HomeSchooled Athletes Are Sidelined by This Governor after He Vetoes Tim Tebow Bill

Heather Sells : Feb 22, 2017
CBN News

It’s the third year in a row the governor has vetoed the bill.

(Richmond, VA)—[CBN News] Gov. Terry McAuliffe, D-VA, has effectively sidelined all homeschool athletes in the state who'd like to compete for their public high school. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh/via Breitbart)

For the third year in a row, McAuliffe has vetoed the so-called "Tebow bill," which would overturn a state ban on homeschool students participating in high school sports and other interscholastic activities.

McAufliffe said doing so "would disrupt the level playing field Virginia's public schools have developed over the past century" and codify "academic inequality" because homeschool students don't satisfy the same academic criteria as public school students.

However, the Virginia bill, known as HB 1578, does require homeschool students who want to compete to pass standardized tests and demonstrate "evidence of progress" in their school curriculum for at least two years. They must also meet public school immunization standards.

The Virginia-based Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) remains officially neutral on the bill.  Senior counsel Scott Woodruff told CBN News that the HSLDA focuses on a core mission to defend families' rights to home-school and does not take action on efforts to secure more public school rights for home-school children.

Many in the homeschool community are divided over the Tebow bill according to Woodruff.  Some believe it's better to build up homeschool sports associations.  Others believe that home-school athletes will suffer if they're locked out of public school sports programs. (Photo: Homeschool athletes/via HSLDA)

More than half the states allow homeschool students to access public school sports and other extra-curricular activities.

Woodruff expects the momentum to continue and that Virginia will eventually pass the bill.  "The trend is in their favor," he told CBN News adding, "it's probably only a matter of time."

Texas is considering similar legislation this year.

Woodruff also noted that no state that has passed the Tebow bill has moved to repeal it.

Many lawmakers have nicknamed the legislation the "Tebow bill" for former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow.  As a homeschool student in Florida he was able to play football for a public high school.