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Resident urges board to allow in‑district home‑schooled students to join athletics; trustees direct staff to draft policy
Summary
During public comment, Monrovia resident Todd Huff asked the board to adopt an IHSAA‑consistent policy permitting in‑district home‑schooled students who meet eligibility rules to participate in school athletics; trustees directed administrators to draft a policy for a possible June first reading and July adoption after two readings.
Todd Huff, a Monrovia resident and parent, asked the Monroe‑Gregg School District board to adopt a policy that would allow in‑district home‑schooled students who meet Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) eligibility rules to participate in middle‑ and high‑school athletics.
Huff told trustees he has researched IHSAA requirements and is prepared to meet the standard that a home‑schooled athlete attend at least one class in person each day, and he submitted a draft policy and background information to the administration. "Although we home‑school our children, we are still very much part of this community and view Monrovia and Monroe‑Gregg schools as our community," Huff said, urging the board to consider a policy consistent with IHSAA minimums.
Board members and staff discussed a path forward: staff have obtained sample policies from the Indiana School Boards Association and administrators will tailor a draft to local needs. Trustees said the administration and the new athletic director should review the draft; if the board desires it can place a first reading on the June agenda and adopt a final policy after a second reading in July. Trustees noted IHSAA constraints, including a three‑year homeschooling requirement for athletic eligibility and the requirement that participating home‑schooled students reside in the district.
Trustees discussed concerns administrators and prior athletic directors raised previously—funding, scheduling the required in‑person period, and the risk of increased transfers—and asked staff to prepare a pros‑and‑cons memo that outlines likely fiscal impacts and operational issues. Several trustees voiced openness to piloting a policy for in‑district home‑schooled students, but no board member suggested immediate adoption without further administrative review.
Administrators committed to working with the board to produce a draft policy and to return with recommended next steps and background information for a possible June first reading.
