Locals helped change state activities policy / LJWorld.com

Learning outside the lines: Home schooling in Kansas

May 13, 2007

Encore Home School Band

Members of the Encore Band and Encore Choir gather every Friday at Hume Music for a shared musical experience. Enlarge video

Photo Gallery

Members of the Encore Band and Encore Choir gather every Friday at Hume Music for a shared musical experience.

Thumbnails · Gallery

See more in our home schooling series

The Bachert family never intended to set a precedent. They just wanted their son to play in State Band.

But last year, they ended up with the type of battle they say is typical of the bureaucratic struggles home-schoolers sometimes face.

At the time, Zachary Bachert was a junior at Lawrence Virtual School. The baritone saxophone player qualified first for District Band and later for the prestigious State Band.

But the Kansas State High School Activities Association, which organizes the bands, stripped him of the honor after learning he was a virtual school student and not enrolled at a school building.

"We just came unglued," says his mother, Martha Bachert. "The district gets funding for him being there. He doesn't answer to me as his teacher."

The family consulted with the Rutherford Institute, a conservative group that aims to protect civil liberties, and received pro bono legal help. They also testified before a legislative committee.

The KSHSAA eventually changed its policy. Now, virtual school students can participate in sanctioned activities - which include sports, music, speech and debate - but must be enrolled in at least one class at a brick-and-mortar school.

"Interscholastic programs are based upon the fundamental premise that schools develop their teams only from their student body," says Gary Musselman, the association's executive director, in explaining the classroom requirement. "To do otherwise essentially makes a school team no different than a club team or town team."

He notes that the rise of virtual education gives parents who shun the bricks-and-mortar schools an option for extracurricular activities.

"While home school is clearly legal," he says, "it is a choice of educational delivery systems which families elect. With that choice come advantages and limitations, as is the case in all things."

That means home school students can't participate in KSHSAA activities.

Zachary Bachert is taking band at Lawrence High School this year. He again qualified for State Band and plans to major in music in college.

"I didn't think we could do it," Martha Bachert says. "I was sick about it. ... It's good for us, but we also did something for the others, too. It was a huge thing for him."

Discussion

LJWorld.com doesn't necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post.
Read our full policy. Also, read about banned accounts and harassing comments.

13 May 2007
at 8:36 a.m.

Suggest removal

Permalink

greyhawk (Anonymous) says…

The Kansas State High School Activities Association is a bunch of bureaucrats who have no clue what consititues good policy. KSHSAA does not organize the events…they sanction them. And through the muddy vision of our legislators, KSHSAA has sole authority to regulate “activities.”
Music is fundamental to a good education and is curricular, not extra- or co-curricular. KSHSAA needs to butt out. And our legislature needs to strip KSHSAA of authority over curricular matters.
14 May 2007
at 9:35 a.m.

Suggest removal

Permalink

Annette (Anonymous) says…

Virtual school student plays a role in getting a policy changed. Great. Why the connection to homeschooling? Virtual school students are legally public school students, not private homeschoolers. I find these references confusing.
Annette
http://ncsw.homeschooljournal.net/