Tebow Laws?

[mtjack]

Virginia is looking at allowing home-schooled kids to participate in public schools athletic programs. Where is Texas on this?

Montana doesn't allow any student who isn't enrolled for at least 20hrs of classes a week to participate. ID and North Dakota do allow homeschoolers to play, but I don't know what, if any, restrictions are placed on them.

I polled the 3 local home school families - none are interested in allowing their children to participate. That is 7 kids in a community that only has 30 in the High School.

So jus wondering what everyone thought about this? What challenges would this put on schools? How could it be abused? What restrictions should these kids have to meet before getting to play?

 

[coachtree]

im against this. For the most part i know and am sure most home school kids are pretty studious but even with that being said there acctual school days are pretty short that leaves alot of time for extra workouts and things like that, there really isnt a way to regulate it.
If it was were i have to come up with a solution maby use the college system with a requierment of 12 hours in order to participate BUT they have to follow the district system if johhny is homeschoool but his house resides in the district of a little school that isnt very good athleticly then johnny is going to have to buck up and play with that school as opposed to the big 5A fifteen minutes away. I could see somthing like that working a little more. BUT in my oppinion if parents want their children to participate in organized school athletics then they should have to be enrolled as a student. Cant have your cake and eat it too theory whatever their reason is for wanting to homeschool should apply for athletics as well if they dont like the school system academicly then they shouldnt like it athleticly. It sounds a little cold towords the kids because for the most part it isnt their decision but that is somthing parents should take into consideration

 

[CowboyP]

I agree. If parents want their kids to play sports for a public school team, enroll them in a public school.

 

[coachtree]

If your going to play with the big boys gotta learn with em too
plus you cant tell me their wouldnt be some animosity on a team when some homeschool kid comes in that dosent have to be in class with them all day and go through things, i think alot of team chemistry comes from that daily grind especially in a small school when you see everyone all day everyday.

 

[CowboyP]

If your going to play with the big boys gotta learn with em too
plus you cant tell me their wouldnt be some animosity on a team when some homeschool kid comes in that dosent have to be in class with them all day and go through things, i think alot of team chemistry comes from that daily grind especially in a small school when you see everyone all day everyday.

Exactly!

 

[freeagent]

Texas public schools do not allow home school participation. I had a friend several years ago who told me that the legislature was going to allow this, but I've never heard of any serious legislation discussed on this topic.

TAPPS member schools do not allow home school participation (they used to but discontinued the program several years ago; they did allow kids who had started in the program to complete their eligibility, but I believe that last class would have graduated at least three or four years ago).

TCAF and T-CAL allow home school participants; I believe TCAF has a limit of the number of home school participants that can play; T-CAL admits home school organizations to its membership.

A number of states do allow home school students to participate in extra-curricular activities (including sports) under certain guidelines. I know when TAPPS allowed such participation, we would have to get the parents to provide us with a large binder of academic progress that had to be submitted for review by a TAPPS-appointed auditing committee.

Part of me says that if you elect to go the home-school route (or the private school route), it's take it all or go to the public schools. But that's why there are 50 states and 31 flavors in the ice cream shop.

 

[rainjacktx]

Is there a reason Tebow's name is being invoked here? I'm not trying to be a rainjack - I'm genuinely curious if Tim Tebow has something to do with this. Was he home schooled?

But to the topic -

If the parent/guardians of the home schoolers are paying property taxes in their respective public school districts - participation should be allowed in any UIL-sanctioned event. If no participation is allowed, then why should the families be forced to part with their money? To penalize them for not feeding at the public education trough?

That's my 2 cents.

 

[freeagent]

Is there a reason Tebow's name is being invoked here? I'm not trying to be a rainjack - I'm genuinely curious if Tim Tebow has something to do with this. Was he home schooled?

But to the topic -

If the parent/guardians of the home schoolers are paying property taxes in their respective public school districts - participation should be allowed in any UIL-sanctioned event. If no participation is allowed, then why should the families be forced to part with their money? To penalize them for not feeding at the public education trough?

That's my 2 cents.

According to wikipedia: The Tebows lived in Jacksonville, Florida, and he played linebacker and tight end at the local Trinity Christian Academy for one season. Tebow's preferred position was quarterback, but Trinity football team's offense did not rely on passing the football, so he moved into an apartment in nearby St. Johns County, making him eligible to play for the pass-oriented offense at Nease High School in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. His performance soon turned heads and led to a minor controversy regarding the fact that he was a home-schooled student having his choice of school to play for.

Virginia is considering such a law, with the opposition of school administrators and the high school state athletic association: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ans ... _blog.html

But here's the can-o-worms you open on that ... let's say I send my kid to Acme Christian School. But Acme doesn't have a band and my kid plays the oboe. Oh, and Acme doesn't have a softball team, either, but she'd like to play ... and don't laugh. There was a petition in front of UIL several years ago from a parent who wanted his daughter (enrolled at a private school that did not have a softball team) to be able to play softball at the public high school. I'm not sure if you say it's okay for the home schooler, you can't say it's okay for the private school kid either.

But I guess I'll let folks at a higher pay grade deal with this one. I doubt you'll see this pass the lege anytime soon.

 

[rainjacktx]

These problems could all be easily remedied with a voucher system for education. You kid participates where the vouchers are being cashed in. End of controversy...one would think.

But the public school system is too lazy and complacent to want to be bothered with competition from unwashed privates. No double entendre intended.

 

[smokeyjoe53]

These problems could all be easily remedied with a voucher system for education. You kid participates where the vouchers are being cashed in. End of controversy...one would think.

But the public school system is too lazy and complacent to want to be bothered with competition from unwashed privates. No double entendre intended.

Durn. I actually agree ..........................

 

[51eleven]

So by posting this thread on the sixman section your suggesting te bow played six man?
A few years back TE admired T-Bow's jump pass in a bowl game on here.
So by extrapolation you could say Tbow is sixman approved?

 

[rainjacktx]

Durn. I actually agree ..........................

That'll happen every once in a while.

 

[Heb 12:29]

From a home school parent and coach of a home school team I will offer up my opinion, although you cannot take it as the opinion of all home schoolers, because home schoolers are a pretty varied lot.

Most home schoolers would probably not opt to participate in public school sports at this point in time. Most major cities, and even some rural counties, have home school sports organizations that allow them to participate in athletic and academic competitions. In the areas where these are not available some would probably opt to participate in public school sports if available and many that can afford it do opt to go the private school route.

The reason most home school is to be more personally involved in the education and upbringing of their kids. Not that this can't be done with the more traditional forms of education, but you have to fight so much against big liberal government telling public schools what to do. I will say that I believe some of the best schools are the 6 man football schools, because they are small enough that a good school board can buck the system with a school prayer at football games and fly under the big government radar.


I could stay on this soap box a long time, but I personally I think the voucher system would fix what ails the school system by adding competition into the mix. This would give parental choice and reward schools, teachers, and coaches that provide the best overall education.

 

[mtjack]

To clarify - Tebow was home schooled, but never played 6-man football. This issue, home schooled kids playing football or any other sport, is what I figured put it into six-man football talk. If it would fit better in another thread...?

I was home schooled from 6th grade until what should have been my senior year of high school. I fought non-stop with my parents for most of my high school years to be able to go to public school so that I could play football and other sports (they were convinced that I would be corrupted in public school). Finally, after I made plans to move in with a teacher so that I could attend high school - Mom and Dad finally caved in and allowed me to go to public school. Problem was that I had already missed most of football season. So I went back as a Junior so that I could play football the fall of my senior year.

Now I coach the boys on the local PUBLIC school team, God has got a sense of humor. Due to my experience both as a home schooled kid and as a coach. I can see both the benefits (more options for home schooled kids, more players for the teams) of these type of rules, and I can also see a whole lot of potential for abusing the system as well.

I think that IF Montana ever considers allowing home schooled kids to play. Those kids and their parents need to provide proof that:

1. The kids have resided within the district for at least 6 months, and can show that they haven't been enrolled/played for another school for the last year.

2. These children will have to go through annual testing (Iowa Basics or equivalent)with their team-mates and show grade-level progress or competency each year.

Vouchers are being discussed and I think that might be a solution in some areas. However, in many 6-man schools the next education option is likely an hour or more away. Lima is 50 miles from the next closest school (private or public) in any direction.

 

[rainjacktx]

To clarify - Tebow was home schooled, but never played 6-man football. This issue, home schooled kids playing football or any other sport, is what I figured put it into six-man football talk. If it would fit better in another thread...?

I was not aware that Tebow was home schooled. I could not figure out the tie between the proposed rule changes in VA and Tebow. You explanation clears that up a bit.

I think that IF Montana ever considers allowing home schooled kids to play. Those kids and their parents need to provide proof that:

1. The kids have resided within the district for at least 6 months, and can show that they haven't been enrolled/played for another school for the last year.

2. These children will have to go through annual testing (Iowa Basics or equivalent)with their team-mates and show grade-level progress or competency each year.

SHort of implementing a voucher system - those stipulations seem to be the fairest, and most logical safeguards against rampant cheating.

Vouchers are being discussed and I think that might be a solution in some areas. However, in many 6-man schools the next education option is likely an hour or more away. Lima is 50 miles from the next closest school (private or public) in any direction.

Montana is similar to Far West Texas as far as distances between available alternatives. Here in the panhandle near Amarillo and extending down to around San Angelo, though, you can hit a 6-man town about every 25-30 miles. Not really close, but close enough to make the drive a viable choice if the school in your district is horrid enough. My daughter drives about 20 miles one way each day versus attending a school about 4 blocks away.

 

[freeagent]

I know when TAPPS had the home school program, the audit requirements were a lot more than taking the Iowa Basic Skills test (ah, I remember that from my youth). Yes, you had to take a standardized test (usually at the school where you competed), but you had to provide examples of the curriculum and samples of the student's work in each of the four major core courses (math, science, language, social studies). It wasn't a simple slam-bam-thank-you-ma'am deal; and if it wasn't sufficient for the auditors, you had to re-do it and send it back.

 

[rainjacktx]

I know when TAPPS had the home school program, the audit requirements were a lot more than taking the Iowa Basic Skills test (ah, I remember that from my youth). Yes, you had to take a standardized test (usually at the school where you competed), but you had to provide examples of the curriculum and samples of the student's work in each of the four major core courses (math, science, language, social studies). It wasn't a simple slam-bam-thank-you-ma'am deal; and if it wasn't sufficient for the auditors, you had to re-do it and send it back.

We took the California Achievement Test when I was a kid. I thought it was cool. All you had to do was color in the circles with a No.2 lead pencil.

But I digress. Auditor should be a banned word. They're often utterly worthless and give the opinion desired by the highest bidder. Never met an honest one yet - which is why I refuse to perform any. Street walking prostitutes have a more honorable job than auditors.

Man, that actually felt good.

 

[freeagent]

"Auditors" in this case were professional teachers (from schools other than those using the home school participant). In this case, they were a good check on the academic progress of the home schooler ... and while there are some excellent home school parents, there are a good number who have NO CLUE on what they're doing.

Private and public schools administrators can regale you with stories of parents of home-schooled kids coming knocking at their doors with teenagers who are years behind their peers. And of course, the private or public school is expected to do miracles so that the kid can make it into college a few years (or less) down the road.

Being a home schooling parent (and kid) takes discipline. Being able to stay on task and get the job done without saying, "aw shucks, we'll deal with this later." Which is why I'd never home school my kid.

 

[rainjacktx]

"Auditors" in this case were professional teachers (from schools other than those using the home school participant). In this case, they were a good check on the academic progress of the home schooler ... and while there are some excellent home school parents, there are a good number who have NO CLUE on what they're doing.

Private and public schools administrators can regale you with stories of parents of home-schooled kids coming knocking at their doors with teenagers who are years behind their peers. And of course, the private or public school is expected to do miracles so that the kid can make it into college a few years (or less) down the road.

Being a home schooling parent (and kid) takes discipline. Being able to stay on task and get the job done without saying, "aw shucks, we'll deal with this later." Which is why I'd never home school my kid.

I understand. Our kids went to public school because we could not afford private, and I felt the responsibility of teaching our kids how to read, write and count correctly was too great to take on ourselves as parents.

Then again, kids are so smart out of the womb - they master a language, learn motor skills and become masters of psychological manipulation all within the first couple of years of life.

 

[freeagent]

Then again, kids are so smart out of the womb - they master a language, learn motor skills and become masters of psychological manipulation all within the first couple of years of life.

Especially with dumb parents like us ...