Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Student Athletics topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Mother urges Cloverdale Unified to allow independent-study sixth grader to play school sports; board to review policy
Summary
A Cloverdale mother asked the board to permit her homeschooled sixth grader who attends Hartwood Charter (independent study) to join district school sports; the board said it cannot act during public comment and agreed to return the topic to a future agenda to review board policy and CIF rules for high-school eligibility.
At the board's public comment period, Diana Bernard identified herself as the mother of Phoenix Norm Bernard, an 11-year-old entering sixth grade who attends Hartwood Charter's independent study program. Bernard told trustees she collected a petition and letters from coaches supporting her son's inclusion on school teams and asked what steps she should take to have the district consider athletic eligibility.
"My son...he's been a part of the community for, you know, last four to five years...once he ages out of rec sports, it would be lovely if he would be able to then continue playing in the school sports with his community," Bernard said, and offered copies of petition signatures and coach letters for the board to review.
Board members explained that the board cannot take action on items during public comment but said the district can place the matter on a future agenda for discussion. A district representative explained the board's public-comment rules: "We can't discuss it here...we can then put it on next month's agenda so that we can discuss it." Trustees asked staff to return with the board's athletic participation policy and the relevant CIF bylaws for high school eligibility so the board can consider the request in context; trustees noted elementary/middle school eligibility is typically more flexible than high school rules governed by the CIF.
Why it matters: The request raises questions about how districts apply athletic eligibility rules to students in independent-study or charter programs and whether district policy or CIF bylaws allow cross-enrollment for extracurricular athletics.
Next steps: Trustees agreed to add the athletic participation policy and relevant CIF bylaws to a future agenda for review. The next regular board meeting is scheduled for Aug. 13, 2025.
