The Tebow Bill Rule is affect in 34 states. Texas has fought any kind of private schools playing in UIL and home school kids participating in UIL events. This is a big agenda push for THSCA (Texas High School Coaches Assoc.) Having coached for 33 years in public school systems. This is to try and prevent cheating that can take place in recruiting kids in Texas to other High Schools, which is illegal by UIL rules. It hurts the good kids, but it is try to prevent people from taking advantage of athletics.

I am a big proponent of the club sport that is high school fishing. THSBA and SETX do not need UIL getting involved.

If the Yearbook Commitee, for example, at Keller doesn't want a homeschool student (or a student from another public school district) to participate, the school has the right to exclude them. Bass fishing is the same.

That being said, I hope Keller changes their policy.

Does the UIL govern THSBA?

No, the UIL does not govern the THSBA. We are our own separate 501c3 organization.

There is a junior high/high school program in Texas for students whose schools do not have a fishing team it's called Weekenders team trail.

Sounds to me like you shouldn't have said anything to the ISD.
Tim and the THBA was fine with it...should still follow up on the options your son has to be able to fish. Like many have said, its a great experience for the kids and the dads/captains.

Hope things work out for you and your son so you can get in this year.
Please keep us posted

You can fish the Lake Fork High School Tour. It is an open tour. We welcome homeschoolers. www.lakeforkopen.org

There are several teams that are not associated with the schools, it really isnt about what Trail allows homeschoolers. Every HS Association out there allows home schoolers to fish that I am aware of. We have several that fish in the THSBA and I'm sure the Weekenders and SETX do as well. If you would like information on local schools in the area of Keller that have a team we can provide you the advisors contact number. If nothing else, join on your own , sign off on the grades and your good to go. No need to have a "School team" per say.

I have to weigh in here since I am the team advisor for Keller.

FishyB, when we had our first kick-off meeting this year and you asked me about a home-schooled angler fishing with us, I told you that I would have to check with the school board. I was told that you had already checked with them and it was approved, but as per the THSBA (I checked with Glenda), I have to get sign-off from the school board for a home-schooled student.

I initiated the approval process immediately, but since it was summer, the school board president had to wait until the proper people were in place to get the sign-off. Since I had been told that you had been given approval already, I didn't anticipate problems, but as it turns out, the Keller ISD has a policy against home-schooled students participating in these events. Personally, I don't agree with that policy, and I communicated with the district attorney, the school board president, and both the outgoing and the incoming superintendent about your son, all to no avail.

As soon as we found out about this, we returned your sponsorship check. Unfortunately, there was no other way for us to deal with this. I am always saddened when any kid who wants to fish can't fish. It's near and dear to my heart. However, we have to comply with the orders of the Keller ISD.

I'm truly sorry that you've had this experience, and I'm more saddened that your son now associates high school bass fishing with this experience. I hope that you can find some other way for him to fish.

Jim Cheshire
Keller ISD Varsity Bass Club

Jim,

Now I will defend myself. At no point in time do I recall you or anyone else saying that they would have to check with the school board and certainly at no point did I say that I had already checked with the school board or that it was approved. I did say that the THSBA had no problem with a home school kid fishing with a school club. I didn't find out about the school board approval until you emailed me saying that my son was not allowed to participate.

In my initial post, I even said I had nothing against the Keller ISD Varsity Bass Club and in fact Jim, I feel that you went up to bat for us and I greatly appreciate your efforts. This was a rant about how jacked up the system is particularly for home school kids and that it was a bummer that my son couldn't fish with his good fishing buddy.

We have an option to participate via the Tarrant County club, which has sent us an open invite to fish the tournaments. Currently waiting to see if my son even has interest in competing now; kind of has a bad taste in his mouth.

As I said early; we will fish regardless.

Tight lines.

I'm glad that you are in contact with the Tarrant County Anglers. Their team advisor is a good guy and really focused on a great experience for the club. Even though your son has a bad taste, encourage him to fish with them! They also do other informal tournaments on their own throughout the year on area lakes, and that would give him a chance to get to know more folks and fish more.

Hope we do see you on the water!

Jim

TC Anglers are sanctioned by KISD as well. They answer directly to the same ISD board that Keller Varsity Bass Team does. Why would he get a different answer because its TC anglers VS KVBT?

This isn't about the Keller team declaring that the home school kid cant fish. They want every kid to have the opportunity to fish. The ISD board is who kicked this back. The TC angler group (awesome group of anglers BTW) is going to get the same answer from the board. I hope he finds a wa to fish, But the bad taste in his mouth (and yours) shouldn't have anything to do with KVBT or the TC anglers when that idea gets squashed by the ISD board as well.

Thank you Jim; again I truly appreciate all that you have done regarding the matter.

Milkfisher. You are not reading carefully what I have said at all. At no point am I attacking or down on any club. If in fact TC is sanctioned by the KISD school board then this is all a moot point; haven't reached out to the advisor to have a conversation.

Maybe so, Im not upset in any way, thats just how i interpreted your discussion here. I really do hope your boy finds a way to fish. I personally think the Board should allow it.

I personally think the board should not be in the decision at all. The schools have nothing to do with THSBA or SETX. At best these "teams" could be considered clubs but that doesn't matter to THSBA or SETX. The grade requirements are in the rules from the fishing organizations but that is because they can put any rule in that they want. This would be like KISD saying your select baseball team couldn't have a home school kid on it. Or even saying that as a student of Keller ISD you are not able to associate athletically with anyone that is not a student as Keller ISD. The only legal ground I could see the board having is not allowing the home-schooler on school property, but the tournaments/events dont take place on school property (maybe a pre-tournament meeting but that can be done off grounds too).