I will not play them , but my first question is what rules do they play by concerning age when scheduling a JH game.

When a home school team joins the TCAF division that "trust" will be more supported by the trust I have for the league rules. I also trust the league will do something when any team breaks the rules.

 

[Cherry5]

I decided to give a shot at some of these questions. I played at a public school and now coach a homeschool team.
When I played at a public school we had a player on the team that turned 19 September 11 of his sr year.
That meaning he turned 15 just a couple weeks into his 8th grad year. I think that if they are playing on the junior high team they shouldn't be any older than that and also they should be classified as an 8th grader.
The academics these kids are some of the smartest kids you could ever be around out of all the players we have they all are either home school for Christian reasons or to have a shot at a better education. They also have to turn in report cards/ progress reports to us every 2 weeks. No pass no play, some do every bit of their homeschool online so we can get it straight from the online schooling. Last we have a great field, we rent it from a local team. I know of a public school field that was tore up a few years ago and multiple kids got hurt on it in one season.

That being said I think a lot of what your bringing up arnt just homeschool things/problems but more of small town/ six man problems.

 

[Edward Golden]

This is probably a very unpopular opinion but an honest one....

Private Schools and Home Schools play Private Schools and Home Schools..

Public Schools play Public Schools.


End of Story.....

 

[LeeMac]

I guess i could shave my head into a mohawk and stand next to Cowboy so we could have the big and little of things. But, i dont have one of those rounded heads, would probably scare the kids.

 

[CowboyP]

I guess i could shave my head into a mohawk and stand next to Cowboy so we could have the big and little of things. But, i dont have one of those rounded heads, would probably scare the kids.

That could be amusing.

 

[Shad Kline]

I guess i could shave my head into a mohawk and stand next to Cowboy so we could have the big and little of things. But, i dont have one of those rounded heads, would probably scare the kids.

Why on earth anyone would want to emulate THAT is beyond me!

 

[rainjacktx]

This is probably a very unpopular opinion but an honest one....

Private Schools and Home Schools play Private Schools and Home Schools..

Public Schools play Public Schools.


End of Story.....

For the most part, I don't disagree too much with what you said. However, I think DC and ACHS are two privates that have earned an exemption. ACHS is always one of the top private teams in 6-man. DC is arguably the best team in all of 6-man football this season. And they play a murderer's row of public teams this season.