West Virginia home-schooled students could soon play for public school sports teams, thanks to a "Tim Tebow bill" approved by the West Virginia Senate on Wednesday.
Senators voted 25-8 to pave the way for home-schooled students - and students at private schools unaffiliated with the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission - to join sports teams and take part in other extracurricular activities at middle and high schools.
"This is about correcting a discrimination that's ongoing in our system today against a group of kids, through no fault of their own, find themselves unable to participate in a sport or another extracurricular activity," said Sen. Robert Karnes, R-Upshur, whose children are home-schooled. "The opponents of this bill ought to set aside their prejudices and give these kids a chance to compete."
The bill's critics say home-schooled students could displace public school students on sports teams that have smaller rosters, like basketball teams. Similar legislation in other states also has sparked complaints about unfair recruiting practices.
Under the West Virginia bill, students at private schools that don't offer certain sports could also play for SSAC-sanctioned schools that do.
Sen. Mike Romano, D-Harrison, wound up voting for the legislation Wednesday, but not before expressing reservations about adding costs to public schools and their athletic programs.
"We're going to put this all on our public schools without any additional financial assistance for them to take care of these students," Romano said.
But other senators predicted only a handful of students in each county school system would elect to take advantage of the new rules.
"I don't think we're going to have our public schools overrun by these students," said Sen. Dave Sypolt, R-Preston.
Tebow, a former home-schooled student who played for private and public schools in Florida, won the Heisman Trophy as a quarterback for the University of Florida.
According to the bill named after him, home-schooled students would have to meet academic standards - by showing a portfolio of work or by scoring in the 25th percentile on a standardized exam - to join public school sports teams. Students also would have to adhere to codes of conduct to stay eligible.
The bill also gives SSAC-member private schools the option of accepting home-schooled students.
About 30 states allow homeschoolers to take part in public school athletics.
The bill next moves to the House of Delegates.
Reach Eric Eyre at ericeyre@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-4869 or follow @ericeyre on Twitter.