THSCA LEGISLATIVE ALERT

 Private School Bill Scheduled for Vote on the House Floor on
Tuesday May 24, 2011

                       We need your help to contact your state representatives to show a strong opposition to opening the U.I.L. membership to private schools!

            S.B. 1214, by Patrick, has been placed on the Major State Calendar for a second reading in the House of Representatives, tomorrow, Tuesday, May 24, 2011. We need you and all friends of Texas high school athletics to act on this today. It is of extreme importance for all of our coaches to ­IMMEDIATELY contact their state representative in the House as well as the speaker of the House (Joe Straus). We also need to get the parents in our communities, as well as friends of athletics and all extra-curricular activities, to help in our efforts to voice opposition to S.B. 1214.
           
We are asking each of you to use the following bullet points and contact your representatives to express your opposition to both S.B. 1214.

 PLEASE PASS THIS ON TO FRIENDS OF PUBLIC SCHOOL ATHLETICS.
Note we have a hard time reaching many people through the e-mail filters;
please forward this even if you think a colleague may have already received it!

             The promoters of SB 1214 continually state that they are trying “to ensure fair competition,” and will require that all schools “meet all UIL rules.” These statements seem hardly feasible, considering that private schools must recruit to exist. They operate on the premise that a prospective student must choose to attend their school over a public school. This requires that they promote themselves and encourage the transition to their school environment over another one. The idea that a private school could function solely within residency restrictions that are applied to public schools is unreasonable to assume. Private schools can be selective on their admittance and therefore do not have to accept enrollment of the learning disabled, physically disabled, behaviorally challenged or financially challenged. Private schools can adopt their own rules regarding their student population and that power can provide unlimited flexibility within the mandates enforced by the UIL, and it gives the private schools the unfair advantage of creating a select environment of first-class students and athletes.

                In addition, all Texas parents have access to free and accredited public education. That is and should be guaranteed for all children in the state of Texas. If parents choose to enroll their children in a private school, they are doing so for personal reasons; they are consciously and deliberately making a choice to forego the public school system. If they want their children to participate in UIL activities, it is there and available for them in our public schools. If other factors outweigh that option, that is fine, it is their choice.

Bullet points in opposition to Private School Membership in all U.I.L. Activities:

• Private schools must recruit to exist. (Impossible to comply with recruiting rules because recruiting is critical to their very existence.)
 
• Private schools do not have to admit all children. (Public schools are required to take all comers; private schools are able to create a select environment.)
 
• Private schools do not comply with parent residence boundaries whereas public schools must. (How do you solve the issue of boundaries with private schools?)
 
• Academic standards are not mandated by statute, while public schools are heavily regulated.
 
• Private schools control the number of students who attend and would control their U.I.L. classification, while a public school cannot. (The smaller the classification the greater the impact of private schools.)
 
• Private schools have an unfair competitive advantage in that they have a unique situation -- they can establish a select environment.
 

We are writing to ask for your help?

"What can I do to Help?" There are three things you can do...

First, you need to contact your State Legislators. We have tried to make it as easy as we can for you. AssistantCoach Systems has donated a website tool to make it easy for anyone in Texas to send emails to their State Representative. We urge you to go to this website now and spend 2 minutes to add your name to the list of those who oppose the legislation. You can get to this tool by clicking on this link: https://secure.assistantcoach.net/poe/ This website also allows you to view the bill and it's impact.

You can also act by calling your Representative and/or sending a handwritten note.You can visit the THSCA website for a complete list of Representatives and their contact information. To Find out who your State Representative is CLICK HERE!

Lastly, we need to bring this Legislation to the attention of as many people as we possibly can and encourage them to contact their Legislators. Please forward this email to all friends of high school athletics and encourage them to voice their opinions.

It is critical to act immediately, the quicker that you respond, the better!

Speaker of the House: Joe Straus III (San Antonio) 512/463-1000 joe.straus@house.state.tx.us

To Access the Texas Legislature Online visit - www.capitol.state.tx.us