Reasonably Foreseen Consequences

If such a study results in a recommendation to leave things as they are, at best it is a waste of taxpayer dollars and the Department of Education’s time. If it results in recommendations, much would depend on what the recommendations consist of, but several natural downstream consequences can be reasonably foreseen:

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• Higher taxes: It would be impossible to consume more school resources without increasing the cost of delivering those resources. Districts need to cover their budgets either through local or state sources (1).  Handling costs are left to the study to determine.
   

• A shift in philosophy: The stated goals of the bill include insight into the philosophy followed in drafting it. Besides the general benefits to students participating in extracurricular activities, the bill asserts two main things related to homeschoolers:
  1. “homeschool students would also benefit from the social and emotional development derived from participating in extracurricular activities, including sports”
  2. “extracurricular activities can be prohibitively expensive to a parent seeking to enroll their student through the private market”
  While true in some cases on the surface, this philosophy casts homeschoolers as a group in need of state-centered extracurriculars. For the past generation, parent-provided extracurriculars have thrived in Delaware to the point where we joke that homeschoolers are never home. Generally where there is a desire, parents step up and provide opportunities for their kids. Beyond that, opportunities are found in co-ops and private schools.
   

• Strings attached? One of the findings and recommendation enumerated in the bill is “Potential eligibility criteria that a homeschool student would need to meet to participate in an extracurricular activity.” The most likely criterion that would be created is academic eligibility, which would open the door for the public school system to assess homeschoolers. What form that assessment would take is not specified in HB 350, but other states have used standardized test results, work reviewed by a certified teacher or state standards as a measure, all of which fall far outside of Delaware’s current law.
  
  Other criteria are possible, such as requiring enrollment for a class at the school as Arkansas does (2), requiring the school principal to approve a method of evaluation as Florida does (3), leaving eligibility entirely up to the local principal as Massachusetts does (4), requiring a specific list of subjects as currently required by the Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association (5) or equating the authority of a teacher to that of the parent as Delaware public schools currently do: “While a student is entrusted in their care or supervision, public school teachers, and administrators have the same authority to control the behavior of the student and to discipline or punish the student as a parent…” (6)
  
  By definition, homeschoolers have either left the public school system (for a variety of reasons) or have never entered it to begin with. Aiming for independence in academics, but dependence for extracurriculars would present a disjointed approach to education. As Homeschool Oklahoma aptly noted:

Throughout Scripture, God’s people are cautioned not to trade long-term freedom for short-term comfort. When the Israelites longed for the “free fish” of Egypt, they forgot that it came with slavery:

“We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic.” (Numbers 11:5)

They remembered the benefits and forgot the bondage. (7)

Isn’t it a good thing?
Several thoughts in favor of HB 350 are worth addressing as well:

“It’s optional”
It’s too early to say if the results of the study would be applied only to those opting to participate in extracurriculars or if they would become an effort to change the homeschool law or regulations for everyone. A guarded approach is warranted while the number of unknowns is high.

“We pay taxes, so we should have access”
Taxes are the price of living in an organized society. They are not an admission price to specific programs and are not transactional in terms of what the payer receives. Retirees, families with grown children and businesses all pay property taxes for schools without children in their families being enrolled there. The indirect benefits of a more educated society make the cost of schools broadly socially acceptable.

Summary
While HB 350 prescribes a study and not any change to the homeschool statute, the philosophy that casts homeschoolers in need of state-sponsored activities and the list of potential risks to homeschool freedom point to the need to keep the proverbial camel’s nose out of the tent. While the bill’s sponsor has stated that this path would not lead to changes to current state regulations, one member of a large committee cannot ensure that.

The most obvious alternative to HB 350 is to continue to find parent-led extracurricular opportunities outside of the public school system. Facebook groups like Delaware First State Homeschool abound with options and advice as well as provide a means to find other parents to partner with to create opportunities that don’t yet exist.