prov31dc Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 We live in NJ where it's up to each district to allow a homeschooled student to participate in High School sports. The Superintendent and HS principal are not in favor and it's been implemented into the school's policies. Has anyone experienced this? What other options did your family have? Do private schools allow homeschoolers to enroll part time so they can participate in sports? This is so frustrating and yes the superintendent did say, "that my son would have a favorable advantage" over the other athletes if he were allowed to participate. Venting and wondering if any other families have experienced this... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 There are several small private schools around here (Atlanta area) that allow homeschooled students on their teams even without part-time enrollment. There also are a couple of hybrid schools whose athletic teams are open to homeschoolers. Other than basketball and football, however, the highest level of competition is not the high school team, though, so it is only an issue for those two sports. Track and cross-country might also fall in that category, though there are club options for those as well. Club sports are where the real competition and coaching are for swimming, gymnastics, soccer, baseball (that is probably a Southern thing--baseball is a big deal here), equestrian, golf, tennis, etc., so it is not a big deal that public high schools are not open to homeschoolers participating in those sports. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 That's an issue here; the decision is made school by school--there's not even consistency within the district. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawthorne44 Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 I've heard the argument that Homeschoolers would have an advantage. Isn't that a tacit admission that home schooling is better? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 Check homeschool associations, too. In my area, the biggest homeschool group participates in sports in the same league as the private schools, including football, baseball, basketball, etc. There's also a homeschool club team for certain sports, and some of the private clubs will have training schedules for homeschoolers (my DD's gymnastics gym has a homeschool track for XCEL and JO gymnasts-basically, they just start practicing earlier in the day so they get the coach's time before the PS kids and rec classes start-it's a win for the gym, because they get ALL the homeschooled lower level gymnasts in the area due to that schedule flexibility, which increases the number of girls paying dues/coaching fees, as well as for the homeschoolers, who get to really bond with other homeschoolers who share their desired sport, as early as age 5-6.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 There are quite a few private schools that allow homeschoolers in NJ. Most do require a statement of faith. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prov31dc Posted June 4, 2015 Author Share Posted June 4, 2015 Ty all for replying...it's nice to know someone is listening:). my son's sport is lacrosse. @itsheresewhere, we've reached out to Seton Hall prep and waiting to hear from them. I pray a door opens:) do you know the names other private local schools that have allowed hs'lers to play? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 We do have a local private school that allows homeschoolers on its teams. Otherwise, there isn't a single school in our region that does so. Homeschooling is not well known in our area and the comparatively few that have heard of it have a very limited understanding. They did a recent local news story here and one of the local coaches they interviewed was really up in arms. He kept going on and on about how unfair it would be for homeschoolers to participate. He felt very strongly that "since homeschoolers are rich they can pay for private lessons/teams and don't have to work nearly as hard as public schooled kids. " He felt it would be terribly unfair to the public schooled kids to allow homeschoolers to participate. It was honestly rather nauseating (although not unexpected) how completely skewed his view of homeschooling is. I agree, call around and see if there are private or hybrid schools that will allow our son to participate. Hugs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie of KY Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 We have to create homeschool teams (or teams not associated with the school systems). Most of our homeschool teams compete in the same divisions as the private schools. I don't know of anyone allowed on any school teams around here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine State Sue Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 If your ds is a very good athlete, you may want to contact the HS coach and invite him to watch your ds. The HS coach may be able to persuade the superintendent and principal. If your ds is just so-so, might not work. Best bet then would be private schools. Some are welcoming to hs'ers. Some are not. Good luck! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prov31dc Posted June 4, 2015 Author Share Posted June 4, 2015 Ty...very disappointing...I personally know of another district 15 mins. away that accepted a hs'ler into their baseball team. This "banned" feeling is not sitting too well:( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prov31dc Posted June 4, 2015 Author Share Posted June 4, 2015 The HS coach knows about it. He didn't have much to say other than he'd available if my son has any questions. Both of my sons are good athletes and have been playing with our town for years. Today is the first day we received this news. I know the Lord's plan is the best one,so we'll see how it goes. Ty all for your replies,it's greatly appreciated:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Excelsior! Academy Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 Here in OK the public school districts don't allow homeschoolers to participate in sports or any other activity for that matter. We do have access to several private and homeschool leagues. They even play the public schools in games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 We do have a local private school that allows homeschoolers on its teams. Otherwise, there isn't a single school in our region that does so. Homeschooling is not well known in our area and the comparatively few that have heard of it have a very limited understanding. They did a recent local news story here and one of the local coaches they interviewed was really up in arms. He kept going on and on about how unfair it would be for homeschoolers to participate. He felt very strongly that "since homeschoolers are rich they can pay for private lessons/teams and don't have to work nearly as hard as public schooled kids. " He felt it would be terribly unfair to the public schooled kids to allow homeschoolers to participate. It was honestly rather nauseating (although not unexpected) how completely skewed his view of homeschooling is. I agree, call around and see if there are private or hybrid schools that will allow our son to participate. Hugs. What a total ignoramus! And I mean "total!" The athletes that have the "unfair" advantage in high school sports are predominantly the kids that are in club sports. It has nothing to do with homeschooling, or very little to do anyway. At least in swimming, club kids get treated like gods with fewer requirements from the high school team because these kids are already overloaded with practice. The kids that qualify for state at high school districts are nearly always club swimmers who are in better shape and who have better coaching. My older kids were in public school and the youngest has predominantly been homeschooled. They all swam varsity as freshmen. Schooling wasn't key, club swimming was. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prov31dc Posted June 4, 2015 Author Share Posted June 4, 2015 The HS coach knows about it. He didn't have much to say other than he'd available if my son has any questions. Both of my sons are good athletes and have been playing with our town for years. Today is the first day we received this news. I know the Lord's plan is the best one,so we'll see how it goes. Ty all for your replies,it's greatly appreciated:) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin in DFW Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 nm 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MysteryJen Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 What a dufus. They obviously have no clue that homeschool families typically live on one income, drive beater cars and eat at home most of the time. Personally, we never go on vacation, don't buy new clothes or stuff for the house and get home haircuts. I have had kids participate in club sports and we struggled financially to do so. I just don't understand some people. What a dufus. This. X100 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klmama Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 Have you checked with that district 15 min. away? If they are flexible enough to allow hsers to play baseball, they might be flexible enough to let an out-of-district hser play lacrosse if asked nicely. As I always tell my dc, you won't know unless you ask. :001_smile: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MtnTeaching Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 We have been blessed that our local schools, both private and public, have been very welcoming to homeschoolers. My Dd played volleyball and basketball for three years for a secular private middle school near us. She was the very first homeschooler they had ever had and they included her in everything. She won awards on award day and they invited her to every school dance. We were very generous in our donations to the school (still much less that a club team cost), but that was definitely not a requirement for her admittance to the team. She was playing before we paid anything other than her uniform cost. Then, she went on to play for the summer for our local public high school. The coach loved her and had her playing on his junior year team as an incoming freshman. Unfortunately, Dd was just coming back from a broken ankle and between the school practices and games, physical therapy, and back-to-back volleyball camps at our flagship state university, she burned out. We took the public school fall season off and played club ball in winter. The coach was bummed. We also have dedicated homeschool teams in multiple sports in Denver who play against private schools. They are very, very good. As a taxpayer, I feel that it is our right to participate in the sports in our district schools. Just because we opt not to join them for the academics should not exclude us from the athletics. We have always paid for any costs the team might incur from including our athlete and I have always donated a tremendous amount of time as a parent. Including being team mom. That type of blatant discrimination toward a child by school officials shows an awful lot about their character, not to mention, their intelligence. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 Wow, I'm sorry. That is just so dumb. Our public school was unique in that it really, truly, believed that its main job was to educate the student in any way possible. So they welcomed homeschoolers. That being said, I believe the coaches were a huge part in accepting homeschoolers. We knew a couple personally and they were really happy and even relieved to have a couple of our kids on their teams. In later years, they began reaching out to homeschoolers to BE on their teams, because they had such success with them. So I second contacting coaches. They can sometimes have a big voice in decisions like that! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkT Posted June 6, 2015 Share Posted June 6, 2015 I seriously doubt someone not attending a school could play sports for that school in AZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted June 6, 2015 Share Posted June 6, 2015 This is what my state has: http://washhomeschool.org/homeschooling/washington-interscholastic-activities-assoc/ I think it's important to realize that coaches are not paid teachers' salaries, nor do they get teachers' benefits. Many of them are not working as teachers when coaching, and many of the sports are run through the schools, like scouts and PTSA, but not a government-funded activity. As non-profits, they are not legally required to admit anybody. But many do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Upward Journey Posted June 6, 2015 Share Posted June 6, 2015 I seriously doubt someone not attending a school could play sports for that school in AZ Not true. Oldest was a varsity swimmer, and completely home schooled. There were hoops to jump through (paperwork to submit), but nothing that wasn't doable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomatHWTK Posted June 6, 2015 Share Posted June 6, 2015 I think it may be possible in our state for hs kids to play sports, but it is so rare that I don't know for certain. I would certainly not plan on it and I'm sure it is at the discretion of the school if allowed at all. Our state also doesn't have to accept high school credits from a non-acredited school so hs'ers here pretty much need to decide before freshman year whether they want sports and the option to go to public high school in the future or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmpmelmack Posted June 6, 2015 Share Posted June 6, 2015 I seriously doubt someone not attending a school could play sports for that school in AZ Have you read our homeschool laws? All districts are required to allow you to play, they don't have to make it easy for you, but they are requires by law to allow it. We are one of only a few states like this. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted June 6, 2015 Share Posted June 6, 2015 Perhaps this will not be a popular opinion, but I do not think homeschoolers should be allowed to play for their public high school's teams. If I were a principal or superintendent or whomever has the authority to make this decision, I wouldn't permit it. Offering an occasional use of the school's resources for AP testing or PSAT is one thing; having a non-student representing the school in inter-school competition is another. If homeschooled students are on the team, why not private school students? Why not students from other public high schools who just like your coach better? Although I recognize that this is something upon which reasonable minds may differ, it hardly speaks ill of the coach's or principal's moral character if he fails to support homeschoolers' inclusion on his team. The "I pay taxes" argument is solid not not a slam dunk. I can see plenty of potential for cheating--pulling a failing kid out to "homeschool" him so he can still play football? Pretty sure that one has been tried. Not that anyone on here is doing that; my point is just that there are valid reasons to want only the school's actual students on their teams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted June 6, 2015 Share Posted June 6, 2015 Yes, our schools have the option, but they choose not to allow homeschoolers to do sports. They have cited the problem of "shopping" schools and tight budgets. Some of the private schools are willing to take homeschooled kids, but the norm among my friends seems to be to just enroll them full-time if they're at all serious. That gets them better coaching and a higher level of competition than offered by the private schools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Upward Journey Posted June 6, 2015 Share Posted June 6, 2015 Perhaps this will not be a popular opinion, but I do not think homeschoolers should be allowed to play for their public high school's teams. If I were a principal or superintendent or whomever has the authority to make this decision, I wouldn't permit it. Offering an occasional use of the school's resources for AP testing or PSAT is one thing; having a non-student representing the school in inter-school competition is another. If homeschooled students are on the team, why not private school students? Why not students from other public high schools who just like your coach better? Although I recognize that this is something upon which reasonable minds may differ, it hardly speaks ill of the coach's or principal's moral character if he fails to support homeschoolers' inclusion on his team. The "I pay taxes" argument is solid not not a slam dunk. I can see plenty of potential for cheating--pulling a failing kid out to "homeschool" him so he can still play football? Pretty sure that one has been tried. Not that anyone on here is doing that; my point is just that there are valid reasons to want only the school's actual students on their teams. Yes, our schools have the option, but they choose not to allow homeschoolers to do sports. They have cited the problem of "shopping" schools and tight budgets. Some of the private schools are willing to take homeschooled kids, but the norm among my friends seems to be to just enroll them full-time if they're at all serious. That gets them better coaching and a higher level of competition than offered by the private schools. Where we lived you were only allowed to compete for the high school that you would have actually attended boundary wise, so no shopping; and grades had to be submitted in order to maintain eligibility. I suppose you could game the system if you wanted to {shrug}. That doesn't really bother me too much. Most people aren't going to, so why penalize everyone because some people are jerks? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prov31dc Posted June 6, 2015 Author Share Posted June 6, 2015 Sounds like CO has it right[emoji106] It's a fair balanced way to allow others to play in district. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 Well, in CO, private school students ARE allowed to play for ps teams, if the private school doesn't have a team. The theory is that sports are good for kids and they should be encouraged. Pull a failing kid out to hs so he can play? In CO, there are rules against that. The student has to be in compliance with hs laws, requiring testing or evaluation every other year. If the student has been declared habitually truant and then is pulled, the district has the right to approve the curr. Why not just play for the coach you like? CHSAA rules are in effect--you play for the team you notify and turn in your test results to. If you wander from district to district, w/o a bonafide change of address, you forfeit a year, just like a ps student would. The access law only gives the student the right to tryout for the team, just like everyone else. They can get cut or benched, just like everyone else. The student must turn in a grade report every week (the ps students do it too, they just don't realize that their home room teachers do it for them). Could mom lie? Yeah. But so could the ps teacher, in order to keep the quarterback eligible. In CO, it's a good system. They've thought through all the ways to cheat and headed them off. Hs students are a very small portion of ps teams here, but in general, they've been welcomed. My kids have done x-c, track, gymnastics, diving, and swimming. They've gone to prom, and been the orchestra for choirs. They've been nuns in Sound of Music, and the fiddler in Fiddler on the Roof. They've been accompanists for every single senior vocal soloist. They've Lettered and even made All-Academic Team. I've been team mom more times than I can count. I've hosted team dinners, sewn spirit bags, hauled kids, mended swim suits, and cheered and cheered. I've even been the official team photographer for the newspaper and have a press pass! Most of the swim pictures in the yearbook are mine. Ps sports have been a big part of my kids' high school careers. One week, dd was at the high school so much one friend asked, "You're always here--why don't you just stay all day?" "Oh, I get to come to the fun stuff, not the boring stuff. Anyway, I'm off to the college for calc and orchestra." I'm sorry every student hasn't had that chance. Well, if I were the principal, I would let Margaret's kids play. But not the rest of your hooligans. :tongue_smilie: The high schools around here are so big (2000 students each, I'm guessing?) that I can't imagine homeschoolers being welcomed quite so warmly. The hoops! The rules! Anyway, my point was that I can certainly see a reasonable principal or superintendent making a contrary decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 Sent you a PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grantmom Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 Perhaps this will not be a popular opinion, but I do not think homeschoolers should be allowed to play for their public high school's teams. If I were a principal or superintendent or whomever has the authority to make this decision, I wouldn't permit it. Offering an occasional use of the school's resources for AP testing or PSAT is one thing; having a non-student representing the school in inter-school competition is another. If homeschooled students are on the team, why not private school students? Why not students from other public high schools who just like your coach better? Although I recognize that this is something upon which reasonable minds may differ, it hardly speaks ill of the coach's or principal's moral character if he fails to support homeschoolers' inclusion on his team. The "I pay taxes" argument is solid not not a slam dunk. I can see plenty of potential for cheating--pulling a failing kid out to "homeschool" him so he can still play football? Pretty sure that one has been tried. Not that anyone on here is doing that; my point is just that there are valid reasons to want only the school's actual students on their teams. I think that this is probably the kind of stance that keeps most people in the dark and entrenched in this kind of opinion. Honestly, I have a very hard time with this. Everything that you are stating as a problem does not have to be a problem and is not a problem at all in states where homeschoolers are allowed by law to play sports for the public school team. Homeschoolers in many states are still under the jurisdiction of the school board, for the school that they would attend if they went to public school, they have to report proof of progress, submit curriculum, even attendance records in some states. (Please be clear that I am saying some states, not all.). So, the homeschooled student would play for the school which she has a legal right to attend and receive services from. Also, the homeschooled student can just as easily show proof of academic progress by taking a test or providing other academic proof, which is already required in many states anyway, and would prevent someone from homeschooling just to avoid school and play sports. To me, this is an entirely different issue anyway. In my state, public high school students can make all Ds and an F and still play sports. So, honestly, no, I don't see any valid reasons why a homeschooled student should not be allowed to play sports for the school that they have a legal right to attend. Not the school in a different district just down the street, but at their public high school. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowbeltmom Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 I think that this is probably the kind of stance that keeps most people in the dark and entrenched in this kind of opinion. Honestly, I have a very hard time with this. Everything that you are stating as a problem does not have to be a problem and is not a problem at all in states where homeschoolers are allowed by law to play sports for the public school team. Homeschoolers in many states are still under the jurisdiction of the school board, for the school that they would attend if they went to public school, they have to report proof of progress, submit curriculum, even attendance records in some states. (Please be clear that I am saying some states, not all.). So, the homeschooled student would play for the school which she has a legal right to attend and receive services from. Also, the homeschooled student can just as easily show proof of academic progress by taking a test or providing other academic proof, which is already required in many states anyway, and would prevent someone from homeschooling just to avoid school and play sports. To me, this is an entirely different issue anyway. In my state, public high school students can make all Ds and an F and still play sports. So, honestly, no, I don't see any valid reasons why a homeschooled student should not be allowed to play sports for the school that they have a legal right to attend. Not the school in a different district just down the street, but at their public high school. :iagree: Two years ago, my state passed legislation permitting homeschoolers and private schooled students the right to participate in all extracurricular activities offered at their zoned public school. (The private schooled kids can only participate in a public school activity if that activity is not offered at their private schools.) There were quite a number of ridiculous dire predictions made by those opposed to the new ruling, none of which obviously happened. My middle son has played on our local high school team for the past two years. Many of the parents, high school teachers/administrators, and local reporters don't even realize that he is homeschooled. The school has been very welcoming - his accomplishments are posted on the high school website, he is mentioned in the morning announcements, etc. In short, he is considered a member of the community, and how he is educated is a non-issue. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 Perhaps this will not be a popular opinion, but I do not think homeschoolers should be allowed to play for their public high school's teams. If I were a principal or superintendent or whomever has the authority to make this decision, I wouldn't permit it. Offering an occasional use of the school's resources for AP testing or PSAT is one thing; having a non-student representing the school in inter-school competition is another. If homeschooled students are on the team, why not private school students? Why not students from other public high schools who just like your coach better? Although I recognize that this is something upon which reasonable minds may differ, it hardly speaks ill of the coach's or principal's moral character if he fails to support homeschoolers' inclusion on his team. The "I pay taxes" argument is solid not not a slam dunk. I can see plenty of potential for cheating--pulling a failing kid out to "homeschool" him so he can still play football? Pretty sure that one has been tried. Not that anyone on here is doing that; my point is just that there are valid reasons to want only the school's actual students on their teams. As a homeschooled student in the state of Oregon, my son is required by OSAA (oversees school athletics) to take a yearly nationally-normed standardized test; homeschooled students not involved in sports take one after 11th grade according to homeschool laws. There are also rules in place, I believe, that require a certain window of time before you can represent a different team and I think that is only if you move (as in homes). I'll have to check, but I believe that homeschooled students may only participate in their district, and quite possibly only with their neighborhood school. I can think of many more valid reasons why kids in club sports shouldn't be allowed on high school teams, if we are talking about issues of equity. It's all a bit silly. Isn't the goal to have all kids in our communities be active and healthy? 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 In IL, it is all over the map. Illinois High School Association (IHSA) has lots of rules about eligibility to play sports, some of which are to discourage coaches from seeking out "ringers" to unfairly strengthen their team. The bigger issue is weekly academic eligibility. Some schools are OK with weekly academic reports from parents. One local school recently changed its policy to go this route. Others, like our local high school, require the athlete to take a certain number of core courses at the high school. Many homeschooled kids play for small private schools if the school has trouble fielding a team. There is concern that greater participation will invite greater scrutiny for all homeschoolers - we live in a very low reg state. Those who live in the greater Chicago area do have access to club teams that play against private school and other homeschool teams. But the number of sports can be limiting. In many sports (soccer and lacrosse in particular), club teams offer greater competition and a higher caliber of play. All of this is moot for us since my older kids were into Karate and dd is a competitive rock climber ... none of which are offered at the local schools and none of which would be eligible for college scholarships. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 If homeschooled students are on the team, why not private school students? Interesting that you should mention that. The local state school (public in US terms) has a rugby team half of whose members actually go to the local private school (which doesn't have the numbers to make up one good team for each age group). I do find it a bit odd, but that seems to be how it works here in this town. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 Perhaps this will not be a popular opinion, but I do not think homeschoolers should be allowed to play for their public high school's teams. If I were a principal or superintendent or whomever has the authority to make this decision, I wouldn't permit it. Offering an occasional use of the school's resources for AP testing or PSAT is one thing; having a non-student representing the school in inter-school competition is another. If homeschooled students are on the team, why not private school students? Why not students from other public high schools who just like your coach better? . In our area, private schooled kids do play for the public schools, unless the private school offers the sport. Homeschooled kids do too, and kids who attend charter schools. Also, if a kid attends a public school that doesn't offer a certain sport but another public school in the area does, the student can play for that school. Likewise, as a homeschooler my son is also able to compete on a private school team (that decision is up to the discretion of the school, however). I guess maybe it's an advantage of living in a small community. But it's also protected by state law. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 It's all a bit silly. Isn't the goal to have all kids in our communities be active and healthy? Oh, see, this is where you've misunderstood; actually, the goal is to win. Glad I could clear that up for you. ;) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 I think that this is probably the kind of stance that keeps most people in the dark and entrenched in this kind of opinion. Honestly, I have a very hard time with this. Everything that you are stating as a problem does not have to be a problem and is not a problem at all in states where homeschoolers are allowed by law to play sports for the public school team. Homeschoolers in many states are still under the jurisdiction of the school board, for the school that they would attend if they went to public school, they have to report proof of progress, submit curriculum, even attendance records in some states. (Please be clear that I am saying some states, not all.). So, the homeschooled student would play for the school which she has a legal right to attend and receive services from. Also, the homeschooled student can just as easily show proof of academic progress by taking a test or providing other academic proof, which is already required in many states anyway, and would prevent someone from homeschooling just to avoid school and play sports. To me, this is an entirely different issue anyway. In my state, public high school students can make all Ds and an F and still play sports. So, honestly, no, I don't see any valid reasons why a homeschooled student should not be allowed to play sports for the school that they have a legal right to attend. Not the school in a different district just down the street, but at their public high school. Huh. I'm not really in the dark, but thanks anyway. Just 'cause I disagree with you doesn't mean I am uninformed; that is, of course, a common misconception. The point of a school team is to represent that school; if you're not in that school, what are you doing there? If they let students of home schools or other schools participate, fine; if they don't'? Also fine. To me, the mere fact that you're not a student of the school is enough of a reason not to let you participate on the school's team. Where I live, the schools are so humongous that they don't need home schoolers to fill their rosters; likewise, home schoolers would only rarely want to participate on the public school's teams, which is probably why there's never been pressure brought to change the policy. Most home schoolers would either never make the PS team or, if they are good-enough at their sport to make the team, they don't need it because it would take time away from their attention to their real competitive arena, their club teams. Regardless, I don't have a problem with an administration's limiting participation on a school team to students of that school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyinMD Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Maryland is no access for extracurriculars as far as the public schools go but I have heard of some private schools allowing students on their teams. There is one near us that will allow participation if you enroll in their umbrella program (around $300 if I remember correctly). It is less than I pay for our current umbrella so was considering for my 15 yo dd. The downside is that the sport dd loves is soccer and the small (mostly Christian) private schools field girls teams in the spring. I can find lots of soccer in the spring because the public school kids are not playing it at school. The public schools play in the fall and it can be hard to find fall soccer. Last fall I drove 45 minutes each way for her to practice with a group of homeschoolers. They played no games because there was no one to play. The way I look at it is before high school it is all community based sports and everyone in the community can participate even private schooled kids and homeschooled kids. Then once high school hits they are excluded because they don't attend the high school even if they've lived in the community for years and have been part of athletics there. My 10 yo son will almost for sure attend public high school if it is still no access by the time he gets there. He plays club soccer and practices on his own all of the time. He could play for the one Christian school near us that allows homeschoolers because the boys do play in the fall. However it is a tiny school that is mainly looking to fill out it's roster and I think my son would be frustrated with the low level of competition there. It is a program where everyone gets to play which I do like but I'm not sure it would be the best fit for a club soccer player. Club soccer for high school students doesn't start until November here when the public schools are done so even playing club doesn't really help as far as high school sports is concerned. I know some clubs do field high school teams in the fall but it may require a lot of driving on my part to find that for ds. I think he's pretty interested in attending high school though so it will probably be a good decision for him. My 10 yo dd I don't think will attend high school and also loves soccer although she plays rec soccer and isn't as into it as ds. I'm sure for high school fall soccer we'll be back in the same situation we are with my 15 yo and having a hard time finding options for her to play. For my 15 yo I just found her a U19 girls team that just plays games in the fall. Most of the players are on high school teams so they don't do any practices. At least getting games in the fall is better than nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowbeltmom Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 The point of a school team is to represent that school; if you're not in that school, what are you doing there? If they let students of home schools or other schools participate, fine; if they don't'? Also fine. To me, the mere fact that you're not a student of the school is enough of a reason not to let you participate on the school's team. Unfortunately, at the high school level, public schools typically take over the role of providing athletic opportunities that used to be provided by the community, independent from the public school. In this situation, the point of a school team is to represent the community. Students that are not educated by that school are on the school team because there are no other athletic team options available in their communities. The fact that my tax dollars are supporting the after school activities at my public school is enough reason to let my homeschooled kids participate on my school's sport teams. Thankfully for the homeschooled kids in my state, the law supports my view. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prov31dc Posted June 10, 2015 Author Share Posted June 10, 2015 Well put snowmeltmom:) this is exactly the case in our situation. My sons have participated in our community sports since toddlers and have contributed to our lacrosse community in many different ways (husband volunteering as head coach, older son as assistant coach on his younger brother's team and so forth). So now to tell them "sorry,but you are not allowed to contribute anymore,oh well." is not easy to accept. Our hands are kinda of tied. Our options: send our son to the local HS so he can participate in lacrosse w/his fellow teammates, stay home for HS and sacrifice playing Spring Lacrosse or apply to a private HS w/a lacrosse program which would not be financially doable. (the least expensive private in in our area is 12,000.) A possible light at the end of this is that the local vo-tech high school allows part time enrollment in 10th grade which would then permit him to participate in the local HS athletics and homeschool. This has been spoken to us verbally by the superintendent. Thanks to all for your input. It's good to hear different opinions on this topic. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 We live in NJ where it's up to each district to allow a homeschooled student to participate in High School sports. The Superintendent and HS principal are not in favor and it's been implemented into the school's policies. Has anyone experienced this? What other options did your family have? Do private schools allow homeschoolers to enroll part time so they can participate in sports? This is so frustrating and yes the superintendent did say, "that my son would have a favorable advantage" over the other athletes if he were allowed to participate. Venting and wondering if any other families have experienced this... Unfortunately where we have lived, participation in ps high school sports as a homeschooler was not an option. In fact VA went so far as to not allow ps teams to compete against private or homeschool teams. There were various leagues for private schools. Some permitted homeschool teams to compete. Others specifically would not. One son swam, a sport that is dominated by big club teams. He swam on our local neighborhood summer league team, which was a great experience too. During the winter, the pool would get very busy with the local high schools coming in to practice alongside or after the club teams. It was so hard to get lane time, that many high schools told their swimmers to continue practicing with their club teams, and only come to team practice twice a week. To me, that seemed to undercut the argument that homeschoolers would be outsiders, who didn't really belong on the PS HS team. I couldn't figure out how this was very different from having a HS team where a significant portion was practicing with various club teams 3-4 days a week, but coming together for the HS swim meet. My other son ran cross country on a homeschool team. It was a lovely team with a great coach. We traveled up to 2 hours to get to meets, because we had to go to where there were private schools or hs teams to compete against. The second year, the league lost a couple of the larger private schools, because they switched to a league that wouldn't permit them to compete against teams with homeschoolers. One year the season final for the year was almost cancelled. We'd been scheduled for months, but the ps school district final had a weather issue the week before and the site cancelled our meet to reschedule theirs. We had one day notice. Had it not been for a sympathetic Jewish private school that was willing to give us a site, our meet would have been cancelled entirely. The Jewish school was super helpful and they didn't even have a team in our league. They were just willing to be welcoming and helpful. (Yes, several years on, it still irks me that the county park with the measured 5k course cancelled our event.) I think the law in VA may have changed to allow districts discretion with regards to bringing in homeschool athletes. We moved and I haven't kept up. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Oh, see, this is where you've misunderstood; actually, the goal is to win. Glad I could clear that up for you. ;) Oh trust me, I didn't misunderstand anything. You left out one part, "the goal is to win - at any cost." There are just so many adult egos at stake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prov31dc Posted June 10, 2015 Author Share Posted June 10, 2015 Well put snowmeltmom:) this is exactly the case in our situation. My sons have participated in our community sports since toddlers and have contributed to our lacrosse community in many different ways (husband volunteering as head coach, older son as assistant coach on his younger brother's team and so forth). So now to tell them "sorry,but you are not allowed to contribute anymore,oh well." is not easy to accept. Our hands are kinda of tied. Our options: send our son to the local HS so he can participate in lacrosse w/his fellow teammates, stay home for HS and sacrifice playing Spring Lacrosse or apply to a private HS w/a lacrosse program which would not be financially doable. (the least expensive private in in our area is 12,000.) A possible light at the end of this is that the local vo-tech high school allows part time enrollment in 10th grade which would then permit him to participate in the local HS athletics and homeschool. This has been spoken to us verbally by the superintendent. Thanks to all for your input. It's good to hear different opinions on this topic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 The Michigan High School Athletic Association sets the rules here, and students must be enrolled 2/3 time or more at the school they play during the current and past semester. My middle dd wanted to play softball her freshman year, so we worked it out with the school for her to take band, gym, math, chem, and a DE course so she could play. She really enjoys classroom interaction, so it worked out well for her. She continues to be enrolled for band and DE courses, but doesn't play anymore (FIRST Robotics took over her time.) There are specific grade and attendance rules here, and there is no way for a high school to oversee them for homeschoolers. There are alternate leagues for many sports and some private schools have homeschool umbrella programs whose students are eligible to play for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowbeltmom Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 There are specific grade and attendance rules here, and there is no way for a high school to oversee them for homeschoolers. There are alternate leagues for many sports and some private schools have homeschool umbrella programs whose students are eligible to play for them. There are grade and attendance rules for public school kids in my state as well. The high schools oversee the rules for the public school kids, but are not responsible for overseeing the homeschoolers. Homeschoolers report yearly to the state, and nothing more is required to participate in all the after-school activities at the public school. The only paperwork my kids need to submit is a yearly physical. I don't have to submit grade or attendance reports. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdventuresinHomeschooling Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 There was a big legislative push to allow homeschoolers to play sports in VA, but it failed. In CA, there is technically no such thing as homeschoolers...we are all our own private schools or under a professional tutor or a charter or private school partnership where you can play sports. So I can't see the public schools allowing that so much, but it may happen. Not sure. I am sort of indifferent. Team sports are supposed to boost school spirit, and I am ok with coaches or principals saying we will only allow our students to play. Homeschoolers are so used to everything being customized for them, but there are trade offs. If a school lets you, awesome. I don't think there should be special treatment on tryouts, etc., but if they say you are eligible, I think that's great for homeschoolers. But I guess I don't feel it is a right we have. As far as taxes, yes we do pay taxes to support our schools, but they are allocated a budget based on the number of students they have. If we don't enroll, they don't get that monetary allotment. I think there is a somewhat stronger case to be made when we are more under the district's jurisdiction in regards to test scores and reporting, etc. than if we were given total freedom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 There was a big legislative push to allow homeschoolers to play sports in VA, but it failed. In CA, there is technically no such thing as homeschoolers...we are all our own private schools or under a professional tutor or a charter or private school partnership where you can play sports. So I can't see the public schools allowing that so much, but it may happen. Not sure. I am sort of indifferent. Team sports are supposed to boost school spirit, and I am ok with coaches or principals saying we will only allow our students to play. Homeschoolers are so used to everything being customized for them, but there are trade offs. If a school lets you, awesome. I don't think there should be special treatment on tryouts, etc., but if they say you are eligible, I think that's great for homeschoolers. But I guess I don't feel it is a right we have. As far as taxes, yes we do pay taxes to support our schools, but they are allocated a budget based on the number of students they have. If we don't enroll, they don't get that monetary allotment. I think there is a somewhat stronger case to be made when we are more under the district's jurisdiction in regards to test scores and reporting, etc. than if we were given total freedom. I am curious about the part in bold. I understand the tax argument, but it costs money to participate in most sports in our district. I think the swim fee was $275 last year for mid-November through mid-February, so the program would have received somewhere around $22,000. The pool space is rented through our parks and rec district. There is no travel involved and all officiating is done by volunteers. The head coach also teaches other classes at the school. I don't know how much funding actually comes from the school. If the fees are supplemented by school tax dollars, why not charge homeschoolers an extra amount, say $375, instead of $275. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 I'm in NY. They don't allow sports across the board, but other clubs and activities it is up to individual districts. My district does not allow it. It stinks, but there isn't a darn thing I can do. We just have to do stuff not associated with the schools. Someone in this state is working on trying to change the sports thing. I don't know if anything will come of that, but it is being talked about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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