Virginia Senate Rejects "Tebow Bill"

The Virginia Senate Education Committee has narrowly rejected a bill that would allow home-schooled students to play sports at public schools.  The proposed change was dubbed the "Tim Tebow Bill" because he was allowed to play football at a Florida public school while being taught at home.

The perennial proposal from Del. Rob Bell, R-Albemarle County, would achieve that by prohibiting public schools from joining an interscholastic governing body, such as the Virginia High School League, that bars home schoolers from public school sports. Bell’s HB 1442 passed the House of Delegates this year, as did a similar measure he sponsored last year before its defeat in the Senate. It was tackled again in a Senate committee, failing on an 8-7 vote when Republican Sen. Harry Blevins of Chesapeake, a retired high school principal, joined with the Democratic minority on the panel in opposition to the bill. Before the vote, a procession of home school students and advocates urged the panel to approve the bill.

When one home-school advocate complained about not having access to public school sports paid for by his taxes, Sen. Richard Saslaw retorted, "You pay taxes that also go to purchase an F-22 fighter, that doesn’t mean you get to fly it." (Tipped by JMG reader Gerry)