Sports and extracurricular activities are an important part of a child’s development. But are homeschooled kids entitled to the same access to these programs as students enrolled in a public school district? One school district in Central Jersey says no.
Homeschooled students are not enrolled in and do not follow the curriculum of a public school district. This is different than kids who are part of the district but have permission to study from home.
Superintendent of Schools Tracy Handerhan said members of the Wall Township Public School District in Monmouth County evaluated data about homeschooled students’ participation in high school athletics: in the Shore Conference, excluding Wall and private or parochial schools, approximately two-thirds of districts do not permit the practice, according to the Minutes from the September 19 Board of Education meeting.
“With respect to this change in policy, the district received feedback from both parents who send their students to Wall Township Public Schools as well as parents who choose to homeschool their students,” Dr. Handerhan told New Jersey Family. “After much discussion and consideration, the board approved the Policy Committee’s recommendation to amend the policy. There were many factors that were considered, but ultimately the matter came down to equity since student-athletes enrolled in WTPS and homeschooled student-athletes are held to different standards, e.g., eligibility, code of conduct, attendance, etc.”
New Jersey was recently ranked the state with the fewest rules and regulations for homeschooling across the country, giving homeschooling parents lots of flexibility and freedom, according to Age of Learning’s recent analysis. NJ parents have lots of room to choose how they wish to teach their homeschooled children. This flexibility means that homeschoolers in NJ have more options in terms of curriculum and materials, and homeschool educators don’t need to be certified to teach.
New Jersey ranked 13th overall in the nation for homeschooling in the same analysis, earning a score of 71 out of 100. Homeschooling in the state is also increasing in numbers. In recent years, largely due to the pandemic, homeschooling in NJ has grown. According to the state Department of Education, the percentage of NJ students being homeschooled quadrupled during the 2020-2021 school year.
But despite this recent increase and the support offered here, the Garden State has the 3rd fewest students enrolled in homeschool per capita. New Jersey is also home to the 3rd lowest number of homeschool-related groups per capita.
- Erica Schindler contributed to this story.
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