Homeschooling, for the most part, allows families the freedom to pursue an educational journey as they see fit. Given the wide variety of curricula, online learning centers, Yahoo groups and homeschool co-ops, options abound for most families. Participation in sports and clubs, however, is one area that homeschoolers lack access to sufficient choices. If you homeschool in Maryland, participation in school sports, team events, drama clubs, etc. is not permitted. (In other states, this is not the case.) However, because of MD House Bill 500, a change may occur in the future.
If the bill were to pass (it is currently in the Ways and Means Committee), it would permit Maryland homeschoolers to participate in extracurricular activities, such as sports, interscholastic programs, theater groups, etc. (Insert sound of MD high school homeschoolers screaming with joy, as they envision playing football and joining the cheer squad!). There is a petition to sign, if you would like to lend your support to this cause. There are also comments on the petition page, giving some insight as to why many homeschoolers would like to see this bill become law.
Over the years of homeschooling, it has become somewhat commonplace to hear of homeschoolers who decide to attend high school, and often their overriding reason is the desire to participate in a sports program. Given the money and time that are heaped upon school sports programs, this is not surprising. However, it does seem this bill should be considered from all angles. It seems innocuous enough, and since homeschoolers pay their taxes like everyone else, they should have equal access to programs and activities that are covered by state funds. Yet joining forces with the public schools can be a slippery slope. Would the schools then be allowed to have more of a say in how a home instruction program is designed, or implemented? Would local school boards demand test scores for homeschoolers who want to participate in a play, since grades are often used to prove eligibility for extracurricular programs? The tremendous advangates to homeschoolers seem fairly obvious, but it is hard to envision the state allowing such a big change without wanting something in return. Maryland homeschool students would bring a wealth of experience, skill, and diversity to the extracurricular programs sponsored by the public schools. It would be awesome for boths sides to see that "hey, we really aren't that different from one another." Should Maryland HB 500 become law, hopefully, the net result will benefit all Maryland homeschoolers, without taking away any of their hard-earned freedoms and choices.
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