Senate advances bill letting homeschooled students play in public-school activities with affidavit

The Utah Senate on March 3 advanced Senate Bill 61 to third reading after extended debate over whether homeschool students should qualify to participate in public-school extracurricular activities.

Senator Madsen, sponsor of SB 61, said the bill would let homeschool students take part in extracurriculars so long as they satisfy the same substantive requirements (drug tests, skill tests and fees) that public-school students face; the main exception is that homeschooled students would be exempt from seat-time and ordinary attendance requirements. The sponsor emphasized that the person providing instruction — often a parent, tutor or co-op teacher — must certify eligibility with an affidavit.

Opponents raised fairness concerns. Senator Morgan and others said requiring only an affidavit could create an unequal playing field by allowing parents a self-certification advantage over a public-school process that uses school-based grading and oversight. Morgan warned the affidavit requirement might incentivize parents to certify eligibility for athletic reasons.

Supporters defended the measure as a reasonable accommodation that recognizes existing variability across districts and cited successful examples elsewhere and high-performing homeschooled students. Senator Madsen noted the bill has been refined over several sessions to prevent abuse and asserted that homeschooled students would still face the same substantive checks for eligibility, such as academic requirements in other jurisdictions.

After floor discussion and summation, the clerk recorded the vote: SB 61 passed and was placed on the third-reading calendar (recorded in the transcript as 17 yea, 10 nay, 2 absent). The sponsor and several senators said they will continue to monitor implementation and consider any needed adjustments in interim committee work.