Homeschool Athlete Eligibility Guidelines

Our eligibility guidelines are based on regulations set forth by the HWSA , NACA , CRHE, and other national recognized Home School Sport Associations. 

1. “Homeschooling” is defined to mean that a student’s education is parent-directed. As such, the parents shall be involved in their child’s education by assuming the role of principal or headmaster, thereby:
   a. selecting and/or approving course materials and study schedules,
   b. selecting tutors, correspondence courses, videos, computer courses, and similar resources for their child’s education, and
   c. coordinates the advancement in class or grade level
       

1.2 It is understood that students may have the opportunity to take dual-credit college courses, particularly in their later years of high school. We encourage such enrollment by homeschool students, and the definition above shall not be construed to mean that such students are not “homeschooled”, so long as they are enrolled in the participating college as a high school student.
  

1.3  

1. In the state of Virginia, the HWSA has allowed students of “Small Private Schools” were without baseball programs to participate in the tournament. The Virginia House Bill 1626 States: “Students receiving home instruction; participation in interscholastic programs. Prohibits public schools from joining an organization governing interscholastic programs that does not deem eligible for participation a student who (i) is receiving home instruction” (Commonwealth of Virginia).  We have adopted this policy with our Home School Team in allowing students of these institutions to participate. These player’s players eligibility will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis to determine if they are eligible to play for the Mid-Atlantic Orioles Home School Program. 
2. Players that attend Public, Private, or Alternative Schools with baseball programs are NOT eligible.

 

1. Please see the following clause from “In some states, homeschool students are required by law to attend a private school, and, in such cases, parent-controlled school entities are formed for this purpose. These schools, whether called “cooperative”, “umbrella” or “private”, are characterized by significant and direct parental involvement both with regards to course materials and study methods. In this way they differ from a private school in which the curriculum and graduation criteria are set without parental input. For purposes of eligibility in HWSA activities, students who attend such a “cooperative”, “umbrella”, or “private” school formed by homeschool parents for legal purposes, shall be considered “homeschooled”, and shall be eligible for our tournament. Likewise, teams from such schools shall be eligible to participate in the HWSA tournament” (HWSA.net).