Home school students involvement in public school activities.

              INTERIM STUDY REPORT
Common Education Committee
Rep. Ann Coody, Chairman
Oklahoma House of Representatives
Interim Study 11-072, Rep. Gus Blackwell
October 4, 2011
Home School Students Involvement in Public School Activities
Roger, Sage, Cody, Cory and Sidney Fischer
Home school family
mfischer@swko.net
• The family lives in the Hooker area and the parents home school the children. Home
schooling allows the family to use God-centered curriculum.
• Because in the panhandle population centers are far apart, the children have limited
opportunities to participate in school activities.
• The students have participated extracurricular activities that were open to them and that
they were interested in, but are concerned about what they would do if those also were
closed to home schooled students.
• Home schooling provides the children with the opportunity to work on the family farm
and learn the business. They use the knowledge that they learned in school when they
work on the farm.
• Having the opportunity to play sports would be a good experience because students only
have so long to play sports but have the rest of their lives to farm.
• Because home school families pay taxes, they should be allowed to participate in
extracurricular activities.
See presentation a
Scott, Angela, Abby and Luke Arthaud
Home school family
580-546-7537
• Opportunities for home schooled students to play sports end in seventh grade.
• Home schooling is beneficial because it is customized to students’ abilities and is
challenging because of the one-on-one atmosphere.
• Despite that, the students miss participation in group activities like sports, choir, band and
drama.
• The family has allowed their 13-year-old son to attend public school so that he can play
football.
Ed Sheakley, executive secretary
Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association
esheakley@ossaa.com
• Members of the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association vote on the rules of
the organization and members want a balance between athletics and academics. The goal
of the organization is to protect students from exploitation and to level the playing field
for students to participate.
• Home school students are not allowed to practice in extracurricular activities at this time.
• OSSAA rules require that students be full-time students; meet attendance and academic
requirements; and adhere to student conduct, transfer and participation rules.