Homeschool orchestra group tells LPS new eligibility rule could bar nonpublic students from after‑school ensembles

Jane Dowd, secretary of the Lincoln Homeschool Orchestras (LHSO), addressed the board during public comment about after‑school orchestra eligibility rules.

Dowd said the district and community were first made aware of the change in December 2024, when tryout music was posted for a youth ensemble. She said a statute enacted in July 2023 requires nonpublic students who wish to participate in Nebraska School Activities Association (NSAA) competitive activities to be enrolled in a public school for five hours, but that after‑school orchestral ensembles are neither competitive nor formally representative of a single school and therefore should not be subject to that requirement.

Dowd argued that requiring nonpublic students to enroll in a second school or attend additional school‑day instruction in order to participate in community‑based after‑school music groups imposes an unreasonable burden and would reduce access to music opportunities that LHSO has provided for more than two decades. She asked the board to consider the impact on access to music education and offered to answer questions.

Board staff said they typically do not have back‑and‑forth during public comment but offered to have staff or the board’s elected representative follow up with Dowd after the meeting. The board did not take immediate action on the matter during the session.