Home Schoolers Bat Fifty-Fifty

Richmond-Burton High School says home schoolers can participate in athletics and clubs, according to a Northwest Herald article by Kathy Gresey.

But, Carpentersville School District 300, which has a home school Dad on its board, turned thumbs down on the families that save it thousands of dollars a year, the NW Herald’s David Fitzgerald reports.

In Richmond, the vote was 6-0. While not officially allowed by school policy in years past, a half dozen kids have taken part in such property tax-supported activities.

Although Happy Briggs of Spring Grove does not home school, she led the fight in the northeastern corner of McHenry County, reporter Gresey writes.

In the much larger southeastern corner and northern Kane County school district, the school board decided to follow its attorney’s advice. The attorney seems to have been following the rules of the very private Illinois High School Athletic Association regulations, which are decidedly anti-home school.

The attorney also raised questions about liability insurance coverage.

Even home school Dad John Ryan, who brought up the issue, withdrew it from consideration.

This reminds me so much of a story my father told me his Tri-State Packers ttrade association lawyer in Washington told him while Dad was arranging for canning and packing industry witnesses on Capitol Hill during and after World War II.

The high priced attorney said, “Cal, there are two kinds of lawyers. Those who tell you why you can’t do what you want to do and those who tell you how to do what you want to do.”

Which type of lawyer do you think is on District 300’s payroll?

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The picture is of John Ryan, home school Dad on the Carpentersville District 300 school board.

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