Readers against home-schooled athletes in public schools

Daily Iberian readers largely disagreed with the State Legislature’s plans to allow home-schooled students to participate in sports at public schools, a sampling of comments from the newspaper’s Website at www.iberianet.com showed.

House Bill 531, which passed by a 65-35 vote in the House on June 10, proposed allowing children in home study programs to participate in public school sports as well as other extracurricular activities such as cheerleading, band and other school clubs.

The state Senate passed its own version of the bill on Thursday, which states that a student whose home school program is approved by the state could try out for athletic teams at the public school that he or she is zoned toattend, according to the Associated Press.

The Senate bill did provide exemptions for six parishes �” St. Mary, Acadia, Calcasieu, Cameron, East Baton Rouge and Jeff Davis.

The bill was proposed in the House by Rep. Cameron Henry of New Orleans. Talks also had centered on allowing home-schooled students to try out for sports at private schools, but that was removed from the bill before passage.

Daily Iberian readers came out strongly against the bill, particularly those identifying themselves as parents of students at private schools.

“Every child has the right to a public education,” wrote one reader billing himself as David. “If a parent chooses to have his or her child home-schooled or attend a private school, then he is choosing to give up the perks that go with that public education. It is even more ludicrous to expect private schools to accommodate these people! There are organizations that provide sport activities outside of school (YMCA, baseball leagues, recreation department leagues, etc.) No child is being deprived by the state. Hopefully, the Senate will defeat this measure.”

Others addressed the possibility that private schools could be forced to allow home-schooled students to try out for their athletic teams.

“I would really be steamed if my child didn’t make his private school team because a home-schooled child did!” wrote one identifying herself as Suzy.

“I’m paying tuition to that school, not the parent of the home-schooled child. Giving the final word on the matter to the school principal opens the door to inconsistency. It undermines the authority of the LA High School Athletic Association.”

“In a private school, I would say no way because people pay extra money for their children to go there but, since a home school child’s parents still pay taxes to fund PUBLIC school education, I would say let them try out and pass the 2.0 GPA requirement to play sports,” wrote a reader using the name Chell.

“Then for sure schools would be able to field teams and education would become as important as it should be in an athletes’ life.”

Added a reader identified as Mr. R, “My children go to a private school because we want them to learn in a controlled Christian enviroment away from the negetive parts of the public. Any sports are done by our school and the children’s parents.

“I dont see the need for anything like this to pass and we would not be a part of this in any way. If we dont want our children a part of the public school system in the learning area, why should we want them a part of the sport area? It’s still a part of a public (curriculum).”