N.C. Senate Proposes School Sports Access

NCHE opposes, saying the measure invites more regulation

A bill introduced in the state senate by Sen. Jim Jacumin (R-44) would open public school athletic programs to students of any school, public or nonpublic, whose school did not offer the interscholastic sport in question. The bill, S259, states,

These rules shall provide that any high school student who attends ... [a] private school, home school, or charter school that does not have an interscholastic athletics program in a given sport may participate in that sport at the base public high school for the student's address, subject to the terms and conditions applicable to a regularly enrolled member of that school's student body.

While the bill specifically includes homeschoolers -- WRAL in Raleigh focuses on this fact, downplaying the private, charter and public school students who also benefit -- North Carolinians for Home Education opposes the bill.

NCHE president Spencer Mason told WRAL the bill could open the door for more restrictions on homeschoolers who participate, but added, "We would be in favor of allowing home-schooled students to participate in public school club sports, if there were no additional regulations that would affect home-schoolers."

The bill continues to allow an outside organization such as the N.C. High School Athletic Association to implement the rules for interscholastic competition. NCHSAA has opposed allowing students to play for schools in which they were not enrolled because one school may recruit players away from another. They told WRAL they also oppose the bill.