(Photo from Tim Tebow's website)
- More than 30 states have passed “Tim Tebow” laws, allowing homeschool students to participate in public school extracurricular activities. It is up for consideration in Mississippi again this legislative session.
Empower Mississippi will be hosting sports icon and education freedom supporter Tim Tebow during its annual summit this week in the capital city.
Grant Callen, CEO and Founder of Empower Mississippi, said this year’s Empower Solutions Summit will be held on January 21 at the Westin in Jackson from 7:30 a.m. until noon.
Now in its fifth year, the summit will feature a number of lawmakers and experts who will speak on several topics, such as public safety, the state’s One Door to Opportunity efforts, and education reform.
“There will be panel discussions on a number of our policy priorities throughout the morning and then finishing up with a keynote address by Tim Tebow,” Callen said.
Tebow was famously homeschooled, but Florida law allowed him to play in athletic programs offered in his area public schools. More than 30 states have now passed similar measures, often referred to as the “Tim Tebow Act,” allowing homeschool students to participate in public school extracurricular activities.
Mississippi lawmakers have tried several times in the past few years to establish a similar law, but all attempts have failed thus far.
Two bills are currently working their way through the Mississippi Legislature again this year that would allow homeschooled students to participate in public school extracurricular activities. House Speaker Jason White (R) placed a provision in the omnibus HB 2, the Mississippi Education Freedom Act, that address the issue while over in the Senate, SB 2070, filed by Senate Education chairman Dennis DeBar (R) is also up for consideration.
Callen expects Tebow will touch on a number of topics, such as leadership, while also sharing his experience of being able to play public school sports as a homeschooled child.
“So, he’s going to be talking about how important education freedom was to his journey,” Callen added.
There is also an expectation that Tebow will address the varying educational options available in his home state and how they have impacted Florida’s education landscape.
Empower Mississippi is one of several non-profit organizations that have supported more school choice options in the Magnolia State, including the recently passed HB 2.
“We think it’s a great package of reforms that put parents in the driver’s seat that makes sure our education system revolves around students and continues the momentum we have in our education system,” Callen said about HB 2.
