Commentary; Posted: 3/7/07
Don’t limit opportunities for students
Joe Nathan
Education Columnist
DFL and Republican legislators are wisely challenging a proposed Minnesota High School League rule change that would reduce students’ opportunities to participate in varsity debate, drama, speech or athletics. Minnesotans deserve much better than a policy based on questionable assumptions and flawed data.
One League employee recently wrote, “It doesn’t seem that long ago when prep sports were a bastion of innocent competition between neighborhood schools. Fortunately, those days aren’t totally gone.”
What about powerhouse private and parochial high schools, which for decades have attracted students from neighborhoods near and far?
I asked League officials, “How many complaints were filed on students transferring from one debate/speech or drama team to another?” League answer: “None.”
League director Dave Stead now suggests removing these students from the proposed change. Good!
Aren’t outstanding speech, debate or drama programs what should attract students?
Part of the League’s rationale for change is to “...protect school programs from losing students who have established an identity as an athlete or fine arts participant....” Are students school/community property?
The new proposal prohibits students from varsity competition for a year at a new school, within or across district lines, if they transfer after entering 9th grade, except for a few conditions (such as a family move, court ordered transfer, or approved appeal to the League).
In 2005-06, there were 295,320 9th-12th graders in Minnesota public schools, 14,485 open enrolled 9-12th graders and 765 open enrollment students applying to participate in League arts and athletic competitions.
Stead says the League’s data does not show how many of the 765 transferred for academic or other reasons not related to sports.
Some may be abusing open enrollment to join stronger sports teams. Is it fair to restrict all students because of a tiny, unknown fraction of students?
While Stead has “heard stories” about athletic recruiting, “We are not the NCAA, and lack an investigating arm.”
The league hasn’t disciplined anyone for recruiting in the last five years.
So they’ll stick it to the kids. The League does not restrict transfers by coaches.
The League apparently values anecdotes. Here are a few thoughtful transfers:
•A ninth grader attends a charter, and then transfers to a district school, partly for academics, partly for the swimming team.
•A junior falters in a large traditional school and transfers to a small charter. He or she improves academically, and plays on the charter’s basketball team.
•A student athlete tries a religious school for 9th grade, and then returns to a public school.
Unless the League approves an appeal, these youngsters would have lost a year of varsity competition in their new school.
The Legislature should step in. As Steve Kelley, former chair of the Minnesota Senate Education Committee recently wrote, “Past attempts to undermine Minnesota’s successful open enrollment law have rightly failed in the Legislature. An unaccountable group of mostly athletic directors should not be able to weaken an exemplary innovation based on ‘anecdotes’”.
Don’t punish 295,000 high school students, or the 14,485 of them who used open enrollment last year for what a handful “allegedly” did.
Maybe the League should use some of its $12 million annual budget to check a few coaches who just may, wink, wink, be recruiting.
Joe Nathan, a former public school teacher and administrator, directs the Center for School Change, Humphrey Institute, University of Minnesota jnathan@hhh.umn.edu.
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