Public schools may permit homeschooled athletes

Indiana House Bill 1399

Would allow: homeschooled students to try out, practice and play in high school athletics the same way students who attend the high school participate

Passed: in the House 60 - 30, on its way to the Senate

Supporters say: “As tax-paying citizens who support the stadiums, gyms and pools of the schools as well as the coaches’ salaries, all eligible students should have the right to participate in high school athletics.”
- Rep. Timoth Wesco, R-Mishawaka

Skeptics say: “Homeschooled kids have lots of other opportunities to play sports in the community.”
- Bob Cox, Indiana High School Athletic Association commissioner


Sports teams at Indiana high schools could look a little different next season if House Bill 1399 passes this spring.

Planned to go in effect July 1, Indiana homeschooled students would be eligible to try out, practice and play in high school athletics alongside athletes who attend public school.

The bill passed in the Indiana House Feb. 15 with a 60-30 vote and is on its way to the Indiana Senate.

Under current Indiana High School Athletic Association rules, homeschooled students are not eligible for high school athletics.

The bill’s authors include Rep. Phyllis Pond, R-New Haven, and Rep. Timothy Wesco, R-Mishawaka.

Wesco said he was approached by parents of homeschooled students in his district who were interested in playing sports in high school.

Wesco was homeschooled as a child and teenager. He said he understands the perspective of being denied the chance to play in a high school sport.

“My belief is that as tax-paying citizens who support the stadiums, gyms and pools of the schools as well as the coaches’ salaries, all eligible students should have the right to participate in high school athletics,” Wesco said.  

Under current IHSAA standards, high school students must take at least 70 percent of classes offered at their grade level and pass four of the classes they choose to take.

The bill would require homeschooled students to pass a nationally recognized exam and 70 percent of their classes. Parents would need to provide written verification of the completed work, Wesco said.

“I’m not saying parents’ words can’t be trusted, but with homeschooled parents signing off on a student’s grades, I’m not sure the accountability is the same,” said Jennifer Hollars, women’s athletic director of Bloomington High School North.

IHSAA commissioner Bobby Cox testified against this bill in the Indiana House Education Committee earlier this month.

Cox said he is opposed to the bill because he believes there is a disconnect with the level of academic fairness between what students who attend the high school would be required to achieve academically versus homeschooled students.

Other skeptics are also concerned about the fairness of the bill.

“It opens up a whole other can of worms,” said JR Holmes, athletic director of Bloomington High School South. “The homeschooled kid may be sleeping in until 10 a.m. and then starting classes while students at the high school are waking up at 6:30 to catch a bus.”

Other concerns include the possibility of homeschooled students taking spots on teams of students who attend the high school or a homeschooled student’s previous experience in a team atmosphere, Hollars said.

“There will be a lot of positives and negatives that arise from this bill, but my issue is that it doesn’t seem to be the same across all students,” Hollars said. 

Twenty-one other states in the United States have a law similar to this bill, including Arizona, Colorado and Florida.

Wesco said Denver Bronco’s quarterback Tim Tebow was a homeschooled student who benefited from a similar law passed in Florida in 1996. He played on a high school football team and through that was recruited to play for the University of Florida, where he won a Heisman Trophy and later went on to play in the NFL.

“High school athletics are separate from the community they’re located in,” Cox said. “They are for high school students who attend the high school and are making the grades. Homeschooled kids have lots of other opportunities to play sports in the community.”