Should Homeschooled Missouri Kids Play Public School Sports?

Lawmakers in Missouri are set to debate whether homeschooled kids should be allowed to participate in public school sports, here is what you need to know about both sides of the argument...

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According to an article from the Missouri Independent, a bill is being discussed in Missouri that would allow homeschooled kids to participate in public school sports. In the article, they say...

"The Missouri State High School Activities Association policy is to allow homeschooled students to participate in their local school districts’ sports if they are enrolled in at least one credit hour of instruction, which is typically two classes in non-block-scheduled schools. School districts are allowed to be more restrictive and ban homeschool participation. Brown’s bill would prohibit schools from requiring enrollment in classes, but any instruction or training required for the club or sport would still be allowed."

To read more about this bill, click here!

Is this fair?

The article goes on to mention how this bill is aimed at helping kids in more rural areas where they don't have as many private sports opportunities as homeschooled kids in bigger cities. And that people who homeschool their kids are still paying taxes that fund their local school districts and should have access to the facilities and activities their money helps to fund.

I would say that I worry this could lead to a slippery slope situation where you have school districts where the majority of the kids are homeschooled, and they only use the public school system for sports and after-school activities like art, theatre, and band. It feels like if you want access to those things, you should go to that school at least part-time, right?

I was a public school system kid in Illinois and loved it, part of the reason I loved it was the after-school activities like football and theatre. I hate to say homeschooled kids shouldn't have a chance to do those things, but I also feel if you are a parent and make the choice to homeschool, you are making the choice to keep your kids out of those things. Choices have consequences, and allowing homeschooled kids to not have to be enrolled at all in a school and get access to the school's sports seems like those families are getting their cake and eating it too.