The Alabama House of Representatives has voted to allow home school students to play on public school sports teams and participate in school extracurricular activities.

Representatives approved the bill on a 52-43 vote Thursday.

The legislation is named after Tim Tebow, the Heisman-winning University of Florida quarterback who played for his local high school while being home-schooled.

Republican Rep. Mike Ball said the students would have to take standardized tests and meet the same academic standards.

Opposed lawmakers said those families made a choice not to enroll in public school and shouldn't expect access to the public school activities that they like.

The bill now moves to the Alabama Senate.

Hmm. I've been paying taxes to the public school system for years. I'd like to opt out of that activity.

Agree, I have always wondered, what do they do with the tax dollars they collect from the people who don't send their kids to public schools??? Imagine what would happen if EVERYONE sent their kids to public school, and same money was coming in....

I think this is a good bill and I hope it will get signed into law.

As a homeschooling parent here is my take on it. To home school (parent directed education) in Alabama you must go through a church cover school where the church does the administration aspect--or be taught by a certified professional tutor. There are cover schools all over the state, some large and some very small. Some have sports teams, clubs and tons of extracurricular activities and some are so small they have no organized sports at all.

We homeschool through Hope Christian, a large cover school with all the major sports and part of a small Christian school athletic conference along with tons of clubs and activities. There isn't really any need for us to access services at Hoover City Schools. For us: We opted to home school so we could teach from Christian based curricula, free from state interference, focus on character building, and set the pace and learning style to fit the individual academic needs of our kids. If my sons really wanted to be on the Hoover wrestling team (hypothetical example) and IF they had the skills and ethic to make the team, then since I pay my local taxes to support the school, I as a Hoover resident should be able to enroll them for that as I wish...if they earned a spot based on merit.


For many of the rural, small home school cover schools based out of a local church, there are zero sports or activities. Far too small to have enough kids for even 7 man football. The kids being able to participate in their local community sports or club programs is a good idea, if it is something the parents wish to get involved.

There are some legitimate complaints though. I've heard some people say: "that homeschoolers think they are better than public schoolers and want to be weird and separate...so let them stay separate..." I've heard some say "Why take the roster spot of a kid who goes to the school everyday." I understand that to some degree. But perhaps they miss the point of homeschooling: Freedom for parents to direct the education of their children and have control over curriculum, pace of study, culture, and environment--not the state. So as taxpayers, participating in the local school in a very limited way shouldn't be a big deal.



If this bill passes, there will not be a flood of homeschoolers rushing to fill spots on public school teams. But there will be some, especially in the rural areas with small cover schools that are not big enough to offer any sports or other clubs.

Same here. I send my son to private school and pay the same taxes everyone else does. If those opposed lawmakers could figure out how to get the public schools here up to the level of my son's private school, I'd GLADLY pull him out and put him in public school...and save a few thousand $$$ a year.

For a time I felt this was wrong when they allowed it in Florida. After giving it more thought I figured that any player who is home schooled should be allowed to play at their local high schools.

As long as appropriate fees are paid let a kid participate in any high school sports they want and maybe we can dispel the myth that home schooled teens are weird or different. Likewise maybe the homeschooler can have a positive effect on some of the public school players.

Can't we all get along.

One question... Can a talented athlete kid leave his school with a terrible football program, become "homeschooled", and then join a team at another better high school football program down the road?

Come on Skinny, you no one would do that!!!! LOL

my initial assumption is that you would only be allowed to play for the school you would be attending IF you were going to public school.

He should be able to.

Typical provisions are that a homeschool student could only do that for the school that they are zoned for based on their residence...no swapping to cherry pick a better program. Haven't read the AL bill, but I'd be surprised if that was not part of it. Other "Tebow" type bills across the country have that provision.

Sure why not, I couldn't see where doing that would be any different than leaving one school and moving to another just for sports. Hartselle High School has kids doing that all of the time just for that specific reason.

From the text of HB 236


bill text: http://alisondb.legislature.state.al.us/ALISON/SearchableInstruments/2015RS/PrintFiles/HB236-int.pdf

ok, that answers my question. I'm fine with it.

I thought they already had something in place like that. We have a few home schooled kids hear that play sports and also in the band hear at the high school.

I have no problem with home schooled kids participating in sports or band at a public school that's in the district they live in,their parents pay the same taxes we do if they have a job so I don't see where they are getting anything for free. I send my kids to private school but get taxed just like every working man and my taxes are used for public education which I do not use,that I have a problem with

Not saying I agree or disagree but playing devil's advocate here. What's to stop a kid that attends a private school playing for a public school then? What's the difference really? Education is taking place outside of the public system in either scenario.

Local school districts have had the ability to allow it on their own if they wished. The new Bill would open that up as an option statewide.

I'm guessing the difference is that the student has sports/band available to them at the private school. If they don't, interesting point.

This Bill would only apply to home school or private tutor students.

I guess the real "difference" is that a private school is an actual brick and mortar school in the traditional sense. Economically it has to be large enough in student population to make enough money to cover costs of running a school. With enough students then there would also be the ability to organize sports and clubs for the students. We play in the Alabama Christian Sports Conference where some members are home schools under a church program and other are private very small Christian Academies...yet large enough to have enough students to field various teams in several sports.