Louisiana Opens Public School Extracurriculars to Homeschool Students With New Law

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry speaks during the start of the special session in the House Chamber in Baton Rouge, La., on Jan. 15, 2024. (Michael Johnson/The Advocate via AP)

The state of Louisiana will allow homeschoolers to participate in extracurricular activities following the enactment of recent legislation.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signed Act 715 into law on June 19; it took effect on Aug. 1.

According to the new law, students enrolled in an approved home study program have the opportunity to apply or try out for public school activities, such as extracurricular activities and interscholastic athletics, at a public school located within their attendance zone.

The statute states that a public school isn’t allowed to exclude a student from participating in extracurricular activities or athletics solely because the child is enrolled in a home study education program.

Once the tryout or application is completed, the homeschooler is required to continue meeting all the conditions for participation that a public school student would be required to fulfill to take part in the activity.

The list includes, among other requirements, maintaining a minimum grade-point average and complying with disciplinary rules.

“I’m pleased that we continue to expand options for students in Louisiana,“ Louisiana State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement. ”This new law will create even more enriching opportunities.”

On Aug. 1, the Bossier School District in Benton circulated details that outlined the qualifications for a student to be considered a homeschool participant. After receiving permission, students are only permitted to take part in events that take place before or after school and only if they report to the correct site at the time designated by the principal.

Roughly 20 states have some allowance for homeschoolers to have access to sports or other school-sponsored activities through the public school system.

The state of Oklahoma is considering a similar measure to give homeschoolers the ability to become involved in public school activities through legislation called the “Tim Tebow Bill.” The legislation is named after the former NFL quarterback who played football for public schools while he was homeschooled.

Similar legislation by the same name came before the Oklahoma state House of Representatives in 2021 but eventually failed to pass that chamber.

State Rep. John Kane, the Oklahoma bill’s sponsor, told a local news station that he hopes the legislation will give kids the “best opportunities.”

“Just simply because a parent decides their student is going to thrive educationally, academically in a homeschool environment, I didn’t think they needed to sacrifice all other opportunities. Whether it was athletic, whether it was fine arts, could be [a] debate, could be you name it,” he said on Aug. 6.

However, Homeschool Oklahoma, a Christian home educators group, has spoken out in opposition to the measure, saying that language in the bill about the assessment of participants “allows the state to step in and regulate homeschooling families, something that hasn’t been authorized since the conception of this state.”

The group cited as the primary area of concern the requirement that homeschoolers will “meet academic standards by a method of evaluation agreed upon by the student’s parent and the resident district’s superintendent ... [which] may include a review of the student’s work by a certified teacher employed by the resident district.”

State and national teachers association officials didn’t respond by press time to a request for comment.