Don't let Youngkin Backed Bill Die in the GOP House Monday!

The so-called “Tebow Bill,” which would allow homeschool students to try out for athletic teams at their local high school, is facing an extremely tight vote as soon as Monday afternoon on the floor of the House of Delegates. We need your immediate action to get this bill through the House and then off to the Senate where it has a real chance.

The bill, HB 511, introduced by Delegate Marie March (R-7, Pulaski) and supported by Governor Glenn Youngkin, would provide school boards the authority to allow homeschool students to try out for athletic teams at their local schools. It decentralizes this policy out of Richmond and to localities, where local officials better know their communities than state government. 

Unfortunately, with little or no Democrat help and the Republican majority very thin, there are enough delegates on the fence to tip this vote either way. This bill is a worthy reform, but the education establishment has mischaracterized it at every step. With Virginia public school enrollment dropping by more than 46,000 since 2019 (and homeschool enrollment up to 62,000) you would think public educators would welcome students to experience what it has to offer.  

This bill is local option – no school board is forced to change its current policy. Homeschool students must meet the academic requirements set by the General Assembly and pay all applicable fees for insurance and the like. No spots on any team are reserved for homeschool students, who must try out and demonstrate their abilities. These are friends and former classmates who simply want the opportunity to compete. Rural areas often don’t have the recreation league options for non-school sports than do the more populous areas of the commonwealth.

This type of legislation is law in 35 states and none have found the problems predicted by opponents. No state has repealed the law.  This bill even has a sunset provision as a further safeguard. Polling has shown this legislation is popular across all regional and demographic lines in Virginia. No student should be denied the right to try out for a sport and the opportunity to experience the life lessons of teamwork because he or she is homeschooled, even as the parents are paying the local taxes that fund those schools.