Interesting comment from a board member at our school board meeting last night

[proud2BlibKansan]

One of the high schools that closed was the city football champion last year. They qualified for play in the state championship. The kids at this school have been moved to another district high school that has no sports programs. (We have two high schools with no athletics programs and no, I don't get that either.)

Anyhow, it's a complicated mess and I don't really understand what happened but the kids at the closed school were told they could play football at one of our other high schools since the school they are moving to has no football team. They showed up for practice at one of the other high schools last week and after two days, were told they were not eligible to play and were sent home. Apparently the state high school athletic association decided they were ineligible. So the boys on the football team came to the board meeting last night and asked the board to please figure out a way they could play football. It was actually very touching. They brought their parents and several teachers as well as their coach. It was a big crowd. One of the boys sounded like he was going to cry as he talked to the board. He kept saying "All we want to do is play football." Another boy said football keeps them off the streets and out of trouble. And he said they were hoping to earn college scholarships.

The former Westport coach told the board he's been like a life coach as well as an athletics coach, and kids will lose all kinds of opportunities if they don't get to play.
"Don't take this away now, because those kids need something to look forward to, something to rally around at the first of the year," former Westport coach Dan Staley said.

"The only thing I want to do is play football," former Westport player Shon Barnes said. "It's bad enough you close our school. But you're taking sports away from us."
http://www.kctv5.com/education/24604512/detail.html

Here's a video: http://www.kctv5.com/video/24605551/index.html

And here is the board member's comments which have created quite a stir: http://www.nbcactionnews.com/dpp/news/education/school-board-member-booed-for-comments-on-athletics

[bluestateguy]

1. This is why we shouldn't even have elected school boards

You know what you get when you have an elected school board?

Politicians.

[liberal N proud]

2. And politicians are corrupt

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. It's not really the school board's fault

The board member made a dumb comment. But the reason the kids can't play football at their new school is a paperwork deadline was missed by the district and that deadline was BEFORE the board even voted to close the schools. Its also against the state sports regs to go to one school but play at another. And the state refuses to budge.

I feel so sorry for these kids.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

16. School boards are often the last hope against corporations and mayors taking over schools

In places like LA, you do indeed get politicians, many supported by teacher unions. In small towns, you get people who care. Not sure how either are evil.

In MD, the local school boards are basically powerless. Most of the real authority is at the state level which is appointed. I found than much more of a problem than elected boards will some real power.

[proud2BlibKansan]

19. Amen

As dysfunctional as a school board can get, I'd much rather have them in charge than anyone at the state or federal level.

[tsuki]

3. How do you feel about this, as a teacher? Football is king here in

Florida, but I wonder if it is being applied correctly. Winning is the all, at least here. I have heard of teachers being pressured to give passing grades. I have mixed feelings about this.

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. My dad was a high school coach

I grew up in a gymnasium. So I am a big sports supporter. My dad used to say the reason you have sports in high school is because by the time kids are teenagers, some of them only show up for class in the morning because of practice in the afternoon.

We need to maintain a balance. But these kids are getting screwed. No football is not a balance.

[tsuki]

11. Thanks. nt

[dsc]

4. I hope they can help those kids but state athletic organizations don't make exceptions

That board member was an idiot I admit to not being the most enamoured of sports but for some kids they really matter, not to mention they are often very popular with the community. I think he will be in big trouble over these comments.

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. Yes he's an idiot but I doubt he will be in trouble

He ran unopposed.

[Ken Burch]

10. He sounds like he'd been the kid who never made the team

At some level, I think he sees this as payback.

[dsc]

13. there might be some truth to that

I have to say I was that guy (I never tried but was picked on by athletes alot when I was in high school). I had a bit of a chip on my shoulder about athletes but I did change. I had the star quarterback of my high school in my class for a semester and he was the neatest guy, he changed my opinion of star athletes for the better.

[Ken Burch]

15. Jocks weren't always my friends either(alsthough some were)

But what bothers me about this guy is that, while he may have a valid point about athletics being a dead end for a lot of kids, it's a bit late to take it away from THESE kids because they don't have a chance to switch to some other plan.

You almost get the feeling this guy is saying these particular kids have to be sacrificed to "the greater good" or something.

[stopbush]

6. Get in line. Kids "who have nothing but the arts" have been shat upon for decades

by school boards. Arts programs are always the first thing to get cut at schools, even though they serve more kids than any football program could ever hope to.

I'm not saying the kids shouldn't have their football, but it would be nice if the jocks would show up once in a while at the Board meetings to support the arts when they are on the chopping block. I've been to many of these tearful meetings and I've yet to see the athletic people show up to support the arts kids, usually because their sports programs have been spared the axe.

[proud2BlibKansan]

9. One of our high schools is an arts magnet with no sports programs

So what you are claiming doesn't apply here.

[brewens]

12. If a schools football players are dumped on another school that

can cause problems. Imagine some kid that worked hard and was looking at getting a starting position as a junior this year. So some senior from across town gets to come in and play on his team and beats him out. What does losing that year of experience do to the juniors college football prospects?
I can just imagine that situation when I was in high school. Kids from our cross town rival all of a sudden thinking they were going to play on our team. Even if it instantly made us contenders for the state championship,that would have caused some serious fights.

[mrmpa]

14. I've got 2 nephews playing college sports

One is on a full Division I baseball scholarship, carrying a 3.6 GPA
The other is playing Division III football carrying a 3.0 GPA

Without sports there is a possibility that neither of these young men would be in the schools they are attending and doing as well as they are.

If sports can get you a college education, the better off you are.

[stopschoolpaddling]

17. "In the first place, God made idiots.

That was for practice. Then he made school boards."
— Mark Twain

[proud2BlibKansan]

18. It's not the school board - it's the state

No way are they going to give a break to black kids in an urban high school.