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Parent and student ask Toms River board to reconsider ban on homeschooled athletes
Summary
A father and his homeschooled son urged the board to change policy 2431 to allow qualified homeschool students to participate on high school teams, citing state athletic association rules and the student's academic and competitive credentials.
Daniel Ackerman and his son Andrew spoke during public comment to request that the board revisit policy 2431, which the speakers said currently prohibits homeschooled students from participating in district high school athletics.
Daniel Ackerman urged a discussion to replace a "blanket no" with guidelines that would allow qualified homeschool athletes to join teams under conditions that verify academic standing and eligibility. His son Andrew, 15, described his academic progress (enrollment in early college courses at Ocean County College, an A average and near-perfect attendance) and a record of competitive swimming achievements, and said he wants the "different experience" of representing a high school swim team.
Chair (identified in the transcript as S3) responded that the board would take the request back for discussion and indicated the board looked forward to future conversations with the family. The transcript shows no immediate change to policy 2431; the board did not vote on policy revision at the meeting.
Speakers cited the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) guidance allowing homeschool participation under local review as a reason to examine the district rule. Board members did not announce a timetable for review.
The Ackermans asked the board for a process to review individual homeschool students and create eligibility guidelines that could enable participation without lowering academic or safety standards.
