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Parent urges Rochester district to adopt clear policy on homeschooled students' athletic eligibility
Summary
A parent whose son was ruled ineligible asked the Rochester Community Schools board to create a clear policy on how the district applies the MHSAA 66% rule so homeschool students have consistent access to athletics; trustees and the superintendent said they would explore policy options and provide follow-up.
Judith Monti told the board at public comment that her son was declared ineligible for high-school athletics despite language in the Michigan High School Athletic Association handbook that she said allows participation if an academic reporting mechanism is in place.
"My son was declared, and that's despite the MHSAA regulation 1 section 9 that indicates they are allowed to participate if a reporting mechanism is in place," Monti said, and she urged the district to craft a written policy clarifying how the 66 percent credit threshold is applied. Monti said she interprets the 66 percent threshold as a credit-load equivalency, not a seat-time requirement, and that other Michigan districts apply the rule in a way that would permit her son's participation.
Monti asked the board to collaborate with the district to create policy so families and administrators have "clarity, consistency, and really fairness moving forward." Trustee Lacui and others asked procedural questions about whether the board could add a policy item to a future agenda; the chair explained that trustees may move to suspend rules or place items on a future agenda. Trustee Lacui later said she would like to see a formal policy and noted she had previously proposed a policy when she served on the policy committee.
No formal action on policy was taken at the Sept. 22 meeting. Trustees and administration said they would continue the conversation and provide more information to the board about how Rochester currently determines what coursework counts toward MHSAA eligibility.
