The TSSAA is calling attention to a bill being introduced in the Tennessee State Legislature that would allow home-school students and private school students to participate in public school athletics.

TSSAA officials are strongly opposed to the passing of this bill and have published the following reasons:
1) The TSSAA is a voluntary organization of schools that determine their rules for athletic participation through their legislative process, which has worked well for 80 years. We do not feel creating law dealing with athletic participation is a good move and would open Pandora’s box for more bills; 2) There is a process for our schools to change their bylaws to allow home-educated participation, but our most recent survey shows over 96% of our schools do not favor this legislation; 3) If this bill becomes law, it has immediate consequences which are not good and many unintended consequences that would present even more problems; 4) Since the home educated parents backing the bill do not want to register with local
superintendents or have home-educated students taking any examinations at the local school, we anticipate their
trying to remove all grading responsibilities from the bill. This would make it impossible for member schools to determine academic eligibility of home-educated students in the same manner as students enrolled at their school. This creates many questions and problems; 5) The bill would allow member schools to participate against nonaccredited
schools and home-school teams.

The bill would authorize students who attend private school or who are home-schooled to participate in extra-curricular activities at the public school in the district they are zoned for. The bill proposes that three conditions must be met in order for this to happen. The student would pay any applicable activity fees, the student must adhere to the standards of all other participants in the activity including academic and behavioral standards, and home-schooled students must be registered with the local LEA which is required by law.

The bill includes but does not limit the activities affected to be athletics, music, art and drama. If a student attends a private school where the activity is not offered but it is offered by the public school in the district where the student resides that student can not be prohibited from participation in the extra-curricular activity.

TSSAA has visited the idea of allowing home-school students to participate in athletics at TSSAA schools. According to TSSAA their most recent survey shows over 96% of TSSAA schools do not favor changing the association’s bylaws to allow such participation.

Opposing the bill along with TSSAA representatives are Tennessee Education Association, Tennessee School Boards Association, Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents, Tennessee Association of Secondary School Principals, and Association of Independent/Municipal Schools.

Filed for intro on 02/03/2005
SENATE BILL 1356
By Bryson
AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49,
Chapter 6, relative to education.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter 6, is amended by adding
the following new, appropriately designated section:
49-6-___.
(a) Students enrolled in private, non-public or church related schools
recognized by § 49-50-801 shall not be prohibited from participation in extracurricular
activities, sponsored by or engaged in by public schools, including, but
not limited to, high school athletics and athletics teams, music, art and drama.
(b) If a child is a student in a private, non-public or church related school
which does not offer an extra-curricular activity which is offered by the public
school in the district where the affected student resides, that student shall be
permitted to participate in the extra-curricular activity of the public school to which
the affected student would otherwise be zoned to attend, provided:
(1) That the student pay any participation or activity fee in an
amount equal to the fee charged to public school participants, and
(2) That the student adheres to the same standards of behavior,
responsibility, performance, and code of conduct as other participants of
the team or activity; and
(3) That the student adheres to the same academic standards as
other participants of the team or activity with those standards confirmed
by a transcript provided by the private, non-public or church related