Should Home-School Students Play on Local HS Teams? (Fairfax: to buy, middle school)

[Yankeesfan]

Originally Posted by ChristineVA

As someone pointed out in yesterday's Washington Post--since they pay taxes to the county school systems, yet don't have children at all, is it their right to go up and use the track or reserve the baseball field for personal use? After all, they paid their taxes too.

Ummm, obviously anyone using the argument has never gone to their local school track before or after school and seen the many non-parents who use it for walking or running.

[Yankeesfan]

Originally Posted by newgatedenizen

The reasons listed are largely amusing and really quite unconvincing. It's not like they are not part of the local community.

I'd love to see the reaction of the entire FCPS / PTA structure if every private school and home-schooled student showed up tomorrow to register, in their local school to which they pay taxes. They'd all be screaming that these kids, who live right in their neighborhoods, were taking resources away from "their" precious children.

[Yankeesfan]

Originally Posted by Fern435

The parents' response to this bill illustrates why many people choose to remove their students from these environments and home school. Too much emphasis on sports/competition/image and too little emphasis on character. Home schooling parents aren't likely to want to put their child onto sports teams with these parents' students.

Yes, really. The bigotry that has been expressed on every online forum toward home-schooling children and their parents has been breath-taking and appalling.

[Yankeesfan]

Originally Posted by JEB77

Langley may be more organized, but it's not alone. The South Lakes PTSA posted this on its web site recently:

- Participation on athletic teams is a privilege that should be reserved for the public school students

Why? "Because we say so!"

[Yankeesfan]

Originally Posted by JEB77

"A Letter from Langley Boosters, February 7, 2012--
Dear Boosters members:

1) Homeschool students have an unfair advantage in that they can allocate much more time to their sport or interscholastic activity. Home schooled students can devote longer blocks of time preparing for their VHSL sport or activity

What are they saying here -- that much of the time public school students spend in school is wasted on useless activities?

[Yankeesfan]

Originally Posted by JEB77

3) It also makes it difficult for pep rallies, team communication (often on school announcements), etc. Will home school students be able to come in and attend the sports rallies?

Do they think home-school families don't have email? And why wouldn't they be able to come and attend sports rallies, with all the free time they have (see #1)?

[CaliTerp07]

6) Funding: The school system is currently struggling for tax dollars. Adding more students will require another layer of administrative responsibilities, which will cost money.

Am I missing something? A soccer team has 20 students. They have to process athletics forms for 20 students. They have to arrange transportation to games for 20 students. They have to reserve practice fields for 20 students. Etc, etc. etc. Whether those 20 students are public/private/home school students shouldn't change the amount of work involved, should it?

I just don't understand the fuss.

[ACWhite]

Originally Posted by LocalGuy61

You're just making an assumption here. Do you have any empirical evidence that this is true?

Do you have any empirical evidence that it is not?

I am not making any assumptions; I am simply expressing my opinion, based on my own experiences and interactions, as have other posters here.

[ChristineVA]

Originally Posted by Yankeesfan

Ummm, obviously anyone using the argument has never gone to their local school track before or after school and seen the many non-parents who use it for walking or running.

Really? When my daughter attended public high school, that was not allowed.

[sullyguy]

Originally Posted by Yankeesfan

Yes, really. The bigotry that has been expressed on every online forum toward home-schooling children and their parents has been breath-taking and appalling.

I haven't seen any bigotry here - some (as myself) have pointed out some obvious strong deficiencies in home schooling - a little - but by and large the discussion has been about non-public school students getting on public school sports (or academic?) teams.

As long as fees/costs are supported by fees or taxes hitting everyone, I personally have no problem with home-schooled kids trying to and succeeding in getting on the public school team(s) that they would try to and succeed getting on had they gone to that public school.

That, of COURSE, doesn't change the fact that I personally do NOT consider home-schooling to be nearly as good as private or public schooling; it doesn't even BEGIN to approach it...but that's not bigotry.