1 . This could be Micah Fitz, first spring without football practices. The 14-year-old has been playing since he was 3, but because he’s home-schooled, he can’t try out for the local team at Patriot High School in Prince William County, Virginia.

“I can’t play this half of the year and my friends are going to be playing five or six times a week,” he said. “They’re going to be getting better and stronger playing with kids that are good.”

Micah and his family---along with many other home-schooling families across Virginia---are hoping the Virginia General Assemble will approve a bill this year that would allow kids like him to try out for sports on public school athletic teams. The bill, called the “Tebow bill”, is named after football player Tim Tebow, who was home-schooled but was allowed to play on a high school team before going to the University of Florida, where he led his team to two national championships.

Many major statewide education organizations said the bill wouldn’t be fair to public school students. Ken Tilley, the executive director of the Virginia High School League, said the bill would violate two of the league’s most long-standing standards for qualification: enrollment (注册入学) and academic standing.

Home-school advocates argue that they are required by the law to document academic progress. But many opponents say students always have the option of attending public high school. That might be what Sydney Bowman, a 12-year-old from Luchetts, will do to keep wrestling, although she would prefer to continue to be taught at home. In her case, girls’ wrestling teams are rare enough that there aren’t many options other than public school.

But Micah’ mom, Terri Fits, a former public school teacher, said that although they support the local schools and love to cheer on the teams, they like the flexibility of home-schooling.