Mr. Watts wrote a guest editorial in the Hot Springs Star of May 20, which prompts me to comment on some issues he raised. In particular, he was disgruntled with the Hot Springs School Board policy which requires students who wish to participate in school sports to take a class. He is unhappy with this because his daughter wants to play golf although she isn’t in the community for nine out of twelve months. I would like to shed a little light on our experience in the home-schooling/school-sport endeavor.

Approximately six to seven years ago, my children, ages 9, 10, and 12, made several trips to Pierre. There they learned to lobby senators and representatives regarding the Home School bill which was to be voted on. They walked the halls of the Capitol, mustered up a lot of courage and approached these dignitaries with their plea to “give them a chance.” My kids were questioned hard by these folks, asking them why they thought they should be allowed, and would this open doors to cause bigger problems for the schools. My young kids went home and anxiously searched the newspapers for results of the home school bill vote.
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When this bill passed for the first time in South Dakota history, it was passed with the stipulation that home school students could participate in high school sports if the local school boards voted in such a manner. It was my understanding at the time that most West River School Boards voted “Yes,” and most East River Schools voted “No.”

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