First the article from the Clanton Advertiser...

Several county high school football coaches do not support a new bill that would allow home schooled children to participate in extracurricular activities at public high schools.

On Wednesday, the Senate Education Committee held a public hearing on the bill, which is being sponsored by Sen. Hank Erwin. The bill faced stiff opposition in the meeting, but the main reason Erwin is supporting the bill is to start a discussion on the issue.

"All we want to do is to allow home schoolers the same opportunity as those who go to public schools already," Erwin said.

The bill, dubbed the "Tebow Bill," would allow students to try out for sports, band and cheerleading. The name comes from University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow who played for Nease High School in Florida even though he was home schooled by his parents.

Two letters to the editor show community support...

I was disappointed to read the negative approach in the articles by Brent Maze concerning the home-school bill. Legislative bills should be carefully reviewed and intelligently debated on all sides so that an informed decision can be made. The key word here is "informed". When an individual guesses or assumes what "might" or "could" happen if a bill passed, an uninformed opinion is often formed. Comments such as "I think it would cause a whole lot of problems schools don't want," caused me to wonder if the opinions of naysayers are based on facts or based on lack of information, or perhaps even based on a bias against home-schoolers to begin with.

Mr. Maze stated, "If you decide to be home-schooled, then you must live with the consequences of those actions." This sentence alone tends to criminalize home-schoolers. Local coaches readily admit that they already face various problems in the sports programs - this occurring without home-schoolers being involved in the programs. It is extreme to assume that home-schoolers would somehow disrupt our local sports programs. According to the Home-school Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), only three to five percent of home-schooled students take advantage of equal access opportunities in states where it is allowed. In Alabama, this would equate to about one student per school or 10 per district.

Readers should know that there are presently 23 other states that support some form of equal access for home-schoolers. The reality is that it works out very well and that home-schoolers have a very positive impact on public schools that provide equal access for home-schoolers. My sister, who lives in the state of Iowa, said that public schools in her area welcome home-schoolers in their extracurricular programs (sports and band) and view equal access to home-schoolers as an opportunity to add a few great students and parents to the team, rather than viewing equal access as a problem....

- Dr. Robin B. Parnell

...and...

You would think educated people would use intelligent and articulate thoughts in making decisions. I try not to get involved in most issues but the reasons given seem to be so ridiculous to me. With all due respect to a difference in opinions, I must take issue with the local high school coaches reasons for not wanting to allow home schooled kids to play sports in public schools.

The parents of the home school kids pay taxes that support the local schools and the coaches salaries, do they not? I don't see the school or coaches wanting to decline the money. What rules do the kids at school have to go by that can't be enforced for the home schooled kids?

It has always been a general consensus that athletes get by with anything at school because they are athletes, but I don't hear the coaches objecting to this, do you? I certainly don't believe this is true for most athletes or teachers, but I am not so stupid that I don't know it does go on.

Is it possible that they see home schooling as a challenge to or adverse to their job security? I expect most parents would prefer to home school as opposed to public schooling if they were able to home school but due to jobs and such are not able to.

- James Bailey

Remember, when it comes to homeschooling, local is almost always eventually national. It's important to pay attention to these local issues.