'Tim Tebow Bill' Sparks Controversy in State Legislature, Will Be Put to a Vote
While his greatest sports successes came at the University of Florida, it’s often glossed over that Tim Tebow was home-schooled.
In fact, Tebow had not attended a single day at a public school until he got to Gainesville, according to ABC News.
Given the quality of his character, it seems safe to say that the former Heisman winner’s home-schooling worked out for the best.
“They wanted us to learn reading, writing and arithmetic, but it wasn’t No. 1. It wasn’t the most important thing,” Tebow told ABC News in 2018.
So what did home-schooling instill in Tebow?
“They wanted to instill love in our hearts, love for God, love for one another,” he said. “They wanted us to be able to learn a work ethic, a dedication.”
That speaks volumes about why Tebow is the person he is today.
Another key facet of his life is his athletic career. It might not be as important to him as his faith and charity, but it’s still a sizable part of the fabric of Tebow.
All that leads to an interesting question: How did Tebow play school sports despite never having attended a public school prior to the University of Florida?
As The Washington Post notes, a law introduced in 1996 in Florida allowed home-schooled students to play sports at local schools. That enabled Tebow to play prep football at Trinity Christian Academy in Jacksonville and then at Nease High School. Unsurprisingly, there was quite a bit of controversy when Tebow led Nease to a state championship in 2005 despite not being a student there.
But the law is the law, and now that very same law that allowed Tebow to participate for Nease has made the rounds across various states. It is commonly referred to as the “Tim Tebow law,” or the “Tim Tebow bill” in states where it’s only proposed.
One such state that’s considering its own “Tim Tebow bill” is West Virginia.
Much like Tebow’s high school state title, it’s not happening without controversy, according to West Virginia MetroNews.
On Monday, Republican Del. Joe Ellington, a proponent of the legislation, made a motion to discharge the bill — HB 3127 — after it was stalled in committee.
“It’s something that could not get out of the education committee, but it’s something that the body did vote on previously. I would like to see that passed,” Ellington said.
That didn’t sit too well with Democrat Del. John Doyle, who said the discharge option should only be used on bills that are no longer being discussed. Doyle claims the bill was still in discussion.
Democrat Del. Andrew Robinson asked Ellington if he no longer believed in the legislative process.
“No distrust,” Ellington said. “It’s sorta like the (medical) marijuana law from a couple of years ago that got discharged from committee.”
He also addressed the concerns over the bill and how those issues would be addressed.
“(H)ome school students would have to meet certain academic levels for two years before participating,” Ellington said. “They would also have to stay in their own district, maintain a code of ethics and discipline and have the same immunizations as public school students.”
The bill was expected to be brought to the House floor on Tuesday.
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