The Montgomery County Public School system must continue to prohibit home schooled students from participating in high

school sports because of their competitive advantage, untraceable academic progress, and the risk of losing their homeschooling liberties. The state of Maryland currently places the decision of whether or not homeschooled students should be admitted to play public school sports to the individual county, and as of now, the Montgomery County Public School System does not allow homeschooled students to play sports. Lifting this ban would place both the public school athletes and homeschooling families at risk, and would alter the regulations of high school sports. The Montgomery County Council must pass legislation to prohibit homeschooled students from access to public school extracurricular activities in order to maintain the safe and fair athletic environment we have today. There has been a long history of debate between homeschooled and publicly educated students in Maryland, and across the United States. One Maryland case, brought to court in 2005, established the Standards of Interscholastic Athletic Competition, SIAC, an eighteen-point guideline to supervise interscholastic athletics (Tim Tebow Bill). The goals of these standards are to maintain the integrity and safety of student athletes and to lay out regulations of sport competition. They also state that homeschooled students must represent a nonpublic school or church organizationand pursuant to the requirements of the school. (Maryland State Department of Education). The SIAC established the fact that homeschooled students could play on a private school sports team, but could not play with a public school, and determined the requirements of any interscholastic athletic participation (SIAC).

This decision, and the creation of the SIAC, was the result of Bressler v. Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association; a case featuring a homeschooled student who was interested in playing sports with a private school team. In the state of Maryland at that time it was illegal for homeschooled students to play with public school teams, and when his wrestling team was barred from a competition, Bressler and his coach brought the debate to court. Bressler won his case, and it was deemed that private school teams with homeschooled athletes could compete against public school teams in Baltimore County. It was also decided that in Maryland, it would be a county decision to allow or disallow these privileges. Throughout the nation there have been multiple cases that have debated legislations allowing homeschooled students to play on public school sports teams. While many of these legislations failed to pass, there have been a handful that have, only to be petitioned off by homeschooling families. In New York, Ohio, and Wisconsin, there have been instances of this, where a push to expand homeschooling to public school extracurricular activities has been ended by homeschoolers themselves (Home Education Magazine). Many of them felt that the passage of these bills would lead to an increase in government involvement with their education. According to one of the petitioners, homeschooling families are able to provide a rich education for [their] children without the assistance of government school programs (Home Education Magazine). It is stressed throughout the homeschooling community that an increase in government involvement into homeschooling privileges would ultimately lead to a loss in personal rights and freedoms. These families feel that opening participation in public school athletics would be taking advantage of government money and services, which

almost always invites government control (Chris Klicka). The result of allowing participation would be a demand from public school parents to enforce homeschooling responsibilities, and more oversight into the affairs of a private education system (Home Education Magazine). This is undesirable for many homeschooling families, for they want to have as much freedom as they can to provide the best possible education for [their] children in keeping with [their] beliefs and principles" (Home Education Magazine). While this problem strongly affects homeschooling families, it also impacts public school athletes. Being homeschooled gives athletes a more flexible work schedule for both academics and sports, which is unavailable to most public school students. They can arrange their schedules to fit in extra practice or rest time to prepare themselves for competitions or practices (Home Education Magazine). It also creates the option of practicing in the middle of the day, instead of before or after school, which could lead to gaining more from the session and not tiring oneself out. Homeschooled students would be able to outshine public schooled students in their athletic training, which would negatively affect the high school students mentally and physically (Chris Klicka). To participate in sports in Montgomery County, high school students must maintain a 2.0 GPA, with no more than one failing grade, and be prompt and present for every 8-hour school day (Montgomery County Public Schools Athletics). Failure to comply with the academic eligibility and attendance standards results in suspension from the team. It is much harder to track the academic progress and attendance of homeschooled students.

For homeschooled students to compete with a private school team, they must comply with COMAR 13A. 10.01, a code of requirements for the education plan of home educated students (SIAC). This code defines the eight subjects that must be taught at home and the essential guidelines that families must follow, but contains no information on how to compare homeschooling progress with public school progress (COMAR 13A. 10.01.01). This wouldnt necessarily pose a problem; for in an ideal world a school could come up with their own guidelines for eligibility, but according to COMAR 13A. 10.01.01 a local school system may not impose additional requirements for home instruction programs. This inability to follow the progress of all student athletes would make it unjust for homeschooled students to play along side public school students, regardless of their eligibility. With the combination of more time for practice and an adjustable education schedule, homeschooled students can often excel in their sport to a higher level than most public school students. If resentment grows between home and public schooled athletes, it could lead to the stereotyping of homeschooled students as cheaters and an increased disliking for them (Home Education Magazine). To protect the rights and dignity of homeschooled students, and to create a fair athletic community for public school students, only publicly educated athletes should be allowed to play school sports in Montgomery County. Mainstream media sources often play to the fact that homeschooled students rely on public school programs to maintain their sport, but public school sports and activities are not the only option for homeschooled students to expand their learning and social circle (Home Education Magazine). There are many other extracurricular activities for

homeschoolers in Montgomery County, ranging from art and music lessons to nature camps and sports teams (Homeschool Montgomery). Though some of these activities are during the day, to make for an easier schedule, many are for all children, which would let homeschooled students branch out and make connections with public school students, without the unfair competition. To protect their liberties, many homeschooling families are against legislations that increase their access to public school activities. More often than not, these legislations are stopped before they are even passed, or petitioned off before they can go into effect (Home Education Magazine). To end this cycle all together, Montgomery County should pass a legislation to deny homeschooled students access to play public school sports. This would be legal in the state of Maryland, for it is a countys decision, and would help to end this problem all together. It is the responsibility of Montgomery County to pass a legislation prohibiting the involvement of homeschooled students in public school sports to protect the freedoms of homeschooling families and the athletic opportunities of public school athletes. Montgomery County would be the first county in Maryland to do so, and its action may lead to a chain of legislations to help the well being of homeschooled and public schooled students alike. Continuing to prohibit this access would help all athletes in Montgomery County, and would ensure the safety and rights of homeschooled students.

Works Cited "COMAR 13A.10.01." Maryland State Department of Education. MSDE, 2003. Web. 5 Mar. 2013. <http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/nonpublicschools/ nplegal/comar/comar_13a_10_01.htm>.

"Extracurricular Activities." Homeschool Montgomery! Ed. Beth Redmond. Homeschool Maryland!, 2013. Web. 3 Mar. 2013. <http://homeschoolmontgomery.com/extracurricular.html>.

Kaseman, Larry, and Susan Kaseman. "Why the Question of Homeschoolers' Playing Public School Sports Affects All Homeschoolers." Homeschooling Information and Resources. Home Education Magazine, 2000. Web. 2 Feb. 2013. <http://homeedmag.com/HEM/173/mj_clmn_tch.php>.

Klicka, Chris. "Can Homeschoolers Participate In Public School Programs?" Homeschool World. Home Life, 2013. Web. 3 Feb. 2013. <http://www.home-school.com/Articles/ can-homeschoolers-participate-in-public-school-programs.php>.

Scott, Richard. "Home Instruction Fact Sheet." Maryland State Department of Education. Maryland State Department of Education, 2003. Web. 3 Mar. 2013. <http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/divisions/student schoolsvcs/student_services_alt/home_schooling/docs/homeschool_factsheet.htm>.

"STANDARDS OF INTERSCHOLASTIC ATHLETIC COMPETITION." Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association. MPSSAA, 2007. Web. 5 Mar. 2013. <http://www.mpssaa.org/assets/sanctioning/ Standards%20Of%20Competition%20Form.pdf>.

"STATES THAT ALLOW ACCESS TO ATHLETICS/ACTIVITIES ASSOCIATIONS." The State of Alabama's "Tim Tebow Bill." alabamaequalaccess, 8 Feb. 2013. Web. 3 Mar. 2013. <http://timtebowbill.com/state%20laws%20for%20equal%20access.pdf>

Annotated Bibliography Blair Athletics. Montgomery Blair High School, 2013. Web. 5 Mar. 2013. <http://www.blairathletics.org/>. I used Blair's athletics website to learn about the athletic community at my own school, and to find information about home schooled students playing sports. I did not find any information on homeschooling, but I found the requirements students must follow to play sports. It is accurate, because it is a high school sports page, so it would have correct information on high school sports.

"BRESSLER ET AL V. MARYLAND PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION ET AL."BRESSLER ET AL V. MARYLAND PUBLIC SECARY SCHOOLS ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION ET AL: n. pag. U.S. Government Printing Office. Web. 4 Mar. 2013. <http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCOURTS-mdd-1_05cv-00783>. This database contains information about the court case Bressler v. Maryland, which I used to learn about the history of this problem. I learned about the location of the case, and the parties involved in the decision. THis is a reliable source, because it is a government agency.

"COMAR 13A.10.01." Maryland State Department of Education. MSDE, 2003. Web. 5 Mar. 2013. <http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/nonpublicschools/ nplegal/comar/comar_13a_10_01.htm>. This source showed me what the basis of the homeschooling code COMAR 13A.10.01 was, and how it affects students who wish to play sports. It is reliable, because it is part of the Maryland Education data base, and is a legal regulation on homeschooling policy.

"Extracurricular Activities." Homeschool Montgomery! Ed. Beth Redmond. Homeschool Maryland!, 2013. Web. 3 Mar. 2013. <http://homeschoolmontgomery.com/extracurricular.html>. This source is a database for homeschooling families in the Montgomery County area, and is used to inform people about different potions and support groups for homeschooling. I found it helpful for it outlined a list of extracurricular activities available for home schooled students, showing me that there were options other than public school sports.

".05 Home Instruction Under Supervision of Nonpublic School." Maryland State Department of Education. MSDE, 2003. Web. 5 Mar. 2013. <http://www.dsd.state.md.us/comar/comarhtml/13a/13a.10.01.05.htm>. I used this source to go into more depth about the COMAR 13A 10.01 legislation and homeschool instruction. I learned that public schools have some control over what it taught at home, but it is virtually all the parent's responsibility to teach the children, which makes it unfair for them to compete against public school students.

GoGoGoEverton's Blog. "Should Home-Schoolers be able to participate in Public School sports?" Daily Kos. Kos Media, LLC, 27 Feb. 2012. Web. 2 Feb. 2013. <http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/02/27/1068762/ -Should-Home-Schoolers-be-able-to-participate-in-Public-School-sports-POLL>. This source was one of the ones I used for a background in the debate over

home schooled students playing public school sports. Though in of itself it may not be reliable, other sources I found express the same arguments as this. I learned about the basic pros and cons, and this source is what convinced me to take the con side of this argument.

Kaseman, Larry, and Susan Kaseman. "Why the Question of Homeschoolers' Playing Public School Sports Affects All Homeschoolers." Homeschooling Information and Resources. Home Education Magazine, 2000. Web. 2 Feb. 2013. <http://homeedmag.com/HEM/173/mj_clmn_tch.php>. This webpage describes the problems faced by the entire home schooled community if home schooled children look into playing public school sports. It outlines the hoops that a family must go through to gain access, and tells how by doing so they will only bring more government regulation on to homeschooling. This source was written by parents of a home schooled child, so the experience on the topic would be accurate and reliable. The source may be slightly biased, for there are no arguments for playing school sports, but this source gave me a very strong look into the con side. This had shaped my arguments by giving me many strong arguments against playing school sports from the perspective of a homeschooling family.

Klicka, Chris. "Can Homeschoolers Participate In Public School Programs?" Homeschool World. Home Life, 2013. Web. 3 Feb. 2013. <http://www.home-school.com/Articles/can-homeschoolers-participate-in-public-

10

school-programs.php>. This web page describes the basic history of the battle to legalize homeschooling, and the continuing fight for admission in to public school activities and the strings attached. It was helpful in reiterating the fact that gaining access to these activities wouldn't come without a price to all homeschool families. It proves to be reliable because the information I found here matches with other facts I have found.

"MPSSAA." Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association. Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association, 2007. Web. 3 Mar. 2013. <http://www.mpssaa.org>. I used this source to learn about the requirements to become a member of the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association, and the different rules high schools have to follow. This source gives reliable information about high school athletics, and give me insight into how much sporting regulations matter.

"Nonpublic School Approval." Maryland State Department of Education. MSDE, Oct. 2008. Web. 5 Mar. 2013. <http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/ nonpublicschools/npdocs/fact_sheets/np_fact_home_instruction.htm>. This source taught me what families must do before homeschooling, and the fact that one an not play a public school sport if one is home schooled. I used this information to support my argument on the grading difference between public and home schooled students, and supported the fact that home schooled students can't play high school sports.

11

Scott, Richard. "Home Instruction Fact Sheet." Maryland State Department of Education. Maryland State Department of Education, 2003. Web. 3 Mar. 2013. <http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/divisions/ studentschoolsvcs/student_services_alt/home_schooling/docs/ homeschool_factsheet.htm>. This page on the Maryland State Department of Education website gave me insight into the responsibilities and regulations of being home schooled in Mayland. I also used it to learn about the potions of public school activities. This is a reliable source, because it was written by the Maryland State Department of Education, and would contain accurate information about the its own schooling system.

Smith, J. Michael, Esq., and Michael P. Farris, Esq., eds. "Public School Access for HomeschoolersA Legal Summary MARYLAND." Home School Legal Defense Association. HSLDA, 2013. Web. 3 Mar. 2013. <http://www.hslda.org/ laws/Equal_Access/Maryland_eq.asp>. This source is a database for homeschooling legal information and history. I used it to learn more about the Bressler v. Maryland court case and to look up other legal history with my debate.

"STANDARDS OF INTERSCHOLASTIC ATHLETIC COMPETITION." Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association. MPSSAA, 2007. Web. 5 Mar. 2013. <http://www.mpssaa.org/assets/sanctioning/Standards%20Of%20Competition%2 0Form.pdf>. This source is the list of standards that all high schools must follow

12

in order to compete with other schools, including the requirements for homeschooled students. It was helpful because I learned the specifics of what must be done to play sports.

"STATES THAT ALLOW ACCESS TO ATHLETICS/ACTIVITIES ASSOCIATIONS." The State of Alabama's "Tim Tebow Bill." alabamaequalaccess, 8 Feb. 2013. Web. 3 Mar. 2013. <http://timtebowbill.com/state%20laws%20for% 20equal%20access.pdf>. I used this source to find all of the important history about homeschooling and sports in Maryland. It was very helpful in giving me facts about Maryland's current place on the homeschooling front, as well as looks into other state's progress.

"STUDENT PARENT ATHLETIC PARTICIPATION INFORMATION." Montgomery County Public Schools. MCPS, 2013. Web. 5 Mar. 2013. <http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/>. This student permission form, needed to play high school sports, tells the requirements by which one can praticipate. I used this to prove what grades public school students need to play sports, and how it differs from homeschooling grades.

13