If enacted, this legislation would allow home-schooled students in New York State to participate in public school district interscholastic sports. Current law requires students to be enrolled in three courses plus physical education to represent their school in interscholastic sports. Public school students who participate in the school community every day are required to meet the Education Department’s eligibility standards. This will be displaced by home-school students not held by the same standards. In addition, the precedent could also be interpreted to include non-public and other private school students’ access to interscholastic programs.
Fair competition is a crucial factor in interscholastic sports that is based on student enrollment. If a school were to allow home-school students to participate in interscholastic sports that school would have an unfair advantage over neighboring schools. The reverse is also true.
A small school with a high home-school population would be placed in a higher classification requiring them to compete with larger schools. Also, the State does not have an accurate account of how many home-schooled students are enrolled in any given district.
This legislation would erode the integrity of the classification system. And potentially cause injury to students.
Keep the playing field level! Oppose these bills proposing to allow home-schooled students to participate in district interscholastic sports. Contact your Assembly and Senate representatives to voice your concerns.
Tony
Anthony C. Laurino
CAS/ESSAA Legislative Liaison
 Permitting Home-Schooled Students to Participate in District Interscholastic Sports){kind=link}