It depends. HSLDA’s emphasis is maintaining and advancing the freedom of homeschoolers from public school oversight. Accordingly, HSLDA generally does not use our resources to force public school districts to allow homeschool access.

Some states, however, have adopted statutes granting homeschoolers a right to access public school resources. In those circumstances, HSLDA will assist its members in obtaining access to those services to the extent allowed by law.

It depends. Special education refers to instruction or assistance in traditional academic areas such as math and language arts. Related services, on the other hand, are aids to a child—like speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy. These services indirectly improve a child’s ability to learn but are separate from traditional academic curricula. Under federal regulations, homeschooled students are entitled to seek related services in states where homeschools are considered to be private schools.

Because HSLDA’s emphasis is on guarding the freedom of homeschoolers from public school oversight, we generally do not help homeschooled students obtain access to special education in public schools. HSLDA may, however, assist member families seeking related services if they live in a state where homeschools are considered private schools. You can learn about your state’s provisions here.

As more families choose homeschooling through high school, new sports opportunities are emerging. Here are just a few of the opportunities available each year:

• National and regional homeschool sports associations—Your teen could compete in a regional or national tournament offered by one of the growing number of organizations providing support for homeschool teams.
• Homeschool teams—New teams for homeschoolers are being organized throughout the country by homeschool groups and parents. You could connect with local groups, check on Facebook, or do a Google search to locate teams near you. You could also check our group search feature and use the “Sports” filter to quickly see if there are any sports groups in your area.
• Sports associations—Local sports associations offer both recreational and competitive leagues for a variety of sports. Competitive teams provide the opportunity to play at the local, regional, national, and even international level.
• Public school teams—You can check to see if your state has equal access laws, which allow homeschooled students to try out for spots on local public school teams.
• Private school teams—Many local private schools let homeschooled students try out for their teams.

You can check with your local community to see which youth sport opportunities are available in your area!