Editor, Times-Union: My daughter was asked to a dance at Triton High School. She was not allowed to attend because she is homeschooled. Triton said it was against their policy for homeschooled children to attend. But according to their handbook, where homeschooling isn’t mentioned, a student from another high school must be in good standing to attend, evidenced by their principal signing a form. This verifies the student’s age, grade and that they are not a dropout or a behavioral problem.
As a homeschooling parent, not a principal, I didn’t expect Triton to take me at my word about my daughter’s character. I respectfully offered documentation: a birth certificate proving age, a transcript of courses proving grade level, our homeschool registration proving that we are a legal school and that she has never dropped out of school. We had several character references from the community and a reference from another public school where she has attended dances. Triton would not even look at our documents and references.
We answered every question asked of us. It wasn’t any misbehavior or character flaw that kept my daughter from attending the dance; it was that we homeschool. What message does that send to the kids in our community? If you don’t live like we do, then we will not accept you?
Triton expressed sarcastic concern that, “We don’t even know what homeschoolers do.” Well, this homeschooler does not teach her children to be intolerant of others or to ostracize people who aren’t like them. I urge Triton to be fair with their policy concerning homeschoolers. Homeschooling is not rare, illegal, or immoral. Our state offers a K-12 program specifically for homeschooling. We even have a presidential candidate who homeschools. Most homeschoolers, like most public school parents care deeply about their child’s education.
It would be simple for Triton to have a rule that homeschoolers must provide extra documentation in place of a principal’s signature. This could protect the school and enable them to move past their antiquated, intolerant “policy” of excluding homeschoolers from being invited to a dance.
