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4/9/2003 4:24:12 PM Home School Legal Defense Association Maine--Sports Access Bill Dead, Hope Alive

---------------------------------------------------------------------- From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- April 9, 2003 Dear HSLDA Members and Friends, Last week the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee unanimously voted "Ought Not To Pass" on Legislative Document 687, which would have allowed homeschooled students to play on private school teams without fear of the team being disqualified. Nonetheless, we are optimistic for better things next year. Members of the committee urged the Maine Principal's Association to meet with homeschool leaders to try to reach an agreement on this important issue. This will provide and opportunity to work out details that will allow homeschool students to play on private school teams. If no agreement can be reached, we anticipate that the committee will be willing to take up legislation to address the problem. BACKGROUND The Education and Cultural Affairs Committee held its hearing on LD 687 on April 2, 2003. A number of people testified in favor of the bill, including one of the bill's sponsors, several homeschoolers, Ed Green of Homeschoolers of Maine, and I. Dick Durost, Executive Director of the Maine Principal's Association, who ignited a furor last fall with his memo stating that private schools risked losing their eligibility if they allowed homeschoolers to play on their team, testified against the bill. He said that homeschoolers already had the same opportunity to play sports as public school students. He did not seem to appreciate the fact that for reasons of faith, some homeschoolers do not wish to participate in public school programs. So for them, the opportunity is actually zero. In addition, Mr. Durost told the committee that one reason the bill should not pass is that it would allow students to affiliate with a school solely for the purpose of athletics. He did not appear to notice that homeschool students are allowed under law to affiliate with public schools solely for the purpose of athletics. Mr. Durost voiced other concerns as well, most of which could be resolved by the adoption of a reasonable rule. Thank you for your phone calls! Although the committee did not vote to advance the bill, it is clear that several committee members heard your concerns and want to see homeschooled students who want to play on private school teams treated fairly. Very truly yours, Scott A. Woodruff HSLDA Staff Attorney {{JoinAd}} ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The HSLDA E-lert Service is a service of: Home School Legal Defense Association P.O. Box 3000 Purcellville, Virginia 20134 Phone: (540) 338-5600 Fax: (540) 338-2733 E-mail: info@hslda.org Web: http://www.hslda.org ---------------------------------------------------------------------- How To Subscribe: - Subscribe to the HSLDA E-lert Service at our website: https://secure.hslda.org/hslda/elert/account.asp?Process=Subscribe - Or send an e-mail with name and complete mailing address to: subscribe@hslda.org ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscription Information: - You subscribed to the HSLDA E-lert Service as: {{Email}} - To unsubscribe from the HSLDA E-lert Service send an e-mail from the e-mail address you want to unsubscribe to: unsubscribe@hslda.org - To change your e-mail address or make other changes to your subscription, visit the HSLDA E-lert Service account web page at: https://secure.hslda.org/hslda/elert/account.asp ---------------------------------------------------------------------- POSTMASTERS: This message is being sent to the most recent address we have for our subscribers. If this is an invalid e-mail address or you have other problems, please reply to webmaster@hslda.org. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- DISCLAIMER: This is considered a private and confidential message from HSLDA to its bonafide HSLDA E-lert Service subscribers. HSLDA cannot attest to the authenticity of copies posted, forwarded, or sent by any party other than HSLDA. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- NOTE: Please do not reply or otherwise use this e-mail address; hslda@hslda.org is for broadcast purposes only and is not intended to receive incoming messages. We cannot reply to any e-mail sent to this address. If you have comments or questions, please send e-mail to info@hslda.org or call HSLDA at 540-338-5600. HSLDA members can also e-mail staff directly through the Members website at http://members.hslda.org/contact.asp. Thank you for your cooperation. ----------------------------------------------------------------------

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