Extracurriculars? Go to public schools.

In a recent letter, Ms. Lussenhop complains that her children can't be part of the extracurricular activities at the public schools.

It's wonderful that she's decided to home school her children. But that means you do not get to then come back and say that you want your children to take advantage of other aspects of the public school system.

If you want your children to be involved in extracurricular activities, there's a simple solution. Get together with other parents who have made a similar decision and set up your own sports teams, art clubs and junior and senior proms. By your logic, any parents who send their children to private schools should be able to also send their children to public schools for extracurricular activities because the public school might have a better football team, art club, etc.

These extracurricular activities are for the children who attend those public schools. Why should someone not be able to play on the football team at their school because they were bumped off of the team because a home schooled child took their place? I'm certain the sports authority for the state of Illinois would take a very dim view of students not in a public school playing on a public school team.

As an aside, you talk about taxes. My wife and I have lived in the area for about 25 years. We have paid taxes on our house for 25 years. While we have been married for 46 years, we have never had any children. i.e. no children who have ever used the public schools. What rights to the public schools do we have?

If you want your child to be able to avail themselves of those extracurricular activities, send them to the public schools.

Walter E. O'Brien

Dundee