Published: September 07, 2008 10:16 pm      

STARPOINT: Public input sought for Monday hearing about home-schooled kids in intramurals.

The Starpoint School District wants to know what the community thinks about home-schooled children being able to participate in district intramural and extracurricular activities.

Starpoint is considering allowing the 47 students who live within the district’s borders but are educated at home a chance to participate in intramural activities. The district Board Education is looking for community input about it and will hold a public hearing at 7:30 p.m. today in the Board of Education conference room of the district offices, 4363 Mapleton Road, Pendleton.

The issue was originally raised at an Aug. 4 school board meeting by Superintendent C. Douglas Whelan. Whelan said he was contacted by a parent who asked if the district would consider allowing home-schooled students to participate in extracurricular activities on campus. The parent had home-schooled all four of his children, and the youngest is about to finish school.

Whelan said the board has talked about it and wants to know what the Starpoint community thinks.

“We want to see if there’s interest,” Whelan said. “The pros and the cons. We want to know how the community feels about it.”

According to state law, students who are home schooled cannot participate in school athletics. But it is up to the board of education if a district wants to allow home-schooled kids to participate in extracurricular or intramural activities.

Whelan said he didn’t foresee any extra costs or liability issues for the district if home-schooled kids did participate. Each intramural activity would be supervised as it is now.

“I don’t see it as a burden,” he said.

Parents would be responsible for transporting students to and from the school.

The Grand Island school board decided in March to allow home-schooled students to participate in just intramural sports, but no other extracurricular activities. The new policy began in the spring, and is a one-year trial run expiring in June 2009. Grand Island has 75 home-schooled students, and two are taking advantage of the new policy.

Grand Island Superintendent Robert Christmann said the decision was made after extensive study by the school board. Similarly to Starpoint, a parent of two home-schooled students asked the district if it would consider allowing home-schooled kids to participate in intramurals. Christmann said the board had a survey done of local districts, held a public forum and decided, by a 4-3 vote, to try it.

“They wanted to have a complete look at all of the questions they came up with,” Christmann said. “There was a concern what happens if we’re overloaded. It was very thorough.”

Christmann said there was a good turnout at the public hearing, and opinions were shared on both sides of the issue. The board will decide whether to extend the policy.

In order to participate in Grand Island, home-schooled students have to complete and turn in a permission form and an immunization and health record. It is open to students kindergarten through 12th grade. Parents have to provide transportation to the activities. Home-schooled students have to meet the same performance and conduct standards required of public school students at their grade level.

Whelan said he has not been contacted by any other parent about home-schooled kids participating in intramurals. The public hearing precedes a regular school board meeting today.