Yes. They are taxpayers, and their child should be entitled to take part in extracurricular activities at the school.

Who would it be hurting to allow this child to participate? They reside within the school district and take their own time and money to educate their children at home saving the school districts money. The district should not penalize this child because he is able to receive a better education at home than we are able to provide at our district. I wish I had the patience to be able to homeschool my children but I wouldn't last one day!

Most if not all of the home schooled children do better that the ones that are in school full time. Go figure. They are for the most part a bright bunch of kids. Their parents pay taxes to the schools also. I think the teachers union may have a say in this somehow. I think their child should be entitled to take part in extracurricular activities schools.

Homeschoolers should be allowed to participate in extra-curriculars at the public school. Ever take a look at your tax bill? Around HALF of it goes to the schools. It would be nice if we didn't habitually exclude certain children of tax payers.

It's a sad world we live in when the government funded school system determines if a child is educated or not.

I am on the side of the LWHS District on this issue. They go out of their way to provide an outstanding education to the children of the district, and the students excel academically year after year. This family has taken the position that LWHS is not good enough to educate their children, and choose to self-educate. This isn't a la carte schooling. You can't pick what parts of the school you want to participate in. If the parents chose a private school over that of the school district they live in, should they still be allowed to enjoy the benefits of the public school? No. By choosing not to participate in the curriculum of the LWHS District, they shouldn't be allowed access to the extracurricular activities. Extracurricular activities should be available to the students that are enrolled in the curriculum.

I can see your point. BUT, if that is the scenario you (general you) want in place, stop taking my money to pay for it.

This stand is taken by the District and LWN ,because of the drug problem they have.This student is a rare case...But look at the open door it would leave for those students removed from LWN and put on either home school or the Mackay Center.Drugs are a big problem in the LW school system and if the school would help the Will County Sheriff instead of just removing these druggies and running through the joke court (cd&me).Attorney's and political ties save these kids...Who is going to save the few that are not part of the DRUG KIDS! Maybe FSQ residents and parents should take charge.Drugs are very close to LWN and all the Police Depts. know this!!

It is a public school, funded with public dollars, including which the family pays, and the student isn't ineligible for academic or disciplinary reasons, I don't think the District is correct. As I understand, this student is a part time student (chemistry) and should be granted an exemption.

I am a huge LW 210 fan, I think they do a wonderful job and I have two students at LWE. I believe, however, that the young man should have been allowed to participate. The family pays taxes just like everyone else does. People choose to homeschool for a variety of reasons in addition to their academic eduction; religion, learning styles of their child, to empower their children by avoiding the emotional strain of peers and bullying, and to keep them away from drugs, alcohol and the many other temptations destroying some of our teens. Public schools have been forced to eliminate God and prayer. They accommodate the learning styles of the most, not the least. They try, but they are completely unable to protect the vulnerable psychological development of teens and they don't keep them safe from the many harsh words that are spoken. Drug and alcohol use/abuse are rampant and far too tempting for teens and that temptation decreases significantly when they are not in school. Lastly, I had a friend who chose to homeschool to spend more time with her children and so they could have a flexible vacation schedule to visit family. Once kids start school and activities, the family schedule revolves around the school. Let them choose what's best for their children and let the children participate in extra-curricular activities if they qualify academically. The experience will benefit them as well as the full-time students by allowing them to share in each others varied lifestyles.

Without begrudging, I pay taxes that support public schools even though I have no children. Does this then entitle me to audition for the Jazz Band in lieu of the children I don't have? Or to send a school-age relative to "consume" my fair share of tax-supported activity? No it does not. The fact is, we all benefit indirectly from educating children and that is why education is funded from tax dollars without regard to the payer's ability or capacity to take direct advantage of the services funded. Also, please take a moment on Monday to remember the men and women who gave their lives in service to our country.

Is there a liability issue that is being overlooked? If so then I would agree with District #210's stand that a non student not be allowed to participate in student related activities. It could leave the district open to a lawsuit that they cannot afford. If a lawsuit occured then our taxes would likely go up to help with the costs and I think we pay enough taxes already.

Jo Ann Gindville

Please read the entire article .... you will see he is a part time student. Duh!

The big mistake the district made was in letting him cherry pick any of the classes offered at all. Either he enrolls in the school or he doesn't. Every private school or religious school student would then be eligible to pick and choose between the classes and extra curricular activities they might like to augment their bare bones education as well. Isn't one of the lessons one is suposed to learn in school is that choices have consequences?

Not only should they change this "exclusionary" policy, but they should have definitely worked with the Woods family. The Woods' are choosing to be involved with their children's education and see where they do not have the expertise to train or educate so they choose to enroll their children in a system that they support with their working dollars. Educated people making educated choices. If there is such a debate over part-time vs full-time for extracurricular activities why don't you have the "home schoolers" (the ones you are discriminating against) test in! You let "gifted" students test out of many classes, are you assuming that home schooling is inferior? EDUCATE PLEASE, OPEN YOUR MINDS.

Families of Faith has some incredibly smart people in charge. They realize that homeschoolers are a gold mine and don't discriminate against them. I assume public schools don't want to share their already strained budget educating more students.

Do you know how schools are funded? Here in Indiana funding is based on student attendance in September. If a student is not in school the school doesn't get the money. If a student is in one school in September that school keeps that students portion of the money for the entire year, even if said student moves. If this homeschooled student wasn't in attendance full time at LWHS the school may not have received any money from the state or local taxes for his education. Which means LWHS is having to use the other student's allotment to educate him.

IL funds schools with state and federal money. State funds are NOT distributed solely on the basis of the number of students. The wealth of the individual communities is also a factor. Another major source of funding for schools in IL is through grants that are program specific and not student specific. Most federal funding is also supplied though grants. So, LWHS is NOT having to use other students' allotment of funds to educate part-time students.

(Written by Home School Legal Defense Association/J. Michael Smith/Michael Farris)
http://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/Issues/E/Equal_Access.pdf
Illinois
Nonpublic school students may request to enroll part-time in public schools. The school board has the authority to
accept such students into part-time attendance with restrictions, but is not required by law to do so. Illinois
Compiled Statutes § 105 ILCS 5/10-20.24. Children with disabilities enrolled in nonpublic schools (including
homeschools) have a right to enroll part-time in public school. 105 ILCS 5/14-6.01 (first paragraph). Also,
homeschooled students are legally allowed to enroll in driver education programs (both classroom instruction and
behind-the-wheel) provided in public schools in their district. Homeschooled students who wish to enroll in public
school driver education classes must either show that the student received a passing grade in at least 8 courses
during the previous 2 semesters prior to enrolling in the driver education course, or have the chief administrator of
their private school (usually a parent) submit a letter waiving this requirement if it is in the best interest of the
student (105 ILCS 5/27-24.2). HSLDA has a form letter for such a waiver available to our members.

Written by By Chris Klicka
http://www.home-school.com/Articles/phs33-chrisklicka.html

Equal Access States
Ten states currently force public schools to allow homeschoolers access to classes or sports part-time. These states are Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, North Dakota, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. All of these states, except Utah, have passed equal access laws. Utah requires access through State Office of Education regulations rather than by statute. In both Arizona and Oregon, the law only requires school districts to allow access to homeschoolers for "interscholastic" activities.
Despite these laws, equal access is not offered without strings attached. Although specific requirements vary from state to state, homeschooled students can typically participate in public school programs only if the following requirements are met. First, the student must be in compliance with the state homeschool law. Second, the student must meet the same eligibility requirements as a public school student. Finally, the state requires the student to verify that he or she is passing his or her core subjects. Consequently, the homeschooler may be required to provide achievement test scores or periodic academic reports, even if the state's homeschool statute does not otherwise require them.

How sad to deprive this young man of this potential experience! His parents have chosen to take a very active role in his education and are being penalized for it? As a former homeschooling family (and now have 5 kids 1st grade thru 9th in Community Christian School in Joliet), I definitely see the benefits to both sides (homeschooling and a classroom setting). Why not allow families to determine what is best for their child's particular educational path without withholding these type of experiences because they are "not full time at the school" ? Doesn't a parent know what is best for his/her child? Many of the area's private school's (including ours) have seen the value of allowing homeschoolers as part of their programming, why not the public schools too? Has anyone thought of the positivity this young man could bring as well? Just plain sad......

The father is right.....LWHS exists to educate the "whole" child.....unlike the parents in this case, who keep the kid at home at his computer developing ZERO SOCIALIZATION SKILLS.

I've sent 3 sons through LWEast, and although my wife and I are both qualified to have stay at home and be taught by one of us, we never seriously considered home schooling because of the QUANTITY AND QUALITY OF THE EDUCATIONAL AND SOCIALIZATION OPPORTUNITIES AT LWE.

Magnificent administration; facilities; teachers; student body....the best of all worlds....all children should ATTEND.

I think that LW is way out of line. The parents are tax payers of the district, they should be entitled to all of the rights. The board and administration are all corrupt-wack jobs and need to be removed. Somebody needs to take a stand for the tax paying citizens.

We've been in meetings with 210 for over a year just to get things they are legally obligated to provide to our child. The District may not be "deceitful" but they certainly push the envelope, use the "error of ommission" and avoid accountability of any kind in an intended, planned out manner. Refusing an in-District child, whose parents fund the school w tax $, to experience a school activity only because they're part-time homeschooled is discriminatory and unnecessary. This boy's participation would cause no inconvenience to anyone. The District is strictly "holding ground" for a reason that can't possibly be anything besides the three year-old mentality of "BECAUSE I WANT TO". Another example of their ridiculous motto .... "It's the Lincoln way or the wrong way". I'm embarrased to be part of a District that acts this way. We are gathering concerned parents who would like to share experiences and collaborate on ideas to provide a better educational experience for the kids who may not "meet the mold" this District values so much more than they care about educating and enriching the lives of ALL students in the district. Lawsuits, settlements, gag orders...we owe it to ourselves to know what's going on. You don't have to care but you should be aware. Feel free to contact me... especially if your child has an IEP.
So sorry for this boy! Kudos to Summit Hill and kudos to his parents for realizing this District lacks something their child needs and providing it themselves!

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