Bill Would Open School Sports and Activities to More Homeschool, Private School Kids

Homeschooled and private school students across Wyoming could soon get broader access to public school sports, band, and other activities under a new bill headed to the 2026 legislative session,  Gillette News Record reports.

The Legislature’s Joint Education Committee on Friday voted unanimously to sponsor 26LSO-0197, “Participation in 6-12 activities,” which would require school districts to let all students in grades 6–12 take part in activities even if they’re not enrolled in the district. That includes homeschoolers, private school students and kids using the state’s education savings account (ESA) program.

Right now, state law only guarantees access at the high school level. In the 2024–25 school year, 380 homeschooled high schoolers and 394 middle schoolers joined Wyoming High School Activities Association programs. This bill would formally open the door for middle school participation, too.

“If they don’t get to do it in middle school, it virtually cuts them out of being, for example, in band, participating in high school band,” said Rep. Martha Lawley, R-Worland.

Dicky Shanor of the Wyoming Department of Education said the issue came to a head after the ESA program passed. Many districts already allowed junior high participation informally, he said, but the law wasn’t clear.

“This statute just clarifies what the law is on this topic,” Shanor told lawmakers.

Not everyone is completely relaxed about the details. Sen. Chris Rothfuss, D-Laramie, raised concerns about unfunded costs, since homeschool students aren’t counted in the school funding formula but still use resources.

“This is an unfunded expense where you have a real expense associated with homeschoolers,” Rothfuss said, noting that most activities don’t charge fees that could offset those costs.

Wyoming School Boards Association Director Brian Farmer added that some co-curricular activities require enrollment in a related class, which can conflict with ESA rules: families can’t use ESA funds if their student is partially enrolled in a public district. For non-ESA students, however, partial participation can allow districts to count them toward average daily membership (ADM) and receive some additional funding.

Despite the funding worries, the committee agreed the social benefits are hard to ignore. Sen. Charles Scott, R-Casper, pointed out that one big challenge in homeschooling is limited peer interaction.

“I think that’s one of the real reasons for the bill,” he said.

If the bill passes during the 2026 budget session, which starts Feb. 9, the new rules would take effect for the 2026–27 school year.