Should Home-School Students Play on Local HS Teams? (Washington: neighborhoods, high school)
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If home-schooled students are allowed to play on VHSL teams, why can't ordinary private schools join the VHSL?
My preferred solution would be to divide the state by county or groups of counties, and allow home-schooled kids to join their area's HS cooperative for athletic/VHSL purposes.
Said cooperatives would be placed in the appropriate VHSL district/group based on their enrollment figures and play as if they were a separate VHSL member school.
So Fairfax County homeschool would be a "school", Arlington/Alexandria homeschool would be another "school," etc., etc. If we start seeing good athletes start homeschooling, have them join the VISAA or merge the VHSL and VISAA with a multiplier, such as what you see in the IHSA (Illinois High School Association).
If home-schooled students are allowed to play on VHSL teams, why can't ordinary private schools join the VHSL?
My preferred solution would be to divide the state by county or groups of counties, and allow home-schooled kids to join their area's HS cooperative for athletic/VHSL purposes.
Said cooperatives would be placed in the appropriate VHSL district/group based on their enrollment figures and play as if they were a separate VHSL member school.
So Fairfax County homeschool would be a "school", Arlington/Alexandria homeschool would be another "school," etc., etc. If we start seeing good athletes start homeschooling, have them join the VISAA or merge the VHSL and VISAA with a multiplier, such as what you see in the IHSA (Illinois High School Association).
I think that is a great idea and a much more graceful solution. All PWC homeschoolers become a "school" or you could split the county in half. They would be invited to participate/play against public school teams during the regular seasons. The only issues I see is that they don't have the equipment/fields/property to hold large practices.
Apparently some of the local high schools have already started to weigh in against this proposal - here's a letter that the Langley HS boosters made public (not sure how many other schools are working on something similar):
"A Letter from Langley Boosters, February 7, 2012--
Dear Boosters members:
The vote on the home school bill will go before the VA House of Delegates TODAY. Then, if it passes (and it is likely to do so), it will go to the Senate. If you read this after the vote has passed the VA Delegate, you can still write your senator. Last night at Boosters, we developed a few talking points which explain why LHS Boosters does not support the bill. I have listed them below:
1) Homeschool students have an unfair advantage in that they can allocate much more time to their sport or interscholastic activity. For example, Debate is a VHSL activity. For our students, this takes incredible time and energy outside of the student’s long school day and additional homework time. They have to juggle tournaments with their academic schedule. The same holds true for “It’s Academic” as well as all VHSL athletics/sports. Home schooled students can devote longer blocks of time preparing for their VHSL sport or activity
2) Public school students are expected to maintain an minimum GPA. While there is a standard measurement in place to evaluate Homeschool students, it is NOT the same standard of measurement as those utilized for students who attend the local high school.
3) At our high school, the student council and administration are working very hard to create a unified environment at the school. Significant efforts have been taken to increase school spirit. Allowing students outside the school community to come in just for athletics or academic programs will alter this sense of unity. 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?
4) Many teams are impacted. Students get cut from their school teams and some are devastated. The last thing students need is for another group of students (with an unfair advantage .. see #1) to take a slot away from a student who made the choice to attend his/her public high school.
5) Taxes: The argument that home school families pay the same taxes as public school families and are therefore entitled to participate in public school programs does not make sense. If home schoolers are allowed to participate in the public school VHSL activities, what would prohibit private school families from seeking these same options? Additionally, the argument that paying taxes to a program entitles utilization of the public program is not valid. As taxpayers, we pay taxes to support welfare and other social programs. Certainly, not everybody has a right to utilize food stamps just because their tax dollars fund the food stamp program.
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.
7) Being a member of a school sports/athletic team is a privilege and not a right.
I have included email addresses of both our delegate and senator. For your convenience, I have drafted a personal letter that can be modified, or simply cut and paste. The letter can be found at www.langleysports.org on the Boosters page. It is intended as a resource to anyone interested in writing their repreentatives on this issue. The bottom line is that we have to act immediately if we want to affect this decision. Some of you may not agree with our stance. Please do not feel compelled or pressured into changing that decision.
Thanks for all that you do for LHS Boosters. GO SAXONS!"
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.
Apparently some of the local high schools have already started to weigh in against this proposal - here's a letter that the Langley HS boosters made public (not sure how many other schools are working on something similar):
"A Letter from Langley Boosters, February 7, 2012--
Dear Boosters members:
The vote on the home school bill will go before the VA House of Delegates TODAY. Then, if it passes (and it is likely to do so), it will go to the Senate. If you read this after the vote has passed the VA Delegate, you can still write your senator. Last night at Boosters, we developed a few talking points which explain why LHS Boosters does not support the bill. I have listed them below:
1) Homeschool students have an unfair advantage in that they can allocate much more time to their sport or interscholastic activity. For example, Debate is a VHSL activity. For our students, this takes incredible time and energy outside of the student’s long school day and additional homework time. They have to juggle tournaments with their academic schedule. The same holds true for “It’s Academic” as well as all VHSL athletics/sports. Home schooled students can devote longer blocks of time preparing for their VHSL sport or activity
2) Public school students are expected to maintain an minimum GPA. While there is a standard measurement in place to evaluate Homeschool students, it is NOT the same standard of measurement as those utilized for students who attend the local high school.
3) At our high school, the student council and administration are working very hard to create a unified environment at the school. Significant efforts have been taken to increase school spirit. Allowing students outside the school community to come in just for athletics or academic programs will alter this sense of unity. 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?
4) Many teams are impacted. Students get cut from their school teams and some are devastated. The last thing students need is for another group of students (with an unfair advantage .. see #1) to take a slot away from a student who made the choice to attend his/her public high school.
5) Taxes: The argument that home school families pay the same taxes as public school families and are therefore entitled to participate in public school programs does not make sense. If home schoolers are allowed to participate in the public school VHSL activities, what would prohibit private school families from seeking these same options? Additionally, the argument that paying taxes to a program entitles utilization of the public program is not valid. As taxpayers, we pay taxes to support welfare and other social programs. Certainly, not everybody has a right to utilize food stamps just because their tax dollars fund the food stamp program.
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.
7) Being a member of a school sports/athletic team is a privilege and not a right.
I have included email addresses of both our delegate and senator. For your convenience, I have drafted a personal letter that can be modified, or simply cut and paste. The letter can be found at www.langleysports.org on the Boosters page. It is intended as a resource to anyone interested in writing their repreentatives on this issue. The bottom line is that we have to act immediately if we want to affect this decision. Some of you may not agree with our stance. Please do not feel compelled or pressured into changing that decision.
Thanks for all that you do for LHS Boosters. GO SAXONS!"
Langley HS never fails to supply new material for satires. The reaction is over the top and a bit hysterical (no surprise with conceited, hyper-competitive parents). How many home-schooled high school students reside in the Langley boundary and are exceptionally talented athletes who will make the Langley teams? I'm guessing the number is extremely low. "Nooooo, they cannot play on our teams!! Those horrid home-schooled kids have unfair advantages!"
Calm down, Langley boosters. This bill is not going to deprive your pampered offspring of the coveted spots on your teams. Wonder if they realize how many colleges consider them to be insanely competitive and difficult to work with. Their response to this bill shows everyone why.
Langley may be more organized, but it's not alone. The South Lakes PTSA posted this on its web site recently:
"Please act fast!! The House of Delegates is moving to allow non-public school students to play on high school teams across the state. We have been fighting this bill for a few years now - but it has gained serious momentum in the recent few days.
What you need to know:
- HB 947 will allow non-public school students to play on public school teams
- Participation on athletic teams is a privilege that should be reserved for the public school students
- Non-public school students only have to meet SIX eligibility requirements to the public athlete's 13 requirements
- What's next? Drama, debate, electives?"
It doesn't seem like this will be a huge issue for most NoVA public high schools. They usually have more than enough students for all teams. But the policy can be a win-win situation for small high schools in rural areas. They may not have enough students to comprise a team, and it gives a home-schooled student the chance to play that s/he may not otherwise have.
Yes--quoting myself because I still feel this is essentially true.
It can be challenging for some NoVA parents to think outside their huge high school systems. Virginia has rural areas, too. This bill will most likely have more impact on their school sports teams than on NoVA schools, where there is no shortage of student athletes.
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.
The reasons listed are largely amusing and really quite unconvincing. I would suggest that there would be a negligible impact of any kind if the bill is passed. Where is the love for diversity? I really don't understand why anyone would be opposed to home-school OR private school kids participating if it's at their local school. It's not like they are not part of the local community.
VBODA/VMEA currently allows home-schooled and private-schooled kids to try out for and participate in district honor band and orchestra.
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