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Home-schooled girl fights for band spot
Lincoln Journal Star ^ | June 18, 2005 | Kendra Waltke

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."


TOPICS: Extended News; Miscellaneous; US: Nebraska
KEYWORDS: beatricehs; education; educationnews; homeschool; publiceducation; publicschools; schoolband; students
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To: onevoter

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


61 posted on 06/18/2005 9:12:58 AM PDT by Born in a Rage
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To: Chiapet
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.

62 posted on 06/18/2005 9:14:43 AM PDT by mvpel (Michael Pelletier)
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To: Destro

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.


63 posted on 06/18/2005 9:17:49 AM PDT by Mrs. Don-o (Home's cool.)
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To: discostu
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.

64 posted on 06/18/2005 9:19:14 AM PDT by TheOtherOne (I often sacrifice my spelling on the alter of speed.)
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To: Graybeard58
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

65 posted on 06/18/2005 9:20:45 AM PDT by Just Kimberly (Always proud, Always American, Always Trust in God...HOOAH!!( and Terri - we will never forget.))
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To: Non-Sequitur

"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.


66 posted on 06/18/2005 9:23:51 AM PDT by Amish with an attitude (An armed society is a polite society)
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To: Beaker; Chiapet
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
67 posted on 06/18/2005 9:25:54 AM PDT by JerseyHighlander
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To: MikeinIraq
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.
68 posted on 06/18/2005 9:26:08 AM PDT by politicket (Hypothesis of Evolution - HOE - The Secular Religion)
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To: politicket
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.
69 posted on 06/18/2005 9:28:23 AM PDT by MikefromOhio (LOL!!!)
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To: Non-Sequitur
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.
70 posted on 06/18/2005 9:35:05 AM PDT by RLM
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To: JerseyHighlander
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. ;-)
71 posted on 06/18/2005 9:40:31 AM PDT by Beaker
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To: JerseyHighlander

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.


72 posted on 06/18/2005 9:44:06 AM PDT by Born in a Rage
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To: Graybeard58

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.


73 posted on 06/18/2005 9:47:22 AM PDT by DaGman
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To: politicket

"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.


74 posted on 06/18/2005 9:47:44 AM PDT by Amish with an attitude (An armed society is a polite society)
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To: NotJustAnotherPrettyFace

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


75 posted on 06/18/2005 9:48:48 AM PDT by Chode (American Hedonist ©®)
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To: Mrs. Don-o
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.

76 posted on 06/18/2005 9:49:15 AM PDT by Destro (Know your enemy! Help fight Islamic terrorism by visiting johnathangaltfilms.com and jihadwatch.org)
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To: Chiapet
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.
77 posted on 06/18/2005 9:59:54 AM PDT by Old North State
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To: discostu
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.

78 posted on 06/18/2005 10:00:18 AM PDT by demkicker (A skunk sat on a stump; the stump thunk the skunk stunk; the skunk thunk the stump stunk.)
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To: Chiapet

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!!!


79 posted on 06/18/2005 10:00:33 AM PDT by Chode (American Hedonist ©®)
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To: DaGman
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.

80 posted on 06/18/2005 10:01:16 AM PDT by Born in a Rage
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