Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Homeschool families ask Burke County board to ease rules restricting sports eligibility
Summary
Several homeschool parents and students told the Burke County Board of Education that current local rules effectively block many homeschoolers from playing middle- and high-school sports and asked the board to accept online coursework, review cases individually or recognize accredited co‑ops.
Kelly Harmon, a former Burke County Public School teacher and homeschool parent, told the board on Jan. 27 that existing local policy requires dually enrolled homeschool students to attend “seated classes for half the day,” and that the rule’s language—“may only satisfy this enrollment through face to face instruction”—leaves homeschool families with “no wiggle room.”
The matter matters because several families said the rule prevents students who are homeschooled for legitimate instructional reasons from trying out for school teams. “My goal is to hopefully come alongside you in the future months to hopefully find some way to allow homeschoolers to play sports in Burke County without so much difficulty and confusion,” Kelly Harmon said.
Nut graf: Parents and students described multiple practical problems…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat

