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Son should be on team with classmates

My husband and I moved to Mount Prospect in August 1996.  We chose Mount Prospect for its schools, community programs and close-knit neighborhoods.

We have been blessed with two children. Both have done well in school and sports.  Our son, Ryan, now in second grade, has done exceptionally well in academics. This success allowed Ryan the opportunity to skip a grade!

A year sounds like a long time but it should be noted that his birthday is actually Sept. 4, only three days past the district cutoff.

Our children have been involved in sports since early ages including basketball, football, softball and t-ball.  My husband, Jeff, assisted coaching many of these years.

This past week was time to register for baseball. We attempted to add Ryan to the 2nd grade boys team. His application was denied because of his age!

We experienced the same issue last year. Ryan eventually signed up for T-ball as a 6-year-old. In essence, as a 1st grader he was playing with kindergarten children. He did not know any of them. They did not even attend the same schools. His fellow classmates questioned why he was playing with a younger team.  This made Ryan feel terrible.

We believe an inconsistency in policy exists. Basketball and soccer registration is by grade level. Football is by age and size. Arlington Heights baseball registration is by grade level.  In contrast, Mount Prospect softball allows 7-year-old girls to register if they have played one year of t-ball. 

We petitioned the park district to let Ryan play with all the other 2nd graders this year. This was again denied. They said his age was too much of a liability.

Let's remember that boys with birthdays in July and August are the same age as Ryan while playing.  Shouldn't we also worry about these children?

So the final results: A little boy who loves baseball and enjoys playing with his classmates will be denied (Ryan refuses to play another year with children he doesn't know). And the park district has lost an excellent coach in my husband. Does any of this make sense?

Jeff and Cassie Busse  

Mount Prospect