Would you put your dc in a different h.s. because it had better sports program?

[clovergirl5]

A little background...dd13 has been playing softball since she was 5 on rec teams through our school district. Last year when she was 12, she tried out for a travel team that is out of a city 1/2 hour away from us. She made it and has is going on her second year with them. She is a fastpitch pitcher and centerfield.

I take her every weekend to a 2-3 hr practice at the h.s. of the city thats 1/2 hr away. No big deal. There are 5 girls from this school district on the same travel team as dd, so they will all be playing jv or varsity ball together once they all reach h.s. (they are currently a year behind dd).

The school district that dd is in right now, is trying to organize a travel team. The girls are dd's schoolmates but do not play year round and are not up to the same level of play that dd is. The guys trying to put together the team keeps asking for dd to be part of it, but for her, we feel it would be taking a step backwards in the level of play. She is already in her 2nd year of travel ball which is tournaments and practice year round, not just rec in the summer.

She starts h.s. next year and we have heard our h.s. softball teams aren't good at all. 2 games won out of 20.

Dh and I are considering switching dd to the other city's school district where 5 of her teammates are already. Once they all get to h.s. and are on the same school team, they will be very good and hopefully state championships and scholarships.

Dd is for the switch too. But that means one dd in a different school district than other 4 dc. Or we could just switch them all over. But then I would have to bring everybody to and from school everyday again. Just to mention, dd9 is also on the 10u travel team for the same city and team as dd13, so I drive her to and from practice in that city every weekend too.

Has anyone experienced something like this or heard of anyone that has? Its a big step.

Please keep it nice, thanks in advance.

 

[happygirl]

I think a child should go for a education first sports second.

 

[DMickey28]

How are the academics in the other school? How much of a strain would it put on the time away from the house being that it is further away?

I don't think the kids being in different schools would matter too much but I am not sure. Will any of the kids be in the same HS at the same time otherwise? How old are the other kids?

Is there a cost implication of putting her in the other school?

 

[Schmeck]

Also, how will she feel about being taken away from all of her friends at her old school? What if she gets injured and can't play any more? Then what, do you switch her back? What if she doesn't even make the varsity team? Does the school system even allow this to occur - picking a school out of district based on a sport? Do you have to lie and pretend you live there?

It would have to be one awesome school, playing in Division 1 softball, with great academic programs in order for me to even consider doing this for my children.

 

[wdwfan16]

A little background...dd13 has been playing softball since she was 5 on rec teams through our school district. Last year when she was 12, she tried out for a travel team that is out of a city 1/2 hour away from us. She made it and has is going on her second year with them. She is a fastpitch pitcher and centerfield.

I take her every weekend to a 2-3 hr practice at the h.s. of the city thats 1/2 hr away. No big deal. There are 5 girls from this school district on the same travel team as dd, so they will all be playing jv or varsity ball together once they all reach h.s. (they are currently a year behind dd).

The school district that dd is in right now, is trying to organize a travel team. The girls are dd's schoolmates but do not play year round and are not up to the same level of play that dd is. The guys trying to put together the team keeps asking for dd to be part of it, but for her, we feel it would be taking a step backwards in the level of play. She is already in her 2nd year of travel ball which is tournaments and practice year round, not just rec in the summer.

She starts h.s. next year and we have heard our h.s. softball teams aren't good at all. 2 games won out of 20.

Dh and I are considering switching dd to the other city's school district where 5 of her teammates are already. Once they all get to h.s. and are on the same school team, they will be very good and hopefully state championships and scholarships.

Dd is for the switch too. But that means one dd in a different school district than other 4 dc. Or we could just switch them all over. But then I would have to bring everybody to and from school everyday again. Just to mention, dd9 is also on the 10u travel team for the same city and team as dd13, so I drive her to and from practice in that city every weekend too.

Has anyone experienced something like this or heard of anyone that has? Its a big step.

Please keep it nice, thanks in advance.

Hell no!!!!!! My child is in school to get a great education. Sports are for fun and a few who are naturally great will make a living at it.

 

[friend of pooh]

Are these public schools? If so, you may not just be able to switch her depending on the rules in your state.

 

[clovergirl5]

I think a child should go for a education first sports second.

dd13 is a straight A student who has been on the honor roll every marking period since the forth grade(she is in 8th grade now), so education is not an issue at all. She has always been told, school comes first and knows whats expected of her. She is one of the highest scorers on the Terra Nova test and the Meap test every time she takes them.

 

[clovergirl5]

How are the academics in the other school? How much of a strain would it put on the time away from the house being that it is further away?

I don't think the kids being in different schools would matter too much but I am not sure. Will any of the kids be in the same HS at the same time otherwise? How old are the other kids?

Is there a cost implication of putting her in the other school?

Not a whole lot more strain with the exeption of driving them back and forth to school everyday, which I did that everyday up until last year..15min one way, sometimes up to 4 times a day due to younger dc starting preschool and getting out or starting at different time than elem.

There is no cost to switch. Its called school of choice. My dc are in school of choice right now. We are in a different district than the one they go to.

 

[goodstarr]

I totally understand your thinking. Even though children go to school for an education, their other needs should be met as well - especially extra-curricular.Finding a school that meets both of those needs is ideal - especially when you're thinking about how it affects their college choices.

Go for it! Since she's willing, and will already know other kids there, it sounds like a gret plan. I've known famlies that have kids at different schools, because their kids have different needs. And unfortunately, not all public schools are alike (or equal).

 

[Bluestars]

I know of an ex-professional football player who took his son out of the private school that my son goes to and put him in a public school that has a much better sports program. But his kid is awesome. I have never seen anything like him. He truly excels at baseball and football, and probably any other sport he chose. There is no doubt in my mind this kid is going places.

I wouldn't switch a child for athletic reasons, but then again my son excels in academics and is only slightly above average in sports, so I really can't relate to an extremely talented athletic child.

It's up to the parents to decide what will benefit their children the most. If you think this will be the best thing for your daughter, then that's all that matters.

 

[clovergirl5]

Also, how will she feel about being taken away from all of her friends at her old school? What if she gets injured and can't play any more? Then what, do you switch her back? What if she doesn't even make the varsity team? Does the school system even allow this to occur - picking a school out of district based on a sport? Do you have to lie and pretend you live there?

It would have to be one awesome school, playing in Division 1 softball, with great academic programs in order for me to even consider doing this for my children.

You can pick what school your dc go to, its called school of choice, you don't have to lie about anything lol.

I don't know what the school team is ranked with the state now but when you look at dd's schoolmates who are playing rec right now, they will be the ones she will be playing jv or varsity with if they decide to go our for the team. They are not up to her level of play. He teammates that go to the other district are. And that district coach(not sure if its the jv or varsity) won't let anyone play on the team unless they are part of a travel team. That was pretty shocking to me, but I guess she can do it.

Like I said, she is for the switch. I know she will miss her friends and she knows that. She is ok with it as long as she can still see them out of school. We aren't moving.

As for an academic program, she is a straight A honor roll student, the curriculum couldn't be any different than what she is in now at 8th grade. I have never heard anything negative about this school.

 

[Magic Mom]

As long as the academics are comparable and you can handle the logistics of driving her back and forth, I say go for it. I don't think high school is just about academics. Sports, clubs and other activities help kids grow in other ways. You daughter sounds like a great student; it won't hurt to help her pursue her sports goals too.

 

[clovergirl5]

Hell no!!!!!! My child is in school to get a great education. Sports are for fun and a few who are naturally great will make a living at it.

Ok then.....my dd gets excellent grades and is also good at a sport that she has 3 established teams that want her and 1 team thats being put together and that is only being asked personally by the coaches to be a part of it as a pitcher.

 

[friend of pooh]

I would make sure that this school has classes in their hs that your daughter may be interested in ...electives and various AP courses.

 

[bballmom56]

Once they all get to h.s. and are on the same school team, they will be very good and hopefully state championships and scholarships.

There are many possibilities that could throw a monkey wrench into the plan. Kids get injured, some could move out of the district, some could lose interest and not want to play at a high level anymore. It is also possible that other, better players could move into the district or could emerge from the current players. I have seen these things happen with HS basketball teams. Also, scholarships for athletics are very tough and I wouldn't want to plan on that.

Now, if the academics are better or at least as good as her current school, and she is comfortable with the social scene at the new school, I would certainly consider giving it a shot.

Good luck in your decision!

 

[clovergirl5]

Are these public schools? If so, you may not just be able to switch her depending on the rules in your state.

Yes, public schools....Michigan has a school of choice program that we are already involved in. We live in one district but had to fill out paperwork for our dc to go to another district when they started kindergarten.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

I think it would be a good idea. She already has friends at the other school and you say the academic quality is about the same at both schools.

The one thing I would look into is that in some states, even with school of choice, if a child uses the choice option to transfer, they are ineligible for athletics for a year.

 

[happygirl]

If you daughter makes good grades and that is her forcus sp? Then she should be okay to change districts

 

[dawson5]

Like someone else pointed out, it might not be that easy to just switch schools. In the past five years we've seen two lawsuits about this. One involved a girl who would not be a starter on the softball team, her parents put her in the nearby town, coach was one of her rec league coaches. They said this was for "scholastic" reasons. If you know where they took her from and the school they enrolled her, you know that this is the biggest line of BS ever. The second was for a girl whose mother had lost her job. She moved her daughter from there to her to the same nearby town to live with family. In both cases the High School Athletic Association was bound to look into it because of complaints filed by the original high schools. Both girls were allowed to play at the new schools but in the case of the first girl, by the time all of this was looked into, she had missed probably half of the season. There was one other girl I know who played golf who was very unhappy at the larger school. Her parents allowed her the choice between the public high school or the private high school. She was allowed to move, wasn't for athletic reasons, but she was not allowed to play golf for her sophomore or junior year, can't remember which. She was also ranked sixth in the state at that time for ladies golfers. Her parents didn't fight the HSAA on this, they knew their daughter's ability would shine through no matter what.

I would seriously look into it. If the old school gets any idea that you are moving her for athletic reasons, they can (and usually do) do this.

Side note, don't know what happened to the first girl, softballer. Second girl, received a full scholarship to Notre Dame, third girl is in college and still plays golf. I don't know if she received a scholarship or not.

 

[clovergirl5]

I totally understand your thinking. Even though children go to school for an education, their other needs should be met as well - especially extra-curricular.Finding a school that meets both of those needs is ideal - especially when you're thinking about how it affects their college choices.

Go for it! Since she's willing, and will already know other kids there, it sounds like a gret plan. I've known famlies that have kids at different schools, because their kids have different needs. And unfortunately, not all public schools are alike (or equal).

Thank you, thats kind of the way dh and I were thinking. Dd loves school and she loves playing competitive softball so she is excited about the prospect of this happening. Her coaches are very excited too. Her 3 coaches dd's are in that district together. So it would be a dream team once they all get to jv or varsity.