Education
BY VALERIA ESCOBAR
Lamar CISD allows homeschool students to participate in UIL
Following the passage of Senate Bill 401, which allows homeschool students to participate in Uni- versity Interscholastic League, or UIL, activities at their local public school, trustees are now faced with implementation decisions. Under the new bill, which was approved in May, school districts are automatically opted in to allow homeschool students to participate in extracurric- ular activities, unless they choose to opt out. The previous House Bill 547, passed in 2021, required districts to opt in to allow participation. At the local level Katy ISD trustees voted 4-3 to opt out of the program July 28, while Lamar CISD trustees voted unanimously June 17 to opt in, limiting the offer- ings to athletic extracurriculars for homeschoolers who are residentially zoned to the district. What they’re saying KISD trustee Rebecca Fox said she believes
students enrolled in private or homeschool settings should not be allowed to participate in KISD’s concurrent enrollment or extracurricular activities, as doing so could take opportunities away from students whose families have chosen to fully participate in the district. “I could change my mind based on how many children, what kinds of things they are interested in, how it’s working for other places, but not today,” she said. However, LCISD trustee George Arroyos, who is a professor at Wharton County Junior College, said homeschool high school students who are enrolled in his courses are typically high performers with strong parental involvement, which would improve the district’s extracurricular programs. “I think [the policy] makes it a stronger experi- ence for them as students, and it supports public education,” he said. “A rising tide will raise all ships, and we’ll all be better for it.”
LCISD Director of Athletics Devin Gabbert said at the June 22 meeting that homeschool students who participate in LCISD athletics must: LCISD homeschool requirements
Be selected by a team during a tryout process
Complete online registration through the Office of Student Programs
Enroll in campus as a “zero member,” attending school for less than two hours per day
Follow all UIL academic requirements and campus athletic policies
Provide their own transportation to practices and games
SOURCE: LAMAR CISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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