Area schools, WPA sound off on proposed bill

Daily News (West Bend, Wis.)
Published: Sept. 28, 2013

By NICHOLAS DETTMANN
Daily News Sports Editor

On the surface, allowing nonpublic school students to participate in public school extracurricular activities sounds OK. However, reading further into the idea, that’s where problems develop.
Rep. Jeremy Thiesfeldt, R-Fond du Lac, has proposed a bill, Act 118.133, that would allow nonpublic school students to participate in public school extracurricular activities. If enacted, the bill would go into effect July 1.
“I’d hear from parents that they don’t have an opportunity to get involved in extracurricular activities and I don’t think that’s fair,” Thiesfeldt said earlier this week.
That idea has many nonpublic school programs — private, home, independent charter or virtual schools — upset.
At Wednesday’s WIAA Area Meeting at Fox Valley Lutheran High School in Appleton, most of the administrators in attendance representing private schools said they were not in favor of the bill.
One delegate at the WIAA’s Area Meeting on Sept. 18 said the bill is an assault on public schools.
Tomi Fay Forbes, a representative for Region 13, which covers Dodge, Ozaukee and Washington counties, of the Wisconsin Parents Association, said those associated with homeschooling feel the same way.
“We see that it is best for the students in the state that are homeschooled is that they stay separate,” Forbes said. “We want to be independent.”
The WPA’s website has a link on its homepage saying, “ALERT! Stop pending sports bill that undermines homeschooling freedoms.”
“We’re using our own standards and it’s not easy for a public school to see that clearly,” Forbes said. “We don’t need involvement with the public schools.
“We want to stay separate from how public schools are evaluated.”
Kettle Moraine Lutheran Athletic Director Len Collyard is also against the idea.
“We feel strongly about the mission of our school,” he said. “We have made it a practice. If we have a practice where we aren’t in control so that our mission isn’t clear, that’s why we’ve shied away from co-ops.”
Forbes believes the proposed idea is too much of a knee-jerk reaction from one taxpayer.
“We have to look at things long term, what’s best for kids five years from now, 10 years from now, 20 years from now,” Forbes said. “I’m always looking ahead. We keep wanting to fix problems right now and not best in the long term.
“What’s best for homeschoolers down the road is to retain our economy, looking at what our individual kids need and meeting those needs the best we can for each individual child and family.”
Collyard said he has contacted Thiesfeldt, who is a KML graduate, and Sen. Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend, expressing his concerns.
“I’m hoping that the message is being sent back with some of the concerns that are going to cause people to reconsider,” Collyard said. “There are a lot of holes in the idea.
“Hopefully, enough information about the pitfalls are going to cause people to stop and think about it before they proceed.”
“At first glance it sounds fine,” he added. “But the after problems that come about trying to administer the whole thing make it not a good idea.”
Living Word Lutheran Principal Dave Miskimen is neither for or against the idea.
“I’m mixed on it,” he said. “If it benefits kids, then it’s a good thing. I don’t know if it does right now.”
Miskimen has spoken with parents and said they are OK with the idea. He believes the proposal may help Living Word.
“We could offer hockey without co-oping,” he said.
“I think it’ll affect the larger school districts than us,” he added.
However, he agreed there are some gaps that need to be filled.
“I don’t think it’s going to hurt us,” Miskimen said. “I see merits in it, but also see where it’s not so good.”