Bill allowing Tenn. home school students to play on public school teams approved
NASHVILLE — A bill requiring Tennessee school systems to allow home school students to play on local public school sports teams if they otherwise qualify won final legislative approval Monday night.
The bill does not guarantee home schoolers will make the team, a decision left to coaches, but guarantees they will not be prohibited from trying out if they are eligible under the rules of the Tennessee Secondary Schools Athletic Association or other sports- governing organizations the school belongs to. They must meet the same health, academic and conduct standards required of other participants.
The bill won approval 31- 0 in the Senate on March 4, and 69-24 in the House last Thursday but had to return to the Senate for concurrence with a House amendment that rewrote the bill. The Senate concurred 32- 0 and sent it to the governor, who is expected to sign it into law.
Tennessee currently has no state law requiring public schools to allow home schooler participation in interscholastic athletics. When lawmakers began considering a law, TSSAA adopted a policy in 2011 that gave local school systems authority to decide on their own whether to allow participation. The policy also set the rules governing participation for those districts that allow it.
Memphis City Schools allowed participation, but the Shelby County Schools board voted in 2011 not to allow home-school students on its schools’ sports teams. The unified Shelby County Board of Education has not addressed the issue yet. Sen. Stacy Campfield, R-Knoxville, the bill’s co-sponsor, said he believes only about 35 school districts allow home school participation.
If it becomes law as expected, it goes into effect with the upcoming 2013-14 school year.
“I am proud of our state senators for unanimously upholding the rights of home school students and cannot wait until the day when the U.S. Department of Education affirms this right in all 50 states,” said Heath Arnold of Dresden, leader of a group of homeschool parents in pushing for a state law.