RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - A bill that would allow home-schooled students to play for public school sports teams has cleared a legislative hurdle.
The House Education Committee voted 14-8 Wednesday to approve the so-called "Tebow bill." It is named after Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow, who was home schooled in Florida but played for a public high school team.
Scores of home-schooled children and their parents packed a small, cramped committee room and argued that they are taxpayers and deserve a chance to have their moment under the Friday night lights of interscholastic sports.
However, public school administrators, teachers and PTA advocates said it creates an unfair playing field for children who stay home all day to compete for positions on teams with students who sat through at least five classes each day.
