Posted on 06/18/2005 8:15:49 AM PDT by Graybeard58
Before the parade passes her by, Tiffany Hasley will stand up for her right to perform with the Beatrice High School marching band. She'll be on the corner of 13th and Court streets in Beatrice at 8:30 a.m. this morning, all lined up for today's Homestead Days Parade.
Clarinet in hand, standing tall in her stiff new band shoes, she plans to leave quietly when school officials tell her she cannot march. Because the home-schooled eighth-grader does not want to make a scene, just a point. That is: Home-school students should be allowed to participate in any public school activity, as long as they pay taxes and live within the school district.
"I'm not in tears," she said. "But I'm kind of mad. My band teacher says I'm a good student. And I am first-chair clarinet."
Beatrice High School officials told Tiffany last month that she would not be able to participate in band next year as a ninth-grader. The school bars home-school students from being in activities regulated by the Nebraska School Activities Association.
Tiffany's parents, Ron and Vicki Hasley, plan to fight the school's decision, maybe even in court. But, at least for this summer, they figured she could still play with the band.
That's not the case, they learned Wednesday when band director Bruce Greenwell told Tiffany just before practice that Superintendent Dale Kruse decided she should sit out Saturday's parade. On Friday, the Hasleys received a formal letter from Kruse stating the same.
"They say she isn't registered, but no one has to be registered until school starts this fall," said Ron Hasley. "Really, quote me that policy. Show me that statute."
Both Kruse and BHS activities director Randy Coleman were unavailable for comment Friday.
But Roger Harris, attorney for the Beatrice school board, said the decision is consistent with school policy. No one can play in the band unless they are registered, full-time students at the school, he said.
"Even though marching in the parade is an informal thing, it's not open to just anyone," Harris said.
"Say a student from Wymore wanted to march. Would anyone care? Probably not. But the perception is, ‘This is the Beatrice High School band,' and we have to protect that."
Whether homeschool students can be in marching band is at the discretion of each school, said Jim Tenopir, director of the NSAA.
Band members can practice or perform at non-NSAA events such as parades or high school football games. But for competitive activities, the NSAA only allows students from accredited schools to compete against other students.
NSAA eligibility rules ensure that high school students keep up their grades and attend school regularly, or they cannot compete, Tenopir said.
Enforcing the very specific and rigid rules among homeschoolers would be impossible, he said.
"You are probably not going to hear a parent say, ‘I caught my kid smoking so please don't let him play football,'" Tenopir said.
But some state senators would like to change both school policies and NSAA rules to include homeschool students.
Legislative bills addressing that issue have been introduced for the past few years, most recently by Sens. Phil Erdman and Mike Foley. But none of the bills have made it out of committee.
Ron Hasley said he's "a constitution kind of guy," who will pursue the issue, not only for his daughter but for other homeschool students.
"I pay taxes," he said. "I'm asking for a service, and I'm not getting it. I hope what happens here sets precedence for the state."
You state, " The kid is either a student of the school, or she's not. She can't have it both ways."
Absolutely true. Most schools are funded based on head count. Paying taxes doesn't mean that this particular school receives money to cover this girl just because she lives nearby. Life is about choices and this is one of them. My taxes help pay for services for the Vetaran's Hospital down the street - that doesn't mean that I can walk in and demand free medical care.
No, because schools are for people of certain ages.
It's more like having a public senior center that is paid for by taxpayers tell a senior that they can't play with the senior citizen band because they play bingo with the local church (who is the senior groups competition).
You said: Fine, then they should have their tax dollars spent on education refunded to them.
Just like single and childless (child-free?) couples get a portion of their tax money back. Kind of like how I get my portion of public broadcasting tax money back...
What about people that don't have any kids? Do they get their taxes refunded to them?
That isn't true. Public schools can get funding for students who are only enrolled part time. Actually, it has inspired some public schools to start up 'home school programs'.
YES!!! They absolutely should. Definitely.
"You are probably not going to hear a parent say, ‘I caught my kid smoking so please don't let him play football,'" Tenopir said."
Clueless. This is why they make such bad decisions regarding homeschooling. They have no comprehension of the way it works.
A. I belong to a homeschooling group. We just don't have the behavioral problems schools do, especially the ones based on peer pressure. Yes, we have our bad eggs, a few kids bound for trouble, but it's rare. There is not one kid in our group I have heard of smoking (and believe me, it gets around. The gossip that goes on rivals anything in a public school) The bigger problem among hs is computer related stuff.
B. I have seen hsers deprived of much more than football for infractions. Parents who hs take infractions very seriously - if discipline breaks down with your hser; you are in trouble. I remember when a child was grounded for a month because he failed his Spanish test.
C: HS test regularly (at least once a year) so it is easy to ascertain if they are keeping up grade average. My thought is that as with public students if you want your child to participate in activites they also have to submit proof they are keeping up academically. If the parent doesn't want to do that, well, the public students have to do it so I don't see the discrimination.
My children went through the public school system - as I did, because where we live Home-schooling was just not something thought of, and due to the crazy education system - parents had to fight for the right to do this anyway. They were shunned, and fought a hard fight to gain that right.
Now, it has become a more open system, rights have been granted, and there is curriculum available.
My friend (whom I have known since school) started her family later in life than I, and she and her husband have chosen to Home school their children - even though they are in one of the highest ranked education systems in the state. Why? Because they want THEIR values instilled, their childern taught well and do not want their children passed over in school because they may be faster or slower than others.
Looking at my children - I wish so badly I had kept them home - at least for a while. A classroom of two or three is much more conducive to learning than a classroom of 30 or more.
With each child learning differently,(we all learn differently, and at different rates - but public school forces students to conform) it is no wonder so many kids are coming out of school these days with the ability to barely function in society. Perhaps in bigger cities and richer districts this is not the case - but my children attended a high school (one is still there), where a higher education is NOT pushed, and the 'general education' classes prepare them for nothing more than a low paying job in which they will be stuck (more than likely) for the rest of their lives.
Another issue falling with the values and curriculum - is the non-presence of teaching self-esteem. Ocassionally a teacher can be found which is instilling such a thing - but where we live - good luck finding that.
Funny thing though - everyone wants to know what has happened to the kids these days - why the drugs, crime, dis-respect? 2005 is not 1985 or 1979 or even 1990. Things have changed so dramatically that many children ARE left behind. If a parent is choosing to give their child a boost up in this world - why is that such a bad thing? Perhaps If I had KNOWN then what I know now - my kids would be in a much better position to contribute to society in the future. But I wasn't brought up to think this way, and now it is too late for one - and my youngest is 16 and refuses to be pulled from his school due to his involvement in JROTC.
Yep, our Home-schooled kids can only participate in select things, too, and since JROTC is an actual class, he could not do it if he were home-schooled.
If we are truly to be a FREE America - should we not have the right to teach our children as we see fit? And if we are still paying taxes - which we are - why should those children be denied rights already paid for?
You pay taxes into the school system even if you don't have kids, much less have kids not in the school system. So that logic isn't logical. I'm all for home schooling, thinks it's great, but I think part of home schooling mean no school activities. You're in or you're out. If you went to school X you wouldn't be eligible to be in the marching band for school Y, well home is a school X and she wants in Y's band. Seems pretty universally applicable to me, if you don't go to the school in question, regardless of where you do go to school, you cannot be on any of the teams sports or acedemic; no football team, no chear squad, no marching band, no theater group, no chess team. Not for kids that go to a different school in the same system, not for kids that go to a public school in a different system, not for kids that go to private or charter schools, and not for home schooled kids. It's perfectly logical and perfectly fair.
For every child who leaves the public school system, the taxpayers save the cost of educating that child. In my school district, by homeschooling my kids, I'm saving the taxpayers $36,000 a year.
I pay school taxes and I don't even have kids, can I join the team?
If she's not part of the school then she's not part of the school.
They already did...sort of...via the "Per Child Tax Credit".
Being a childless bachelor, I should get my tax dollar spent on that child's education refunded to me.
YOU should get that money, at least up to the portion you paid in your taxes. At the very least you should get that money for directed spending toward your child's education.
The line I found interesting from the article was:
"Say a student from Wymore wanted to march. Would anyone care? Probably not. But the perception is, ‘This is the Beatrice High School band,' and we have to protect that."
Protect it from what? Sounding better? She is their best clarinet player.
Ron Hasley said he's "a constitution kind of guy,"
---
Wow, I thought these sorts were extinct...
You stated, Public schools can get funding for students who are only enrolled part time."
Participating in band does not qualify as "part-time" and isn't applicable in this case. It takes more than one Band class to qualify as a student in any sense of the word. The school would receive "zero" funding for a girl who just wants to take part in band.
Ditto. The kids all get along. There isn't any fighting, jealously, attention grabbing stunts, or other anti-social behavior that goes on at any of our events. Parents who don't homeschool have no idea how a great a group of kids can get along together when their self-esteem is in check and they aren't competing for attention.
In NJ high schools can't exclude adults who live within the community from marching with the band, as long as the band director or head of the music curriculum gives a volunteer waiver to the adult. A chaperone/school volunteer who happens to take part in parade field trips, and just happens to own a trumpet and even more amazingly just so happens to know the 2nd trumpet part to Ode to Joy, Souza marches, and 15 other compositions the band is performing.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.