I am asking that you extend that same freedom of choice to the individual school districts of our state. Implementation of the Tebow bill only allows the choice to include homeschoolers to the school district’s discretion, not the discretion of one person with a powerful pen. What works for one school district may not work for another. All we are asking is that you simply allow the districts to make that choice based on what is best for them individually. Extending the freedom of choice to the people is why the General Assembly voted correctly, allowing the bill to pass. Please trust the integrity of the system to work correctly and do not veto this bill.
My kids are held to very strict expectations when it comes to their education and we follow a path to ensure they will exceed the requirements to play sports at a Division I level in college. If my children do not excel academically, I take away their activities, such as sports until they improve their school performance. My requirements for them to participate in their sports are much higher than the general requirements for an athlete attending public school. My children must maintain B averages in all their subjects to be allowed to play. This is an example of the level my homeschooled children are held to, and I am certain other homeschooling families feel the same way.
In conclusion, I urge you to let the Tebow bill pass. It has gone through many rounds of redesign and voting and similar laws are successfully in place in many other states. It is about allowing a very diverse state the freedom to choose what is best for them on an individual basis, much like the freedom to choose what education path is best for individual families. Children are currently allowed to play sports with their public school peers up to eighth grade and then again in college. Why should the four years in between be an exception?