Lana Banion was all set to start training with an Oregon community college cross country team this summer when administrators learned something about her that nearly derailed her plans. They found out she was homeschooled (names changed for privacy).

College officials told Lana that her homeschool diploma disqualified her from having her tuition waived. This news came as a huge disappointment because the promised financial incentive was a major reason Lana decided to enroll in the school and join its athletics program.

After HSLDA intervened, college officials agreed to reconsider her academic accomplishments and abide by their original offer.

“We made the point that this student had otherwise met the academic requirements to have her tuition waived, and that she had been schooled under a form of education recognized by state law,” said Tj Schmidt, HSLDA senior counsel. “The academic accomplishments of a student should not be dismissed simply because they were educated at home.”

Recruited to Run

Lana was homeschooled from kindergarten through 12th grade. After discovering her love of competitive running, she joined the local public high school cross country and track teams. In addition to distance races, she sprints and pole vaults.

Coaches from the community college watched Lana compete as a high school junior. They were so impressed, they recruited her.

In January, just months before finishing high school, Lana submitted a packet to the college to complete the admissions process and to secure the promised financial incentives.

“She really liked their running program,” recalled Lana’s mother Stella. “She signed with the understanding that she would qualify for the tuition waiver.”

Weeks before the July deadline for Lana to move on campus and start training for the cross country season, she received a letter from college officials stating she didn’t fulfill the tuition waiver requirements. Though Lana’s transcripts showed she exceeded the minimum 3.75 grade point average benchmark, administrators said her homeschool diploma and transcripts couldn’t be accepted as proof of her academic accomplishments.

They suggested Lana should strive to meet the alternative qualifications by taking the GED exam and earning a score of 175 or higher.     

“The news was kind of a shock,” recalled Stella. “Lana had really been expecting the tuition waiver scholarship and had been saving her money to pay for student housing.”

The announcement meant that Lana would have to rethink how to manage her college finances. Even if she had decided to take the GED, there was hardly enough time to register for the exam and take it before she needed to be on campus to start training.

Instead, Stella contacted HSLDA for help.

Positive Outcome

Schmidt reached out to college officials on behalf of Lana. He pointed out her parents had complied with Oregon homeschool law by submitting a one-time notice of intent, testing their students, and maintaining records.

“I affirmed that the evidence showed Lana had put in the work and followed the law, so she should be evaluated the same way as any other student,” Schmidt explained. “Lana’s transcripts state that she earned the grades needed to qualify for a tuition waiver. The college should have accepted her based on those homeschool credentials.”

As for the suggestion by officials that Lana needed to demonstrate her academic readiness by taking the GED, Schmidt said another achievement by the grad exposed this as absurd.

“Lana earned a 1370 on the SAT exam,” Schmidt noted. “That puts her in the top ten percent of students who take the test.”

Nine days after receiving HSLDA’s letter, college officials informed Lana that she had been approved for a tuition waiver scholarship. She is now competing with the school’s cross country team and working toward an associate degree.

“We’re so pleased to have been able to assist a very accomplished student athlete,” Schmidt said. “Our hope is that Lana’s perseverance will pave the way for other homeschool graduates so that they will not face similar obstacles. And we have good reason to believe this will be the case at this community college as at least one faculty member has expressed a desire to see all homeschool graduates welcomed without restrictions like Lana experienced.”