VA House Passes "Tebow Bill"

to being able to play on Virginia high school teams as the Virginia House of Delegates voted 59-39 Wednesday in favor of "the Tebow bill."

 The “Tebow bill” — named for Tim Tebow, the  Denver Broncos quarterback who was home-schooled as a teen but was allowed to play football at his local high school — will now be sent to the Virginia Senate. 

Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R), has said he will sign the bill.

Opponents, including some school boards and PTAs, say home-schooled kids are not required to meet the same academic criteria as public school athletes — attend and pass five classes per day — and that they would take team slots from their public school counterparts.

The legislation has been introduced several times in Virginia since 2005. With the General Assembly now under Republican control,  supporters have said it has a better chance at passage.

Sixteen states permit home-schooled students to play sports at public schools, according to the Purcellville-based Home School Legal Defense Association. Nine others leave the decision to localities or do not have laws prohibiting it.

Read more about the bill on this Washington Post blog.