Mississippi homeschooled students should be allowed to participate in extracurricular activities at their local public school. These families pay their share of federal, state, and local taxes which fund the facilities, equipment, and instruction available in the public school extracurricular programs, but yet are currently excluded from equal access to these programs. 

Under the Mississippi Compulsory School Attendance Law, homeschoolers are recognized as bona fide students and many Mississippi families choose to educate their children in this manner, their reasonings ranging from educational freedom to promotion of a cohesive family unit to overcoming individual educational obstacles. The Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) should similarly recognize these students as “bona fide”, allowing them an opportunity to participate, per their local school district’s policies regarding extracurricular activities. 

We, a collective of parents, educators, family, friends, and concerned individuals, do hereby petition the powers that be within the Great State of Mississippi including the State Legislature, Governor, Department of Education, and MHSAA to change their laws and policies for the purpose of allowing ALL students, including those under a home-based curriculum, an equal opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities within their local public school.