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HB 484

Lin Stadler

Well-Known Member
Nov 24, 2003
304
1
18
Eleven state legislators from the mountains to the coast have teamed up to sponsor HB 484. This bill is specific to allowing home schooled athletes to participate in interscholastic athletics. This is a separate bill from the senate version I posted about last week,

The eleven legislators are:
Cleveland;
Dobson;
McElraft;
Yarborough (Primary)
Brody;
Ford;
Jones;
Jordan;
Pittman;
Speciale;
Stam;

Look them up and write them.

Parents make the choice to home school for a variety of reasons but the main reason is that there is a perceived issue with the public schools. Is it not the epitome of hypocrisy to say a school or school system is not good enough for my child's education but it is good enough for my child's sports endeavors? Talk about "having your cake and eating it to." This whole idea defies logic.
 
Nobody forces these people to home school. If they make that choice, then there are consequences to the choice. The problem is that they feel somehow entitled to pick and choose what parts of the public school system they want to participate in. Of course, there's an easy way around this: continue to enforce the attendance policy. Any student who is not in school--physically in a real school, not at home--for at least 50 percent of the day for 85 percent of the days is not eligible to play. Every other kid in the state has to follow that rule, so should they.
 
I am going to ask our head football coach at East Surry to speak against this bill in the House committee. He once was the House Appropriations Chairman and served 20 years representing 5 northwest NC counties.
If he agrees to take a day off from teaching and go to Raleigh to voice our concerns what do you want him to say ??????????????
I am going to take your responses to him, so make them well thought out !
 
Originally posted by oldtimecoach:
Nobody forces these people to home school. If they make that choice, then there are consequences to the choice. The problem is that they feel somehow entitled to pick and choose what parts of the public school system they want to participate in. Of course, there's an easy way around this: continue to enforce the attendance policy. Any student who is not in school--physically in a real school, not at home--for at least 50 percent of the day for 85 percent of the days is not eligible to play. Every other kid in the state has to follow that rule, so should they.
You are right nobody forces them to homeschool, but certain circumstances forces the issue. My niece is homeschooled due to the principal at her elementary school caused a lot of teachers to leave for other schools due to him micro managing. When good teachers leave it impacts the children. Her parents don't feel entitled ... They feel like they can give her a better education than what the school can provide. The parents couldn't afford a private school or afford to move. Teachers aren't paid very well in this state and good teachers are getting out for better paying jobs. I read somewhere that there are more home schooled kids than kids going to private schools in North Carolina. As far as the playing for public school athletic teams ... I have mixed feelings on that. Tim Tebow was homeschooled and allowed to play at his local high school.
This post was edited on 4/8 7:00 PM by Screamin' Monk
 
If this goes through you can bet it will be taken advantage of. I expect a lot of loopholes will be maximized especially early in the process.

Next question. If the student wants to attend the public school for chemistry and no other classes is that going to be allowed. If a high school has a great drama department will the student come to the school to be part of that. I am all for students getting the best education but I do think that having commitments on their part is part of athletics.

Sophmore year playoff basketball game I got to my house after 12:30 am. Had to be at school the next morning at 8 am to take a first period class. Had to leave my house by 7:15 to be there on time. If I laid in bed until 10:30 I would not have been able to play in the game that night. I wish I would have had home school that day.
 
Originally posted by Screamin' Monk:
As far as the playing for public school athletic teams ... I'm stilled have mixed feelings on that. Tim Tebow was homeschooled and allowed to play at his local high school.
How about this Florida rule. You can play high school sports until the day before you turn 19 years old and 9 month. In other words a football can turn 20 years old middle of March and be eligible to play in the state title game. Are we for this? I was turned 17 my senior year.

I also would like to have full contact spring football practice with a full game scrimmage against a rival to go along with unlimited skills participation. Florida has that also.
 
Originally posted by oldtimecoach:
Nobody forces these people to home school. If they make that choice, then there are consequences to the choice. The problem is that they feel somehow entitled to pick and choose what parts of the public school system they want to participate in. Of course, there's an easy way around this: continue to enforce the attendance policy. Any student who is not in school--physically in a real school, not at home--for at least 50 percent of the day for 85 percent of the days is not eligible to play. Every other kid in the state has to follow that rule, so should they.
Agree 1000% . If this goes through then I would like to be able to choose the tax payer funded opportunities I like and the ones I am not crazy about I would like to abstain from. I respect the home school advocates and I get their position but either your all the way in or all the way out. Tired of legislating to the minority all the time.
 
Davisdorm..........see 3A board.

btango.............to answer your question...yes! Some do think a student should have access to whatever they want.

I sent a letter to all eleven sponsors yesterday and several responded. Most were professional and civil. Can't say anyone changed their mind but I felt they listened.

One was nasty. He basically said in an email to me that parents should have total choice. If there is a program at a public school that their child wants to be a part of then they should be allowed to do it. Amazing!!

Check Florida too. A few weeks ago there was a thread about proposed legislation that would allow students there to attend any school they chose to play sports. The same bill would dismantle the governing body of Florida high school athletics over a two or three year period. Although I haven't researched it I suspect that a bill like this one has been proposed as much out of frustration for the current system as anything. I believe Florida has been allowing home schooled students to play for some time.
 
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