Ohio football mom blasts school with sign in yard

She sure is. I have never known a school to ask for the fees to be paid at the beginning before the cuts have been made. The school does inform the parents and students of the fees at the beginning.

Linked down in 4.1. :-P

Yeah, the kid's gonna come out of this bad, any way you look at it.

Tyler,

I do feel bad for the boy, but it is something that he could learn from and could shape his future. He has learned a couple of valuable lessons here (or could if mom would let him).

1. Check the "fine print" before committing to something.
2. Past actions can effect what you can do in the future.

I think that Keegan should be encouraged to earn his spot on the team. Just because he didn't get to make it this year doesn't mean that he can't get on the team next season. This should be great incentive to stay in shape and keep his grades up.

The school did not accept any money fromt he mother. The $70 she is fussing about was spent on a $10 physical and $60 cleats. She is fussing because she was laid off of work and couldn't afford the money to be wasted. My view of this is that if you cannot afford it, then you shouldn't get involved. It's tough, but some schools can actually get help for the people who cannot honestly afford the equipment and such.

One suggestion I do have (and I know some schools do this) would be to allow Keegan to still come to some of the practices to familiarize himself with the game. A lot of coaches allow this. The only time I have ever known them to not would be right before a game. I have heard the coaches refer to these students as practice aids. Not all schools can allow this because of liability though.

Bad publicity hurts a school, and if it hurts the school, it hurts the students and all that work there. That is a simple fact.

One suggestion I do have (and I know some schools do this) would be to allow Keegan to still come to some of the practices to familiarize himself with the game

The whole point of having the rule is that, if you can't keep your grades up, you don't have time to attend practice, you need to be studying.

The whole point of having the rule is that, if you can't keep your grades up, you don't have time to attend practice, you need to be studying.

I am aware of that, but the coaches do this, and it actually help students to put more into academic classes because they cannot attend every practice nor play nor have their name anywhere as a member of the team. If done the way I have seen it done, it can be an incredible incentive.

Ortner's son earned subpar grades in seventh grade last year, making him ineligible to play football. But she wasn't familiar with that portion of the student handbook, and she said no one told her Keegan was ineligible until after he had a uniform and trained with the team for weeks.

I don't get what she's whining about...

I have an idea - instead of posting a sign in front of your yard and getting your 5 minutes of fame, go inside and help your son study. Then his grades won't be subpar, and then he'll be able to play.

I'm not sure what is more disturbing:

• she didn't read the qualifications to play and is not crying foul
• his grades were bad but she's more worried about getting him on the field
• she's carrying on this crusade instead of simply working with him to hit the books

THIS is what's wrong with people...they're priorities are completely whacked out of order, they choose to not be accountable to their responsibilities, and instead of bringing resolve through mature decisions (which will help the son by....getting good grades and then playing football), she'll pull some sort of BS protest as if she even has an argument that holds water.

Sounds like both the son and his mother need to brush up on their reading and comprehension skills.

Good points, but in my opinion, the kids grades should have been checked BEFORE this all came to pass to see if he was even eligible to play. Buyt regardless, the school SHOULD give the money back..................

NOW...............sorry for going off topic, but can anyone tell me how to change the location of the LOCAL NEWS section? I moved from Nebraska to a new gig in Wyoming and I've updated my profile, but I can't seem to figure out where to go to change the location and I'm still getting North Platte News on the local section?

Thanks in advance!

Tyler, at the risk of looking stupid, which isn't too hard for me sometimes, I'm not finding this faint wrench in the top right hand corner. Are you talking about the Newsvine homepage or the local news homepage or what? Sorry, I just don't see what you're talking about..................

I'm not sure what is more disturbing:

she didn't read the qualifications to play and is not crying foul

his grades were bad but she's more worried about getting him on the field

she's carrying on this crusade instead of simply working with him to hit the books

lol! only in ohio!

Its no wonder the poor boys grades are sub par. It seems like since the dawn of time, having a 2.0 in school was mandatory to participate in school activities. :o

Curse you, Captain Hotlink.

Hee, I gotta new name!

Buyt regardless, the school SHOULD give the money back..................

They offered. She doesn't want it.

She didn't pay anything to the school. She paid $10 to a doctor for the physical and $60 at a store for the cleats. According to the article she never paid the school anything.

Newsvine homepage...if you don't have the modules in question, click 'add a news module' in the top right corner.

Got it Tyler, thanks for the help on that!

It shouldn't be pay to play anyway. The students are supposed to earn their spots on the team with athletic ability/determination and academic capabilities.

I thought you had to have a physical to try out? We did. You wernt allowed to come to try-outs without a physical in hand. The school doesnt owe her or her son anything

The $70 was for the physical and cleats. You don't get either of them from the school. Sorry mommy your son just "didn't make the grade". You think the cleats manufacture of the doctor is going to refund your money, good luck. Get over it and concern yourself with why the kids grades are below par, and keep your petty football fantasies to yourself.

Every child should get a physical either way. That is just a part of basic care. I was never really athletic (my thing was working on the cars or the house with my dad or working in the ag department at school...) but I still had a physical and all of that, and insurance took care of it.

Looking at the article that Tyler linked above, the breakdown was simply $10 for the physical and $60 for the cleats. It also noted that she was upset because nobody told her that her son was ineligible because of grades before the weeks of practice (while most schools weed out the students that either not athletically inclined or do not have the grades), and she felt that someone should have told her.

I know most parents don't read the handbook cover to cover, but parents and students should keep on with them to look this stuff up ahead of time. Sorry, there are X number of students trying out, and the parent to student ratio is a lot better. It takes a school time to determine this stuff, especially around other things that are much higher on the priority list.

I think she should have used the money that she used on that sign (while she is struggling because she was laid off) and paid for a tutor or tried to find someone to help her son academically instead. That is the first priority of school. Athletics are vital to rounding out a person. That can be gained while on personal time instead if grades are slipping.

I think she should have used the money that she used on that sign

She borrowed the sign.

She borrowed the sign.

AHA this is a continuing problem for this school, otherwise I doubt someone else would have this sign just lying around to lend to their neighbor. I think maybe we should get a congressional committee or better yet a special prosecutor to investigate this practice of not letting students with sub par grades into the athletic programs. (sarcasm intended)

For those who miss the sarcasm tag, above... Have a peek at the link in #4.1 and #1.3, there's a more detailed article, and a picture of the sign. It's one of those big yellow signs that you stick the letters in.

The school owe's her the fee plus an apology to the entire community for being greedy idiots.

hex no they don't. Fine print.

Activity fees are non-refundable after the first contest or group event if:

A. A student quits the activity.

B. A student moves out of the district.

C. A student suffers a season ending injury.

D. A student becomes academically ineligible.

E. A student is dismissed from a team or activity for disciplinary reasons.

F. A student or parent/guardian is not satisfied with playing time.

http://www.berlin-milan.org/inews/view.asp?ID=61

her fault for not reading.

http://www.sanduskyregister.com/articles/2009/10/18/front/1678903.txt

The physical was $10, the cleats were $60.

Her excuse is that she didn't read the student handbook. Maybe she AND her son should learn to do their homework.

She was offered the $70 she's griping about, and turned it down.

Way to teach your kid about responsibility, Mom.

Amen to that Rainkiss. It's always someone else's fault.

• Her excuse is that she didn't read the student handbook. Maybe she AND her son should learn to do their homework.

Now we see why he didn't make the grade. Can't do the required reading and no one even checks. Good looking out MOM!

She's probably holding out for, "okay, he can play," which I'll be truly disgusted if the board permits.

The board and school will get into a lot of trouble if they do relent on this. Those rules are set not by the board or school but by the states. Almost all states have the no pass/no play mandates for the public schools.

Forget the fact that junior can't conjugate a verb

I know this is off subject, but I just had to say that we finished doing that a few weeks ago, and I teach high school sophormore English. (10th grade English aka English 2) I had to define the word "conjugate" for a lot of my students. Some of them caught on, but too many of the students thought I was actually making up things for them to do. They also tried to convince me that it is he/she/it beezah.

he can't spell his own NAME!

I have had students get that question wrong on tests as well.

I hope that maybe you got a little bit of a sardonic laugh from that one. I know it is sad and pathetic and a horrible indicator of the future, but the choices are laugh or cry.

Lissa: re:#7.1

Some of them caught on, but too many of the students thought I was actually making up things for them to do.

LMAO

I LOVE IT! I can hear some of the kids in my class doing this!!! CONJUGATE? Now you're just making stuff up so we get bad grades and can't pass your CLASS!!!! *GRIN*

You too! What grade do you teach?

I just smirk and move on.

Lissa: I have a brother that teaches... but I was talking about me when I was in high school! I could hear several of the kids in my class accusing the teacher of making up things to cause them to get a lower grade! *GRIN*

Lissa, I teach high school biology and several of my students who get low grades will tell me, their parents, their friends, school administration that their grades are a function of my affection for them. I have to tell their parents and the student that their reasoning is flawed, that if I really disliked the student as much as they claimed that I would pass them just so I wouldn't have them in my class again next year.

You have that same reasoning too, Jeff? LOL

I teach high school sophomore English 2. Some of the defenses that my students come up with are beyond rediculous.

I have had several conversations over the years about the difference between being friendly and being friends. I have told my students that I would love to be your friend after you finish my class. I have a few students who have graduated and come back to give me a progress check. LOL

It was $10 for the physical because a lot of doctors give cheaper physicals for students who are trying out for school sports, and it was $60 for the cleats that the mother opted to buy for her son because he was trying to get on the football team.

Your point still stand though. The money was not paid to the school, nor did the school force either her or her child to try out for the team.

Angry: WELL... we all KNOW he's gonna make more money in PRO SPORTS than if he actually knows how to spell!!!! /sarc/

Ha, thats true. I love watching interviews with pro athletes. Most are college grads and then they say things like......"I can be running the football more good than those other person".

I hated when I was in college taking "hard" classes (biology major), and then they got credits for going to the gym. Then they actually graduate with "General Studies" or "Sports Management" degrees. I wonder what the 99.9% of people who get those degrees and don't make it to pro sports do? I guess they turn into high school coaches and talk about the "glory days"!

I wonder what the 99.9% of people who get those degrees and don't make it to pro sports do? I guess they turn into high school coaches and talk about the "glory days"!

It's either that (if they can get that job) or "flippin' boogers" somewhere.

The only issue with that is that the money for the physical is not paid to the school.

"We don't play those kinds of games."

I believe this is grammatically correct because games is plural. Or maybe I'm wrong?

robynlewisTX,

I believe you're right on this one. If you use "KIND" then you would have to say "THAT" not "THOSE", as well as GAME not GAMES. So it would be THAT KIND of Game as opposed to THOSE KINDS OF GAMES. I THINK that's right........................but then again I'm pretty easily confused these days sooooooooo, hehehehehe................

I am all ears... There is an abstract concept at play, here, about a singular word that can represent a collection that contains a plurality. I just don't know how to handle it in this English context.

Ah... I just saw Dylan's note about the contextual "those" instead of "that", thereby forcing an immediate plural. That makes sense

If any one of your suggestions above is right, the sign posted by that lady in her yard probably contains a grammatical mistake. This would be ironic since she is complaining about the school system.

/sarcasm/ SHE DOESN'T NEED TO BE GRAMMATICALLY CORRECT DAMMIT... she's standing up for her and her POOR son's RIGHTS! /sarcasm/

As this idiot mother was targeting one sport it should have read....We don't play that kind of game.

The end result is that this poor kid is in the limelight with everybody focusing on his shortcomings. He must love that. Moreover, he does not even get a break at home: There is that sign on his lawn. He must be under a LOT of stress.

Exactly, Karl. I agree with Tyler and feel kind of bad for the kiddo.

PS~ I enjoyed the grammar debate, and yes, her sign is not grammatically correct, making it the height of irony.

True, but if he wanted to try out for the team, he and the people responsible for him and the finances should have checked the handbook as it pertains to qualifying and maintaining his spot on the team.

Lissa Rose- Very well said

Thank you, Kenny.

Because you get the benefit of a new start. And if any class notifies the coaches you are failing you are off the team until you improve.

The same rules apply in college. You must be academically eligible to be on the team.

These are league rules not the schools.

So as I understand it, a kid with bad marks last year starts with a clean slate this year and his record isn't check? I don't buy that?

Each district that I have been in handled signing up for athletics differently. One district, the coach had to go to each teacher with the lists and get grades individually. It can be quite time consuming. I mentioned this in an earlier post. The answer to your particular question may just be that the district isn't very efficient with this process, or there may be extenuating circumstances that have prevented this issue with grades from coming to light.

It is a good idea to check the requirements ahead of time and make sure that one qualifies.

A responsible District would not leave it to the studentsor family to determine qualifications. Particularly if it is varsity league play. I am not a parent and I have no dog in this hunt. Just keeping people from piling on either the kid, his mom or the district. As for the board memeber who wants this to go away, he may mean well but is misguided imo.

And psycho coaches and administrators have no culpability, is that righ Al? It's always someone else's fault!!!

Interesting how much you seem to relate to this person who did not read the student manaul -- which are rules that apply to EVERY student -- and feels that her son should not be held to the same standards as the other students.

She epitomizes "entitlement."

It worries me that someone would identify with her on this case.

Al read my post 16.4, below, and tell me who I identify with. No coach should have let this boy, with his grades, on the field to practice with with team for several weeks. and you invoking "entitlement" tells me all that needs to be said.

A responsible District would not leave it to the students or family to determine qualifications. Particularly if it is varsity league play. I am not a parent and I have no dog in this hunt. Just keeping people from piling on either the kid, his mom or the district. As for the board memeber who wants this to go away, he may mean well but is misguided imo.

#16.4 - Wed Oct 21, 2009 5:35 PM EDT

I'm not piling on the kid. I am piling on the mother, however. How dare she advocate that her son is "above the law?" What kind of example is she setting? Society complains about a "lack of accountability," and this behavior epitomizes it. She should be chastised. She should be mocked. She should be publicly humiliated. Maybe she'll have more sense in the future. And maybe...just maybe...she'll realize that the world doesn't move just because "she says so."