DeKalb Schools administration is requesting the board to allow students enrolled full-time at DeKalb Early College (DECA), DeKalb School of the Arts (DSA) or Arabia Mountain High School, to participate in competitive interscholastic activities at their regularly zoned school.
Georgia High School Association (GHSA) governs athletics and activities for high schools across Georgia. GHSA organizes sports and academic competitions as well as overseeing registration, training, and approves local area sports officials associations.
GHSA has recently changed their Constitution and By-Laws to allow students at magnet schools to participate in sports at their home school with certain restrictions.
POLICY CHANGE AGENDA ITEM
This policy change was presented at the March 19 board meeting.
The board will discuss and vote on this policy change next Monday, April 16. You may comment here or send comments directly to the school district and legal team.
PROPOSED Redline version of rewritten policy.
Consistent with GHSA By-Laws Section 1.62(n), students enrolled full-time at DeKalb Early
College Academy (DECA), DeKalb School of the Arts (DSA), or Arabia Mountain High School,
all of which meet the United States Department of Education’s definition of a “magnet school,”
may participate in GHSA extracurricular activities at the school they would ordinarily attend
according to DeKalb County Board of Education attendance policy (the “home school”) under
the following conditions:
1. If the school in which the student is enrolled offers the GHSA extracurricular activity in
which the student wishes to participate, the student shall be required to participate as a
member of the school in which he/she is enrolled.
2. Students may not participate in GHSA extracurricular activities at both the school in
which the student is enrolled and the home school. Instead, students must elect to
participate in GHSA extracurricular activities at only one school per school year. For
example, students could not play basketball at the school of enrollment and football at
the home school.
3. The election of the student to participate in GHSA extracurricular activities for either the
school of enrollment or the home school shall be binding for the current school year.
4. Students shall be required to comply with all GHSA eligibility and other rules.
5. Students shall remain subject to all applicable requirements for continued enrollment at
DECA, DSA, and Arabia Mountain, as well as all applicable requirements for
participation in the GHSA extracurricular activity. Students shall be solely responsible
for providing any and all transportation necessary for participation in the GHSA
extracurricular activity.
HOME SCHOOL – TIM TEBOW ACT
Currently, GHSA constitution and by-laws do not allow for home school students to participate in GHSA-sanctioned athletics even though they pay taxes.
However, a bill was dropped in the House (and an identical one in the Senate) that would require GHSA and school districts to allow home school students to participate in athletics in their resident school system under certain conditions. You can read the text of the House bill here (http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/20172018/173071.pdf) and the Senate bill here (http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/20172018/172391.pdf).
A second hearing on SB 384, the Tim Tebow Act, was as far as the got. Robin Hines, Executive Director of the Georgia High School Association, spoke to the issues the Association has with the bill — verification of academic eligibility, handling discipline issues, setting a precedent, and the schools becoming a cafeteria-style community program. GSSA, GAEL, and GSBA echoed his concerns. Only one person spoke in support of the bill. No action was taken.
Magnet schools for high achievers
DeKalb County operates six magnet schools for high achievers:
Kittredge Magnet School
Wadsworth Magnet School
Chamblee Middle School
Chapel Hill Middle School
Chamblee Charter High School
Southwest DeKalb High School
Magnet schools of the arts
DeKalb Elementary School of the Arts
DeKalb School of the Arts
Other magnet schools
Clifton Elementary School – math, science and computer education
Evansdale Elementary School – math, science and French
Columbia Middle School – math, science and technology
Arabia Mountain High School – environment, energy and engineering
Columbia High School – math, science and technology
“Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice. Moderation in pursuit of justice is no virtue.”