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Private-School Students Deserve Chance On Public-School Fields

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 12, 2008

In the waning days of the legislative session, lawmakers passed a pilot project allowing private-school students to play sports on public-school teams.

Gov. Charlie Crist, a supporter of school choice and youth athletics, should sign the bill.

The two-year pilot program is an appropriate way to introduce this novel concept to those who favor a closed field for public-school athletics.

While understandable, the doors-barred reaction fails to recognize the changed landscape of education and the growing power of parental choice.

The issue is not about being true to your school. It's about doing what's best for kids. By that measure, private-school students should be allowed to play sports on public-school teams so long as they compete for the spots along with everyone else.

Look at it this way. Parents of private-school students not only pay tuition, they also pay property taxes to support the public schools. If their private school lacks athletic facilities, where's the injustice in allowing them to extract some benefit for their tax dollars?

Besides, Florida already allows home-schooled and charter-school students to participate in sports and extra-curricular activities at public schools. This measure simply extends the benefit to private-school students.

The two-year pilot project will encompass Bradford, Duval and Nassau counties, the latter of which is home to Rep. Aaron Bean, who pushed the measure through. It's unfortunate that Bean failed to talk to affected superintendents who resisted the proposal. If he had, the chances of success would be greater.

The project allows private high-school and middle-school students to participate in public-school sports if their private school doesn't offer athletics. However, they must meet the same standards of eligibility and can play only at the school zoned for their homes.

Clearly, football and basketball will get people most excited about this law, but the students most likely to benefit are interested in gymnastics, golf, track and tennis.

The proposal gives families options they didn't have before - and that's what the era of parental choice is all about.

Families shouldn't have to choose between the best education for their child and their child's desire to play a team sport.

And Florida can't afford to lose sight of the ultimate goal in education - developing the whole child.

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