Dan Smith, executive director of the School Administrators of Iowa, says that to his knowledge there have never been any significant problems with the law in his state. “Initially there may have been some concern about that, through the early ’90s maybe, but I think that’s a pretty well-accepted practice now…I’m not aware of any really serious issues around that in the last…decade or so,”

Legislators in Virginia are working to pass a law that would allow homeschooled students to participate in public school athletic programs, just like Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow did when he was younger. Some are opposing the idea, however, saying such a law would give home-educated students an unfair advantage over other students.

Scott Woodruff, senior counsel with the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), was recently called to the state’s capital to testify regarding the issue.

He told The Christian Post on Tuesday that some homeschooling parents think it is unfair that their children can’t participate in public school sports teams when they are spending thousands of dollars annually to support the public schools through taxes.

“The public schools are owned by the public, and they should be available…to the people who pay for them,” said Woodruff.

If passed, the three new bills – which have been dubbed the “Tebow Law” by their sponsors – would allow homeschooled students to participate in interscholastic athletic programs in public schools, The Associated Press reports. The bills are being pushed by three of the state’s Republican House delegates – J. Randall Minchew, Robert B. Bell and David I. Ramadan.

The legislation is named after the Denver quarterback, who played football with a public school team in Florida while being homeschooled before eventually moving on to win a Heisman Trophy, a BCS National Championship and a starting quarterback position with the Broncos in the NFL.

The Virginia High School League (VHSL) is the organization overseeing the state’s interscholastic sports for public schools. The organization’s executive director, Ken Tilley, told AP that he feels the legislation would give homeschoolers an unfair advantage over other students.

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