Bill would let home-schoolers play high school sports

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More than anything, it is that desire that caused him to submit a bill that would place the South Carolina High School league under the direction of the state's Education Department.

Fair said he has broached the subject of home-schoolers having the option of participating in prep sports with SCHSL officials to no avail.

High School League executive director Ronnie Matthews believes Fair has targeted the wrong group.

"Senator Fair and I sat down and discussed this last year," Matthews said. "I explained to him the process we have for making constitutional changes per league policy. If that proposal is presented by one of the membership, either a principal or superintendent, it would go on our legislative assembly agenda to be voted on at our March meeting in Charleston."

Fair introduced his bill in 2002, but too late for a subcommittee to be appointed, and has introduced it again this year.

He said the small number of home-schooled students in the state should make it easier to integrate them on athletic teams.

"There is no place in South Carolina where students are jumping out of the public system pell-mell," Fair said.

"With the high school report cards coming out, if failing schools continue to be failing schools, that might lead some parents to rethink this issue. But I'm not aware of any place where the numbers are growing, either in private schools or home schools."

State Sen. Warren Giese, R-Columbia, who introduced a similar bill several years ago, believes the issue may be better served by going through local school districts.

"The devil would be in the details," Giese said.

"The youngsters not going to high school would be put under some academic standards they'd have to uphold. ... I wouldn't know what kind of rules you'd place on them.

"... See if the details can be worked out. It's in the best interest of the children who don't have the opportunity to participate now."

Matthews said such a plan would be difficult to enforce, and Dr. Rudolph Gordon, retired superintendent of Greenville County schools, agreed.

"That would probably go against the spirit of having a high school league," Gordon said.

"The whole idea is you have centralized control of what happens in athletics. Member schools can't go off and do what they would like if they are going to continue to be a part of the high school league's program."

Gregg Finley, an Easley resident who home-schools his two daughters and coaches a girls' basketball team made up of home-schoolers, believes home-schoolers should have the ability to compete on public school teams because their parents pay taxes.

He concedes there might be problems.

"I think the opportunities should be there, but I don't know how they're going to police it," Finley said. "My kids' transcripts are posted in case they ever want to transfer to a school. ... But some (of the home-school families) march to a different drummer. I don't know how much government influence they would be willing to accept."

John Carlisle, football coach at Eastside High School, said there are other problems with allowing home-schoolers to participate on high school teams.

"Extracurricular activities are an extension of the school day," said Carlisle.

"We would have no way of keeping up with discipline. The other main thing is your academics. In the High School League, all of us are under the same guidelines. We have to pass so many courses to be eligible to participate. A home-schooler takes a test every year.

"All rules and regulations that are passed by us and enforced by the league office are to bring about some standard of equality across the board — everybody needs to play by the same set of rules."

Matthews said Fair's plan faces a financial obstacle as well.

"The High School League, while we are by no means wealthy, we are financially stable," he said.

"If we were put under the state Department of Education, and presently we get zero funding from the state budget, I think they would be obligated to include us in their budget, and I don't need to (point out) the condition of the state budget right now."

While Finley believes there are few home-schoolers with the ability to compete athletically on the public school level, he said having the option to participate could prompt more parents to home-school their children.

"I have a buddy who home-schools his daughter but sends his son to public school because the kid plays baseball and football and he wants him to participate," Finley said.

"If he could (be home-schooled and still be allowed to play sports), I think he might make that decision."