McDowell board signals change to homeschool athletic eligibility; parents press for fewer class requirements

The McDowell County Board of Education heard public comment and signaled a policy change July 14 on how homeschooled students qualify for school athletics and extracurriculars. Two homeschool families urged the board to drop in-person class requirements and expand online options; staff said a policy amendment is under consideration and that a final vote is expected in August.

The board allowed public comment after a motion by Mr. Shuford and a second by Mr. Abernathy. Homeschooled student Gracie Hendricks told the board the current rules create "an unnecessary hurdle" and said the required high-school courses she has taken were not relevant to her career plan. She told the board: "The fourteenth amendment gives the parents a right to choose the direction of the education for their children by requiring classes through the high school. This contradicts that right." She also asked the district to expand online course options beyond the district's current Edmentum offerings.

Parent Sarah Crossan described scheduling confusion and inconsistent enforcement at the middle-school level and said her son had been required to take three classes but then faced last-minute changes. "It was really just poorly managed by the faculty at the high school," Crossan said, while thanking the board for allowing homeschool students to participate.

Superintendent Dr. Grit told the board the district must follow the North Carolina High School Athletic Association's guidelines, now administered under the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, and that the association recently removed its in-person attendance requirement. "We are going to follow the North Carolina High School Athletic Association's guidelines," he said, and staff recommended amending the local policy to match the association's wording.

Board members and staff clarified that local policy language uses a "half the school day" measure rather than a fixed number of classes to accommodate differences between the district's block schedule (two classes per semester equals a half day) and other schools on a seven-period day. The superintendent told the board those distinctions explain why middle-school requirements appear as three year-long classes there while the high school uses a two-class-per-semester measure.

The board treated the proposed changes as a first reading of multiple policies tonight; staff said the policies will return for final reading in August and recommended the board "honor the ruling" of the association by aligning local language with the association and state Department of Public Instruction guidance. No final policy adoption occurred at the July meeting.

Board members and staff also advised families to stay in contact with the superintendent for the outcome of any policy work and said the district will continue to enforce the existing policy until any amendment is formally adopted.

Because parents raised limited course options through the district's vendor, staff said they would examine whether expanding online course selections is feasible before the new school year.

The board did not take a formal vote on rewriting the athletic eligibility rule tonight; it recorded procedural actions (permission for the two speakers) and directed staff to bring revised policy language back for the board's August final reading.