Homeschooled students could help increase participation numbers in athletics at the West Central School Corporation. That topic was explored, in brief, by the school board members last week.
Superintendent Dan Zylstra shared the rules concerning homeschooled students participating in athletics at a public school as the topic was recently brought to his attention.
“IHSAA policy for homeschooled students is that they must be enrolled in one class at a school in order to participate in sports. That’s for the high school,” said Zylstra.
“They must test there too,” chimed Middle/High School Principal Scott Ritchie.
Zylstra continued, “Okay, but for middle school there’s no rules.”
He commented that there is an interest in that kind of participation in the community at the middle school. Currently, there isn’t a policy.
School Board member Jonathan Gutwein noted that the more students they can get to participate in athetics at the corporation the better.
“They start at the Junior High and the next thing you know maybe they’re enrolling in school so that way they can continue to play sports. Then the next thing you know they’re a full-time student at West Central.”
Ritchie says that trend has shown to be true.
Zylstra said the student would be counted as a seventh of a student in terms of enrollment and funding for the school. Board member Todd Miller asked if the student would be accountable for maintaining the same standards in terms of grades as a student athlete is required to do in the corporation. Zylstra replied that that could be crafted in a policy, if that’s the direction the board would like to take.
The superintendent pointed out that more effort by the coaches to check grades of enrolled students and homeschooled students could be an issue.
“Right now with our student information system our coaches can have access to kids’ grades and it’s very easy. With a homeschooled student, parents would have to be the ones who do the legwork to provide that evidence.”
The same offer could be applied to private school students.
The overall impression of the board was to look into a possible policy at the school corporation. More discussion will be held in future board meetings.
