HB 1528 Education – Homeschool Students – Extracurricular Activities

BILL: HB 1528

TITLE: Education – Homeschool Students – Extracurricular Activities

DATE: March 12, 2026

POSITION: Unfavorable

COMMITTEE: House Ways & Means Committee

CONTACT: Mary Pat Fannon, Executive Director, PSSAM

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The Public School Superintendents’ Association of Maryland (PSSAM), on behalf of all twenty-four local school superintendents, opposes House Bill 1528.

This bill authorizes a public high school to allow a student participating in a certain home instruction program to participate in extracurricular activities sponsored by the school outside of regular school hours. It also requires a public high school to give placement priority to a student enrolled in a certain high school over a student who is not enrolled in the school if there are a limited number of spaces available for students in the extracurricular activity. 

PSSAM opposes this bill’s expanded eligibility of students participating in public school interscholastic events. State regulations governing interscholastic athletics and activities require participating students be officially enrolled in and attending the public school they represent. These rules exist to ensure that all students are held to consistent standards related to academic eligibility, attendance, conduct, and participation requirements. Students educated through homeschooling are not subject to the same academic oversight, attendance verification, or grading systems used by public schools. 

There are also important liability and supervision concerns. Students who are enrolled in public schools are covered under established school system policies, including those related to student supervision, accident coverage, and risk management. Homeschooled students would not necessarily fall under these same protections or procedures. In the event of injuries or other incidents school systems could face significant uncertainty regarding responsibility, insurance coverage, and legal liability.

Finally, expanding participation beyond enrolled students could affect opportunities for students who are fully enrolled in the school system, including team roster limits, playing time, and access to extracurricular resources.

The proposal raises significant concerns related to equity, eligibility verification, liability, and operational capacity for local school systems; for these reasons, PSSAM opposes House Bill 1528 and kindly requests an unfavorable report.