JEFFERSON CITY — Public schools in Missouri would be required to offer extracurricular activities to homeschooled students under legislation advancing in the Capitol.
After years of falling short of passage, the measure appears on track to make it to Gov. Mike Kehoe’s desk this year.
The plan, sponsored by Sen. Ben Brown, R-Washington, was approved in the House Wednesday on a 91-53 vote. It now heads back to the Senate for a final vote.
“I think we’re at a really good place with this bill,†said Rep. Ben Baker, R-Neosho, who handled the measure in the House. “It supports students in nontraditional education settings. These students are often excluded due to their educational setting.â€
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A 2024 St. Louis University study found that 61,000 students in Missouri are homeschooled. Those numbers, representing about 6% of the state’s student population, may have been buoyed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the study found.
Along with requiring schools to offer sports and other activities to homeschoolers, the students also would have to comply with certain rules if they wish to participate in school-related activities.
The students, for example, would have to adhere to the same behavior, responsibility, performance and conduct standards directly related to the event or activity as do students who are enrolled in the school.
“It’s just going to add to their experience and education,†said Brown, who was homeschooled and homeschooled his children.
Supporters said parents who take on the costs of educating their children must still pay taxes that fund those activities like band, football or theater.
“No child should be deprived of the enrichment and life skills participation in sports provides, especially when their parents’ tax dollars fund these programs,†Brown said earlier.
Opponents said homeschooled students should have to participate in some classwork if they want to join teams or other activities.
Rep. Jeff Knight, D-Lebanon, said he is concerned about the quality of education some homeschoolers are receiving. He suggested the students should be required to attend at least one class per day.
“There has to be some protections to know that these kids are being educated,†said Knight, a former teacher. “I don’t think one class is unreasonable.â€
Rep. Kathie Steinhoff, D-Columbia, also a former teacher, said the concept was “flawed†because homeschooled students wouldn’t have to keep their grades high in order to participate in activities like traditional students.
“I believe the damaging effects of this bill far outweigh the advantages,†Steinhoff said.
The Missouri State High School Activities Association already allows some nontraditional students to participate in sports if they meet certain criteria including in-class seat time.
The measure received unanimous support in the Senate.
The legislation is Sena
Tayler Jones, who has a degree in education, began teaching at home after COVID-19 pandemic forced her to pull her son from daycare when he was two years old. And when the birth of her second son and her sister's request to teach her child coincided, it became a long-term choice. Video by Christian Gooden, cgooden@post-dispatch.com
