In rural Crawford County, we are a community. From our schools to our churches to Little League, our small, secluded town is a place where people care about each other. It is also a place where children who are homeschooled have always been allowed to participate in school activities, including sports, band, dance squad, art classes, etc. Our superintendent of schools, Garry DeRossett, would like to change that.

For as long as anyone can remember, homeschooled kids have been allowed to participate in school activities in Crawford County. This is an important thing, since there are no other avenues available in Crawford County for children to participate in cross country, basketball, track, music, art, or many other activities. The closest place to participate in these activities outside of a school organization is anywhere between half an hour and an hour away.

Last night, at our school board meeting, Superintendent DeRossett suggested to our board members that Crawford County Community Schools should deny ANY child who is homeschooled the right to participate in ANY activity or class that is offered through our public schools. I, as a homeschool parent who pays taxes in Crawford County, and also as a person who is involved in our community, believe that this would be an injustice to our children.

The school board will be revisiting this issue at their next meeting on 10/18/16 at 7:30 PM. I would like to have a petition to bring to them with as many signatures from people in our community as possible. I am also requesting that anyone who can, please come to the meeting and show our school board that we, as a community, believe that homeschool kids matter!