Policy change prohibits home-schooled children from extracurricular activities during school day
NEW PALTZ, N.Y. » School officials have revised district policy to prohibit home-schooled children from participating in extracurricular activities that take place during the academic day.
The change was approved during a Board of Education meeting Wednesday, with officials adding language to limit home-schooled children to participation in activities that take place after classes are finished.
“The school district does permit home-schooled students to participate in intramural and other school-sponsored extracurricular activities that are held after the academic school day,” they wrote. “Home-schooled students participating in any school-sponsored intramural or extracurricular activity will not be able to attend any meetings, practices or other gatherings during the academic school day.”
The policy had already prohibited home-schooled students from participation in interscholastic sports.
Concern over the policy has been raised by parents of several home-schooled children, with resident Regina Moerikofer saying the change affects her daughter’s participation in a drama program.
“It can open the door to further exclusion for home-schooled students from all extracurricular activities,” she said.
Moerikofer said her daughter had been able to participate in the drama club last year, but was turned down this year. She said district officials had said the policy revisions would clear up the terms that allow home-school students to participate in district activities.
“I think that, unfortunately, there still remains in the language a ... loophole,” she said.
Moerikofer said the middle school principal claimed this year’s play was being rehearsed during class periods.
“He said that the rehearsals during school hours were necessary ... for this year’s play because it was uniquely complicated, unlike other plays or last year’s plays,” she said. “So, from this proposed revision, I’m led to believe the drama club will only be staging complicated plays from now on.”
School district officials did not respond to the comments and were not immediately available Friday for clarification.