Virginia is close to amending its laws so home-schooled kids can participate in extracurricular activities at public schools — namely, sports. At least 25 states already have some kind of "Tebow law," so named because Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow was home-schooled in Florida but played on a public school football team. The number of home-schooled kids in the U.S. is growing, say advocates: From 1.5 million in 2007 to 2 million now. Are Tebow laws a good idea?
No. Public school isn't "a la carte": If you're a parent who doesn't "think the school's math or English program is good enough for your child, but playing on that school's football team is," you're like a kid who wants dessert without dinner, says Zack Plair in the Paragould, Ark., Daily Press. Tebow law advocates say it's about fairness — we pay school taxes, let our kids play — but such "a la carte" public schooling is unfair to students who participate in the system. I pay taxes for the whole road, but I can't "drive on the left side of the highway" or "pass on the shoulder." There is "a system in place, and the integrity of that system depends on everyone using it a certain way."
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