This is an equal access bill that would allow homeschooled students to participate in extracurricular activities in their public school district. This bill seems to benefit homeschooling students because it permits them to be involved in activities that may be unavailable to them otherwise.
But the requirements of participation are of concern: “During the time period a student who is educated by other means participates in extracurricular activities…the student shall meet academic standards by a method of evaluation agreed upon by the parent or legal guardian of the student and the superintendent of the resident district. The method of evaluation may include a review of the student’s work by a certified teacher employed by the resident district, the student’s performance on a nationally recognized standardized test, or evaluation of grades earned through correspondence courses.”
This kind of assessment opens the door to regulation of more than just extracurriculars, something that hasn’t been authorized since the conception of this state. If this bill passes, it will set a foundation for the state to determine if your child is being taught correctly by the state’s standards.
One may argue that because we pay taxes just like everyone else, our students should get to use public equipment like everyone else. However, your property tax dollars do not fully fund the local school. Districts use state, local, and federal funds allocated differently per district. In order to receive state funding, the district must have students register in order to show the numbers for funding distribution. Your student must “register an intention to participate with the board of education,” but what does this registration entail? The language is vague.
We are opposed to the restrictions this bill inevitably places on homeschoolers such as registration with the school district, compliance with state academic standards including standardized testing, and certified government official oversight.
