Comments about ‘Home school debate reignited’

Go to a school wherever you want, play where you live. You have to go home some time anyway, and there is plenty of public transport.

Well why don't we just let parents start giving all the kids grades? Maybe that would satisfy Mr. Mero. I'm going to callmy kids teacher today and demand that his B in geometry be made an A because, by golly, I think he earned it, and I'm the parent so I must know what's best for my kid. Really Mr. Mero, maybe the reason other kids are having such a hard time at other schools is because those close to the situation can see that the only thing they are studying is Video Gaming 101. What is so hard about showing the miraculous and outstanding results of the homeschool efort? If it is truly as good as you say it these efforts should withstand a little scrutiny. Quit trying to make homeschoolers unaccountable. I thought Mero was big on accountability.

So Mr. Mero, who wants to make everyone accountable, doesn't want homeschoolers to be accountable? Sounds like he is having a crisis of principles!

UHSAA is way to paranoid and concerned about power.My children all attended and graduated from public schools. A good sports program, student athletes can participate in has become secondary to there desire to control and call names. Rather arrogant to say a parent will not make a proper moral call concerning their children. Perhaps people makeing such remarks are guilty of such and wants to call the kettle black because of their own tarnished character.

A good example of this is a kid I had last year that failed every class he had. He was a real piece of work that even stole the teacher's edition of the Math book, so he could try and cheat his way through that class. The mom home schools him the fourth term. Somehow he suddenly is a 4.0 student and is eligible for football. That is why they need to do away with this bill. If you home school, no high school sports. That simple.

What don't you understand about discrimnatory behavior and attitudes? I am fine with accountability as long as it applies across the board. In this case, that means for ALL student athletes, not just home school student athletes. I guess you all have selective reading abilities...this same paper just reported that Orem High had to forfeit a b-ball game because one of their boys was mysteriously allowed to play only to discover he was ineligible because of poor grades.

Why do people home school? Bbecasue they want to protect children from the "evil" influences of public school or think they can teach the subjects better at home?

Either case why would they want to have their kids participate in public school activites such as sports. If they are afraid of influences do they think that sports is clean and those influences will not be there? I remember kids sitting in the back of the bus chewing tobaco, sneaking a bottle of vodaka not to mention the locker room talk.

If they think they can teach the subjects better than the teachers why do they not think that they can coach better than the public school coaches. How about forming their own teams.

How about I enroll my kids in a school where I think they will get the best education and then demand that they be allowed to particpate in extra ciricular activites in another district.

In my opinion, home schooling is just like its own district. If they are not enrolled in school they should not be allowed to participate.

The UHSAA plays no favorites. They are an organization set up to make sure we all play by the same rules. Yes Orem played an ineligible player, but they are being punished for it. Just like in all facets of life things slip by or go unnoticed. The nice thing is to know they were caught and they are paying the price. The UHSAA in MY OPINION is just trying to make the playing field level in requiring all students be held to the same standard. That's not to say someone like Mr. Mero is not honest, which he probably is but we all know there are some people out there a.k.a. Joe Dirt who will take advantage of the system because there is no one to question their honesty or integrity. This is why we need an Organization like the UHSAA who is bipartisan to make rulings. It has worked fine for 100 years.

J: speaking from my perspective in Montgomery County, MD (according to Newsweek one of the top public school districts in the nation), discrimination against homeschoolers is a plain fact of life. True, there are good schools in our system, which is why Newseek thinks so highly of MCPS. However, once you get outside of the high-rent districts of Bethesda, Chevy Chase, and Potomac, school performance is exceedingly uneven. My family lives in the cluster of one of the better high schools, but our elementary school stinks--most of our third graders can't read at a 1st grade level, yet they still get passed on. MCPS has ridiculous standards and expectations that lead to poor performance for most kids whose families can't afford an after-school tutor. Those, like my family, who homeschool still have their property taxes taken to pay for poor-performing schools, yet get nothing for it but two onerous reviews of our entire homeschool program every year. We are more accountable than the schoolteachers are, but get no benefit for what we put into the system: no vouchers to help pay for books, no athletic participation. Creating our own athletic system won't fly--too expensive for facilities. Think about it.

Madsen is meddling in issues he knows nothing about. If this legislation passes, just open the door to kids playing wherever they want and without any regard to whether they're academically eligible or not. If a kid's not going to pass in school, just home school him and then pass him so he can play. This would be tragic. Who in their right mind voted for this catering-to-special-interest-parents guy anyway.

"Paul Mero, the director of the Sutherland Institute, spoke on behalf of SB37 and said as a home-school parent, he's offended by the implication that parents would commit a crime in order to make their children athletically eligible."
This dude is clueless. He has no idea what lengths parents already go to to make sure their kids can play whereever they want. Parents are already stretching every rule they can to get around the spirit of play-where-you-live, so why wouldn't they do the same so their kids can play regardless of grades.

Just to clarify things. Orem didn't get caught doing anything wrong. Orem discovered that a wrong grade had been posted for an athlete, and that if the correct grade had been posted, the athlete would not have been eligible. Once this was discovered the school, on its own, reported the mistake to the UHSAA.
Does everyone really think a parent would do the same in a home-school situation?
Not hardly. What they'll do is use this as a way to make their children eligible.

Play where you live. Even if you take classes at one school and play at another. Enough said.

Madsen would have us believe that the UHSAA is some mysterious body.
A little education:
The UHSAA has an office staff of 4 to run day to day operations. It is governed by 2 bodies, the Board of Trustees and the Executive committee.
The BOT is comprised of School Board members from throughout the state.
The Executive committee is comprised of Principals sent from Region Boards comprised of every High School Principal throughout the state.
Who is the UHSAA? They are your own Principal's and Board Members.
Who are they already accountable to? Every citizen in the state.
What is their purpose? To keep the playing field fair, and to support academics as a priority.
Madsen would like to change that to make them accountable only to him. This bill is nothing short of a power move on Madsen's part.

If you choose to home school, play on the "home school" team. If you choose a public school, play on the public school team. Parents you have a choice!!!

I understand why people home school. They have valid reasons and it is their choice. But if the public educations system is not good enough to educate your child, don't ask to participate in the "extra" curriular part.

Parents in Utah County who have children enrolled in our public schools need to get involved and let your legislators know that we do not need them to be a "super school board," or a "super UHSAA." Sen. Madsen's distrust of our public schools and our teachers is frightening. If you are concerned about Mr. Mero, you should check out the Southerland Institute and their position on education, "government schools, etc. Mr. Mero actually thinks our public school system should be done away with so that our children don't come under the evil influence of our public school teachers and their liberal and anti-family views. If you check closely, I think you would find that almost all of the legislators from Utah County have aligned with this radical organization. The real scary part of this whole story is that we just keep re-electing these right wing radicals to represent us in the legislature. That said, we deserve exactly what we are receiving from our public servants. If you are concerned, how about making a few calls to your legislator?

Regardless of the situation evan and joe mero are going to dominate high school basketball next year!! Paul Mero is one of the best men i know, obviously way more mature than the rest of the people that wrote on this blog.. Hang in there paul you still the man!!!

Are we ready for chaos in high school sports? If Madsen and Mero have their way, club teams will replace high school teams and all of those decades of school spirit and unity will go right out the window. If you are a true prep spots fan, call your legislator today and put an end to this now.

Do not homeschool parents pay the same taxes as those that go to public school? It is PUBLIC SCHOOL which means it is for everybody and as such homeschoolers have just as much right to play on the school teams as anyone else. Obviously the homeschoolers are a huge problem and we need to deal with them. Get Real!

Wait Spike, I live here in Orem. Aren't the schools athletic teams here called Mt. View high Bruins Baseball, Orem High Tigers Basketball, Timpanogos High Football. It means those teams are represented of kids attending THAT school. Since when did it become Orem High community basketball or Mt. View community baseball?