Should homeschoolers be allowed to play on public school teams?

I think the laws vary from state to state about what kind of reporting is required for homeschooling. I imagine all states require some sort of exit test for homeschoolers to receive a diploma.

I would be in favor of allowing homeschoolers participation in any extra-curricular activities at public schools. It would provide them with important social skills.

One of my sons dated a girl who was homeschooled all the way through high school. She was very good-looking but had minimal social skills. She decided to attend community college when she was about 20 and started dating many guys. (My son and her remain friends.)

From looking at the high school my kid attends, I would say no! There are so many kids at the try-outs every year who don't make the cut, but hope for a stand-in or finally have a shot the following year, it wouldn't be fair to them if a homeschooler has the same opportunities to enter a sports team at the local high school.

Usually there are plenty of teams for various sports in every community, yes they do cost money, but I see this as a better solution.

I don't know about all of these, but the better chess clubs are based in the community not in schools. Robotics and some other competitive cience teams are community teams set up at universities here - kids have to compete to get on the local teams that go to national and international competitions. Very few are through specific schools here.

This bothers me. Parents opt out of the school system but they want the best of both worlds. I pay taxes, can I play? How about all the single people or retired or childless couples, they pay taxes too. Plenty of people pay taxes but their kids can't play on the teams, they don't make the cut. Why should these kids compete against people who don't want their kids to be part of the school system or experience. Community teams - no problem. As Beth said, up here, I had to work bingos, casinos, sell chocolates and so on to support the schools and teams, will these parents do the same?

I don't know, maybe those parents would volunteer, etc.. They may have very justifiable reasons for 'opting out of the school system' and homeschooling. Perhaps the school their kids would have to go to is a piece of shite, or allows bullying, or is run by a Hitler, or is overrun by drugs. Who knows why... the thing is, it's about the KIDS. And the parents ARE paying taxes, so their children should be able to be involved, in my opinion.

I'd expect that any child/parents of a child playing on a sports team would have to participate in any fund raising impacting that sports program. This occurs with "community" type sports too. They do fund raisers to help pay for nationals for example if they qualify. Nothing different - you can still participate in fund raising whether you attend the school or not.

if you carried this to an extreme, every child in a district would have to be allowed to try out for any team at any school they wanted

Sports and clubs rarely get the financing the need, the schoolboard only pays for the coach and the facility, at least up here. Taxes don't cover all the other stuff. That's why I schlupped at countless fundraising event to pay for uniforms, new equipment, gas for the van, feild trips. I also did the same for community teams. Why can't they join a community team? Bullies wouldn't be a problem, hitler isn't a problem... If the school's a piece of shite, why even bother to want to join the team?
I'm all for kids getting the most out of life, if the parents decide that there kids aren't going to the school for sex-ed, or religious bases science (oxymoron I know) why should they get an exemption for the teams? And what about the parents who pay taxes and little jhonny gets cut because he's now competing against even more kids?
I think, as a parent, you make the decision to opt out, then opt out. You know what it entails. Your kids have other opportunities regualar kids might not get, like sitting at home all day watching tv... What's next, homeschooled kids allowed to go on field trips? Lots of people pay taxes for things they don't use, like transit or healthcare. If we started divining up the tax base based on personal use, it would be a nightmare.

It's not a requirement, at least not at the schools my kids went to. You can't discriminate against a kid whose parent maybe unable to or can't, for whatever reason. I doubt it's stipulated, even in the States. On community teams fundraising is mandatory. You don't raise the cash, your kid doesn't play.

Around here, most of the homeschoolers are taught that way cause the parents have some issue that they wish to bring into their kids life or they wish to sheter their kids from.
Its hardly ever an issue that the kids choose to be home schooled so I feel kinda sorry for them in their almost anti - socializing lives. The kids that are home schooled often have a worldview thrust upon them and the parents are skeptical about the kids being socialized into an environment that they (the parents) distrust. WHether its "socialsim, atheistic science, libertine example, or even rampant modernism" the kids are the losers. Ill bet that there wouldnt be a large number of parents flocking over to the HS to enroll their kids in some sport program. Kids also can be amazingly cruel. I can see this homeschooler getting the "hazing treatment " from a bunch of bully jocks and Ill bet the coaches will turn their heads. Ive had sort of experience in this area of "being different" and suffering as a kid

You make some good points, Ceili, I admit, but... homeschooling kids doesn't mean you need to be ostracized... maybe their school has shitty teachers... doesn't mean the teams will be shitty.

And the parents ARE paying school taxes and not getting much for them, so... and I say so what if little Johnny is competing against more kids... have another team, then. Who says you have to have just one of each? Get creative! I say be inclusive rather than exclusive.

It may very well turn out that your son's best friend was home-schooled. He'd never have met him were it not for extra-curricular activities.

I agree with Farmer's concerns. My instincts are against homeschooler's trying out for public high school teams, but I don't know that I have legal footing for my instinct.

An architect we used to work in association with for a while, I won't say where, had ten (was it ten?) homeschooled children all dressed, ah, funny, relative to the rest of the community, and I'm sorry, but I thought of them as brainwashed. At the same time, I'm not against homeschooling in some circumstances, and see the right to do that for your family even in the cases where I don't like the reasons. Or, I think I do. Things can get culty, large subject.

The soccer playing boy in question certainly looks able enough in the photo, and might be an asset to a team for all I know. He might even have been one of the homeschooled who was "exposed" to other children.

Interesting question.

I confess to knowing nothing about the funding of high school teams.

I know that our neighborhood high school receives generous donations from Nike every year since Phil Knight went to school there.

I know from our old neighborhood that Intel sponsors several high school science teams.

I imagine that there is all kinds of other fundraising going on though.

As I understand it, with fees, ticket sales, concession sales, and team paraphernalia, some high school teams actually turn a profit.

Again, who pays for the extra teams? And equipment and whatnot? It was very hard while my kids were in school, the same people always turned out to fundraisers. I'm not trying to ostracise anyone, but everyone makes choices in life. We all have people who make some decisions for us too, and we don't always agree, but we have to take it regardless.
I had cousins that were homeschooled. None of them graduated, most didn't make it past grade nine. I think most homeschooling is a farce, I know this isn't the kids fault. But if mommy and daddy decide a school isn't up to snuff, they have options. If they choose to homeschool, those kids don't have to miss out on team sports, they can choose other alternatives.
The taxes argument pisses me off, as I've said, plenty of people pay taxes towards things they will never use. I worked in the public sector and everyone thought they owned me because they paid taxes, they would have my job and all that bullshit. Corporations pay taxes too, and now, because they are human beings too, will they get the vote, or should they able to force their agenda? in schools, or in other unrelated businesses?

My nephew was not homeschooled, but unschooled. He's in college now, has a girlfriend, lots of friends, a decent job..... Perfectly normal -- above average, really.

Schools are jam packed with socially awkward kids.

Different strokes for different folks.

We don't get a say in where our tax dollars go -- except with our property taxes which fund our schools. We do have a bit of say in that. That might tip my scales in favor of a kid being able to try out for the teams sponsored by their neighborhood school.

Yes! - the parents pay taxes to support public schools.

Spoken like a true fanatical Mom.

Why not make it a rule that kids with blue eyes can't attend?

That would help your kids get a spot on the team roster.

I'm sorry your kids aren't great athletes; maybe it would make you more inclusive and less selfish.

Let's face it, the underlying belief of most of those opposed to homeschoolers being allowed to play on public school teams is that their parents are weird right-wing Christians.

So, kids that aren't home schooled should have access to scholarships available to homeschooled kids then... Fair is fair.