Homeschooler Not Allowed To Play Football On High School Team [View All]

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A northwest suburban school district again denied a home-schooled teen's request to try out for a high school football team.

After being turned down by school officials two seasons in a row, Eric Bender, 16, hoped his request to play for the Hampshire High School Whip-Purs might get more consideration this year because it was put before a school board committee in Carpentersville-based District 300. But after consulting with the district's attorneys, the Policy/Legislative Committee denied the request this week. John Ryan, chairman of the committee and parent of a home-schooled student, passed along the decision to the Benders on Tuesday, conceding that he, too, found the situation frustrating.

'We have to follow the , and therein lies the rub,' Ryan said. 'As much as we'd like to accommodate Eric in this instance, we can't put our entire public program at risk when that student would not be following guidelines put out by IHSA.' 'Illinois courts have consistently held that participation in extracurricular activities is a 'privilege' and not a 'right,' ' district legal counsel Darcy Kriha wrote in a letter detailing the IHSA's requirements.

Ryan noted that approving and monitoring a home-schooler's program runs contrary to the notion of home schooling. The district has no policy or methodology in place to evaluate such programs.

'Home-school programs are as different as the stars in the sky,' Ryan said. 'My argument is that the IHSA does not even have the right to require a public school to do that.' Bender said he understood the district's decision but he, too, felt that his rights were violated. 'The part that I don't get or understand is it feels like the IHSA is infringing on my rights as an American citizen,' he said.

http://www.topix.net/content/trb/2007/07/home-schoolers-dream-of-playing-football-rejected