Argument:
Each family, whether or not they choose to place their kids in public school, has to pay taxes to the state, and this tax money goes to the public school district to pay for numerous different funds for the school. A handful of the funds, that the taxes go to, are for sports or other extracurricular activities. Despite the fact that families have the right to make the choice for their child to learn and receive their education from their home, the families are still required and have to pay the taxes. Jere Longman, who is a reporter for The New York Times Company, says that "...home-schooled athletes should be allowed to play sports at public schools because their families paid the same school taxes" (Longman par. 2). The home-schooled students should be able to participate in the public school sports due to the fact that their parents are required to pay taxes as well. Families should not have to feel the need to put their children in public school solely so they can compete on sports teams. The parents have the right to decide if they want their child enrolled in public school. In her article “Homeschoolers Should Participate in Public School Athletics,” Rebecca Wright talks about using the public school's resources by saying, “If parents choose not to utilize all of the amenities that a public school has to offer, that is their right, but it is unfair to require that they either use all of them or none at all" (Wright par. 9). Even if a family has made the unquestionable decision to educate their children from their home, the kids should be able to participate in the extracurricular activities that the taxes they have to pay fund.
Opposition:
On the other hand, there are families who have kids in public school who believe that even though the families who have home-schooled students pay an equal amount of money in taxes the students should definitely not be able to participate in the sports or other extracurricular activities that are offered. The opposition goes on to explain that the public schools do not provide insurance for the students who are homeschooled, so if an athlete gets injured, then the school would receive the consequences (“School Board Examines Why Home-School Students Can’t Play on Public School Teams” par. 1). While it is true that public schools do not provide insurance for the students who are homeschooled, it does not mean that they should not have the leisure of participating in these sports. The home-schooled student athletes could end up getting injured, but when the student goes forth and chooses to sign up and to participate in these activities they should understand what the risks and safety issues are and have their own insurance that will cover them if they do get injured. Also, students who do attend and receive their education from public school feel that the other students being able to compete in their school sports seems unfair to them. Longman proceeds to say, "...sports were a privilege that should be lost when parents opted out of the public school system" (Longman par. 2). Students who attend a public school continue to argue that a home-school student has the option to be on the same sports team and compete for their school and that student-athlete is not even in the classroom learning with them. Even though the students are not in the classroom at a public school, their parents are required to pay taxes to the school; therefore, the students who are homeschooled should be allowed to take part in the extracurricular activities at public schools.