Home-schooled girl fights for band spot

Lincoln Journal Star ^ | June 18, 2005 | Kendra Waltke

[Born in a Rage]

Is that right? What proof do you have of this? I know differently.

[mvpel]

I agree with you. You're either in or you're out. YOu can't really choose to keep your kids out of the public school, and then pick and choose which programs you want them to participate in.

Yeah, just sit down, shut up, and pay your property taxes - which pay the bills for every last program in question - or we'll come kick in your door, put a gun to your head, and throw you out on the street at the final day of the foreclosure proceedings.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Both of my(homeschooled) boys have been participating for years in the Public School soccer league --- as a lot of the hs kids do -- and nobody has ever raised an eyebrow.

I'd love to have a homeschool band. But because of the small number of hs-ers in the area, particularly in the teen years, we've never been able to organize one.

It's odd that, at present, when homeschoolers don't join in with others, we're called "cultish," but when we do want to join in, we can be criticized as "interlopers."

I personally think that as homeschooling becomes more common, more school districts will adopt a commonsense approach (as ours did) and open up the extracurricular activities to all kids in the district. It gives the kids more opportunities, it makes the team or band better, and it pays off richly in mutual good will.

[TheOtherOne]

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.

Makes good sense to me.

[Just Kimberly]

And one more thought.

With the current situation of our Public School system - considering 'The Pledge of Allegiance' has been removed from many systems, 'under God' is under attack, 'The Ten Commandments' has been removed from classrooms - shouldn't we, as Conservative Republicans, be fighting FOR the right to Home school?

Does it not make more sense to take a stand against these things starting with our own families, and hit the Lefties where it hurts - their pocket book? And if we are saving the system money by Home-schooling - then what is the complaint? The fact that they can no longer fill the heads of our children with their Democratic Underground thinking?

Look at what is going on in Universities around the country. Where are these ideas and fights generating? Mainly from those students who have stayed in the public school system, with parents who let the school system raise them ,and have consistently been brain washed by the Left with THEIR ideas of what is Right and Wrong.

As Conservatives - we should most definetly put this high at the top of our list, and fight to educate our children as WE see fit. JK

[Amish with an attitude]

"I didn't call the police or the fire department once last year. Can I get my tax dollars that were spent on them refunded?"

And then you can use the same specious logic with your insurance agent.

[JerseyHighlander]

If this young lady happened to be a trumpeter or coronetist instead of a clarinetist, the nearest veterans' band would treat hear like a super star. But this doesn't work for her, she's looking for the social interaction both while performing amongst her peers and in non performance activities.

The parents should make a small donation to the school district's music department, give the music director a nice bottle of wine, and go about getting her a waiver. The biggest money issues here are cost of a uniform, band director in loco parenti liability, and insurance liabilities.

UNenrolled youngsters aren't allowed to march because of liability insurance restrictions, the school administration is holding the line because of the possible ramifications to the liability insurance claims and premium increases at the next renewal. The parents would be much better off STFU, and quietly working out a mutually acceptable solution that allows their daughter to march. SO far, from this article, this family seems oblivious to the reasoning behind the denial, and the administration hasn't properly explained the situation to the parents.


JMHO

[politicket]

Dont you think that is KIND OF a MIXED signal, saying I want to represent your school in the band but not in the classroom?

As a homeschooled parent I would not put my child in a school's band - for the same reason that I didn't put them in the school to begin with.

However, my point is that these parents have the right (through their tax dollars) to utilize the resources that they pay for.

[MikefromOhio]

As a homeschooled parent I would not put my child in a school's band - for the same reason that I didn't put them in the school to begin with.

So then WHY are you even commenting?

Check out the post just previous to this one. That explains it the best. The parents are trying to make some stupid, tripe and unequivocal point at the expense of their kid.

[RLM]

If you called the police or fire department and they refused to come, ask for a refund. If they were available for any emergency you may have experienced, but you were fortunate enough not require their services, consider it money well spent. A poor analogy to the school issue.

[Beaker]

The parents should make a small donation to the school district's music department, give the music director a nice bottle of wine, and go about getting her a waiver. The biggest money issues here are cost of a uniform, band director in loco parenti liability, and insurance liabilities.

And with arts and music getting little to no funding in most school districts as it is, I'm sure that most of this boils down to exactly that... Money. I'm sure if the band director had his way, she'd be marching with the band, and the parents wouldn't even have to wine and dine him. ;-)

[Born in a Rage]

If insurance was the issue, the school could just ask the parents to sign something waiving the school of any responsibility if their child were to get injured while participating in school activities.

[DaGman]

Seems to me the parents and the girl want it both ways. They want the benefits of school extracurricular activities gained by going to public school without going to school there.

This girl doesn't go to school there. Her parents (and maybe even the girl) have chosen for her not to attend school there. They therefore disqualify the girl from participating in activities that enrolled kids get.

If she wants to be in a school band, enroll in school there. You can't and shouldn't be able to have it both ways. They need to make up their minds what they want.

This sounds a lot like what liberals would whine about.

[Amish with an attitude]

"my point is that these parents have the right (through their tax dollars) to utilize the resources that they pay for"

Not only that, how many home school groups are big enough to have a band of their own. Marching bands like most sports are group events that benefit from the "economy of size" found in the public school environment. Many home schooled children are involved in public school sports.

The goal of home schooling is not one of isolation, it's for the purpose of a better education.

[Chode]

her parents pay school taxes too. in sports there are only so many slots and to make the cut means somebody else didn't, i've never heard of anybody being turned down cause the band was full... and i doubt that she would not play as good or better than anybody else so that's not an issue either

[Destro]

Listen it is fine that some school districts allow home schooled kids into such things as team sports and bands - but it is alos fine that other school districts do not allow home schooled kids into such things as team sports and bands.

That is all I am saying.

[Old North State]

I think the argument that the school doesn't receive tax money unless a student is registered doesn't hold water. Whether or not a particular school does or does not receive an allocation is a bureaucratic issue not one of taxpayer service. One could exclude all non property tax paying residents' children using that argument(You can't allocate what you don't receive). All schools are obliged to make every reasonable effort to educate, in the broadest sense, all legal residents who live within the district boundaries. This child could be excluded if she was eligible for school activities elsewhere as a condition of her residence, but this is clearly an example of "closed shop" retribution on the part of union obsessed government employees.

[demkicker]

I pay school taxes and I don't even have kids, can I join the team?

No you can't. You're too old. Many folks pay school taxes and dont have kids which is all the more reason not to be a stingy gut and allow home schoolers to join IF they can compete and make the teams.

[Chode]

i get a SCHOOL TAX BILL every year!!! don't tell me they don't get any money for kids not there... i pay school taxes and all our kids are out of high school and i'll pay it till i die!!!

[Born in a Rage]

If she wants to be in a school band, enroll in school there. You can't and shouldn't be able to have it both ways.

Therefore, if we were to stick with your logic, public schooled kids shouldn't be able to play music with any other band (or sports team, or whatever) besides the one public school supplies...even if their parents pay for it with their tax money, correct? This is, in essence, what you are telling the homeschooling family.