(The Lion) — Missouri homeschoolers may soon be able to participate in any extracurricular activities hosted by school districts, according to a new bill under review by the state House.
Sen. Ben Brown, R-Washington, is sponsoring SB 63 in efforts to help students “in nontraditional educational settings” participate more in public-school activities.
“It provides that school districts will no longer prohibit a home school, full-time virtual school student, or other nontraditional educational student from participating in the athletic and extracurricular programs that are funded by their parents’ tax dollars,” he told Missourinet, a division of the Learfield sports company.
Brown called attention to homeschooling as a valid alternative option for families trapped in what he described as an “underperforming school district.”
“It’s not right that a child be denied the additional enrichment and life skills that participating in youth athletics provides, simply because their parents wish to take it upon themselves to ensure the quality of their children’s education,” he said.
So far the bill has received unanimous support from all 33 other state senators, including Democrats such as Sen. Maggie Nurrenburn.
“When I coached, the student part was always first for me – you are a student and then you are an athlete, and it’s incredibly important that coaches keep that rigor high,” the Kansas City senator explained. “However, as I’ve learned more about this legislation and visited with homeschool families, I really see the benefit of having students – and the more the merrier – be able to participate in activities.”
‘Quiet but seismic shift’ in Missouri homeschooling
Educational analysts have estimated 1 in 16 school-age children in the Show Me State are now homeschooling – a trend outpacing changes in both public- and private-school enrollment.
“Love it or hate it, (homeschooling) appears to be a permanent change in the Missouri education landscape,” wrote Collin Hitt for the left-leaning Missouri Independent.
“To put it into perspective, the 61,000 homeschooled students in Missouri today equal the public-school enrollments of the school districts in St. Louis and Kansas City, combined. In rural areas, homeschoolers now often outnumber private school students.”
Hitt described the growth as “a quiet but seismic shift” nearly doubling since the estimated 3% of homeschoolers statewide before the COVID-19 pandemic.
“All of a sudden, every family had a taste of being their children’s primary educator. The data shows that many parents liked how that felt, and stuck with it years after brick-and-mortar schools reopened. Also, in the post-pandemic world of remote work, many families – who perhaps were always interested in homeschooling – are now able to make it work.”
