BY SAUNDRA AMRHEIN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
UNION TOWNSHIP -- Children taught at home or in private schools now can sign up for classes with Lakota Local School District.
Lakota's school board on Monday approved part-time enrollment by a 4-1 vote. Board member Helen Shumaker voted against it.
The sometimes-emotional issue had been discussed throughout the school year as parents called for tighter language and looser restrictions.
Some protested the policy because it calls for children enrolling part time to take proficiency tests, a measure required by state law.
"I'm tired of the government jerking everyone around," Ms. Shumaker said Tuesday, reflecting opponents' views of the proficiency-test requirement. "These children are probably using a different curriculum," she added, referring to home-schoolers. "It's not really fair."
State law says those enrolled in public school must take the tests, said Jan Crandell, assistant director in the Assessment Center of the Ohio Department of Education.
However, if the child does not show up on test day, he or she does not have to take it, said David Greenburg, the district's director of personnel and student services.
Students who do not pass the ninth-grade proficiency test would not receive a Lakota diploma, he said.
"This policy is about opening doors, not forcing people to go through them," board member Jeff Jones said.
Part-time enrollment allows private-school students and the more than 200 home-taught children in the district to take classes. Elementary students are limited to two subjects of art, vocal music, instrumental music and physical education. Secondary-level students are limited to two credit-earning courses a year.
Participation in sports calls for yearlong enrollment in one subject for elementary students and one credit-earning course for secondary students. The district will use the same academic standards for eligibility for part-time students as full-time ones.
