Missouri bill would open athletics to home-schooled students

Proposed legislation in Missouri would grant home-schooled students access to high school sports.

Thirty states currently allow participation by home-schooled students, but each state governs it a bit differently. Some require part-time enrollment at the high school, which allows the district a greater ability to make sure the student meets eligibility requirements.

Missouri’s bill currently sits before the Senate’s education committee. It’s unclear exactly what rules and requirements lawmakers would adopt to help schools manage the change.

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According to The Missourian, the proposal has both critics and supporters throughout the state. One school district superintendent expressed concern over how home-schooled students would be able to meet the district’s academic requirements for participation.

Dr. Rachel Coleman, executive director of the Coalition for Responsible Home Education, told the newspaper it’s “well-documented that access to public school athletics programs benefits home-schooled students without creating problems for either public schools or other students.”

Coach & Athletic Director’s own polling has found that roughly two-thirds of coaches and athletic administrators do not support home-schooler participation.

Missouri ranks seventh in the nation for high school sports participation with more than 174,000 student-athletes.

Read more from The Missourian.