STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1453

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.C.R. No. 76

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 76 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO RESEARCH STATE MODELS AND BEST PRACTICES ON HOME SCHOOLED STUDENT PARTICIPATION IN PUBLIC SCHOOL EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES AND SPORTS AND EXPLORE IMPLEMENTATION OF SUCH A PROGRAM IN HAWAII,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to encourage policies that allow home schooled students to participate in public school extracurricular activities.

     More specifically, this measure requests the Board of Education to:

(1)  Research state models and best practices for home schooled students to participate in public school extracurricular activities and sports;

(2)  Explore the implementation of a program for home schooled students to participate in public school extracurricular activities and sports; and

(3)  Report its findings and recommendations to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2014, including any policies developed or implemented by the Board of Education that allow home schooled students to participate in public school extracurricular activities and sports and any proposed legislation.

     Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Department of Education.

     Your Committee finds that, currently, the Board of Education does not have a policy allowing home schooled students to participate in extracurricular activities or sports at public schools in the State.  Your Committee believes that home schooled students would benefit from participating in these activities and should have the same opportunity to participate in the same manner as their public school counterparts.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 76 and recommends its adoption.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

____________________________

DAVID Y. IGE, Chair