(The Lion) — A proposed new rule may prohibit homeschool and private-school families from using Arkansas’ education freedom funds for team sports – even as public schools face no such restrictions.

In describing extracurricular activities that the state’s school choice funds can be used for, the rule change approved Nov. 13 by the Arkansas State Board of Education explicitly excludes “team sports or club sports, whether recreational or competitive.”

It also prohibits the funds from being used for such things as sports equipment, registration fees, travel costs and other associated expenses.

The decidedly anti-choice proposal is all the more remarkable coming as it does in Arkansas – one of the first states to offer universal education freedom under its 2023 LEARNS Act, which allows parents to determine their children’s educational method and location.

More than 80% of Arkansas parents support education freedom, and two-thirds of voters say families should make education decisions and any programs should be “broad and flexible,” Opportunity Arkansas reports.

But just two years in, the state is changing policies to cease funding many extracurricular activities, meaning students who want these opportunities have to attend public schools.

The change – which the public can comment on until Dec. 16 – was buried in 47 pages of rules and definitions the board was tasked with approving on Nov. 13.

“The proposed rules change the definition of eligible extracurricular activities to exclude team sports, full stop. That means no baseball. No soccer. No basketball. No football. No track or volleyball,” Opportunity Arkansas explains in its (non)Debatable electronic newsletter.

“Sure, public schools will still get to spend millions on these things, but not education freedom families.”

Additionally, the draft rule limits field trip opportunities, again restricting the freedom of students at Christian schools or in homeschool programs.

“Under the draft language, field trips would be limited to locations within the state of Arkansas and subject to new layers of red tape: pre-defined educational objectives, alignment with classroom subject areas, and documentation requirements that read more like a government grant application than an opportunity for learning,” Opportunity Arkansas’ emailed newsletter continues. “More paperwork, less freedom.”

The proposed rules define the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE)’s authority over Arkansas Children’s Educational Freedom Account Program.

Opportunity Arkansas seeks to solve generational problems through research and developed strategies, with one of its main goals being parental control of education, according to its website.

The organization said it raised concerns regarding the restrictions on sports and field trips in September, and the ADE reassured parents they could use 25% of their school funds for trips or sports, including registration, uniforms and equipment. Yet, the proposed rule would allot zero percent of funds for such activities.

“Families who followed the rules, trusted the guidance, and built their plans around it are now being told they can’t,” the newsletter reads. “Keep in mind, these rules are also months late – the first semester of the school year is almost over and families are just now being given this information, which is a massive pivot.”

Sports and field trips aren’t the only restrictions, according to Opportunity Arkansas. The group argues the definition of “misuse” in the proposal is “overly broad” and could “punish parents for honest mistakes rather than deliberate wrongdoing.”

Additionally, the proposal modifies the standards for “co-curricular courses” that may abolish art, music and STEM, the newsletter argues. The state’s draft suggests new “multi-part tests” for “necessary and ordinary expenses” that could further limit parents’ autonomy.

“In short: more red tape and less trust in parents,” the newsletter notes. “The ADE proposed rule is not just bureaucratic overreach but bad policy that risks losing the trust of parents who have bought into the promise of education freedom.”

While the proposal is open for public comment, it will be discussed at a Dec. 2 public meeting.

Michael Ryan contributed to this report.