Districts mull access for home-schooled

7/15/2009

The way Jennifer Ritchey sees it, she pays taxes in the Perrysburg school district and her children ought to have equal access to its services.

Problem is, she home-schools them. Mrs. Ritchey recently asked the school board to consider adopting a policy that would allow home-schooled children in the district to play sports.

"I have no doubt Perrysburg has a fine education, however, I don't believe any child should in a sense be punished by being home-schooled and not allowed to have that same opportunity they definitely should have simply because they're not enrolled in their schools," she said.

Her proposal did not fall on deaf ears. Perrysburg, like some of its neighbors, has begun looking at the idea.

The Anthony Wayne school board is expected to consider a policy Aug. 10 that would allow junior high and high school students who are home-schooled to participate in extracurriculars if they enroll in at least one class.

In Fulton County, the Wauseon school board agreed in May to begin permitting home-schoolers to take up to two classes a day at Wauseon High School. Those students may take part in some extracurriculars, but not athletics.

Perrysburg Superintendent Tom Hosler told the school board last week he plans to draft a policy that would allow home-schooled children who live in the district to take part in sports and other extracurriculars if they enroll part-time at Perrysburg High School or Junior High.

He shared information about similar policies adopted in districts such as Springfield, Maumee, and Eastwood and said he most likely would propose a policy similar to Maumee's, which allows home-schoolers to take two or more core academic courses and participate in extracurricular activities, including athletics.

"If we were to do this, I think we look at how can we best support all of our students whether they be from private schools, religious schools, home schools," Mr. Hos

ler said. "I think that as the community school district, I can see us wanting to support all children in