El Paso ISD board adopts policy to opt out of allowing non‑enrolled (homeschool) students in UIL activities

The El Paso Independent School District Board of Trustees voted 5‑2 on July 29, 2025, to adopt revisions to Board Policy FM (Local Student Activities) that decline to grant non‑enrolled students — commonly described in the meeting as homeschool students — the opportunity to participate in University Interscholastic League extracurricular activities.

The vote came after more than an hour of questions and discussion about funding, eligibility verification, UIL rules on practice hours and the way UIL counts non‑enrolled students for conference realignment. Trustee Leverage moved to adopt the revisions and Trustee Cuellar seconded; the board chair recorded the final tally as 5 in favor, 2 opposed.

David Cervantes, executive director of athletics for El Paso ISD, told trustees the district’s longstanding practice is to deny participation by homeschool students. “We don't allow homeschool — excuse me, homeschool students for various reasons. 1, there's not a funding source that comes with a homeschool student,” Cervantes said. He also cited differences in how eligibility is documented: “Eligibility for UIL, that's done at in the classroom with, teachers, with a homeschool student that is done at home with a parent.”

Cer…