Defend liberty! Keep Texas Homeschoolers Free! Say No2Tebow!

Texans for Homeschool Freedom is a grassroots parental rights advocacy group dedicated to the support of families who apply their Constitutionally-based liberty by choosing to take control of their children’s education in the manner and setting that is best suited to each family, free of any government interference or support.

We believe that the UIL legislation (also known as the “Tebow Bill”) being touted as “equal access” is anything but equal, and represents a threat to our current homeschool freedoms. It was Leeper vs. Arlington ISD that made its way to the Supreme Court of Texas where the landmark decision was made to consider homeschooling equal to private schooling and, therefore, free from any government regulation or intrusion. Public is public. Private is private. Homeschool is unaccredited private school. Texans for Homeschool Freedom was formed to remind our former leaders in the homeschool movement that what those families fought for in Arlington was NOT access to public school sports. They fought to be private. They fought to not be regulated. They fought for the parental right to determine their children’s education without government’s “help.” Any separation of the terms homeschool and private school in our laws is creep we don't want. It's the crack in the door.

Some reasons we oppose the UIL/Tebow Bill:

1. The bill requires homeschooling students submit to standardize testing in order to participate. Taking and passing a standardized test is a NEW requirement for Texas homeschoolers and is also an unequal burden, as public school students do not have the same condition to participate under the “No Pass No Play” rules.
2. Homeschoolers already participate in UIL activities in Texas. There are few limitations placed on homeschoolers/private schools to compete with public school students. The passage of this legislation is unnecessary to give homeschool students access to extracurricular activities; it would result in the opposite by creating new roadblocks to current competitors and could limit our choices (FFA, 4H, Odyssey of the Minds, TMEA, etc.).
3. Homeschoolers have chosen to be separate from the public school system. Creating a new category of homeschoolers who now accept oversight and regulation just to be allowed to play for a public school threatens ALL homeschoolers’ freedom.
4. Homeschoolers are considered unregulated private schools. All other private school students are still excluded from participating under the UIL bill; therefore, this bill actually endorses discrimination. It’s a violation of equal access.
5. All students have access to freely participate with other organizations and to work directly with their regional NCAA offices in their respective activities (e.g. sports, music, etc.). The need to participate through a public school is superfluous, as students already have alternatives for access to collegiate recruiters.

In a nutshell, homeschoolers do not want or need the government’s “help”. We do not wish to invite further intrusion into our homes which, subsequently, result in the erosion of our God-given authority to direct our children’s education. We implore you, our representatives, to continue to defend liberty! Preserve our homeschool freedom! We ask you to vote “NO” on the UIL/Tebow Bill.